I’ve made quite a few smaller things this month, most of which wouldn’t be worth blogging on their own, so I’m combining them into one post.

I made the Utility Tote from Motif Studio, a pattern I won as part of a prize in the My Makes for the Month challenge. I do love a good tote so thank you Motif Studio. I have three more of her patterns to make now.

As with all my makes, this one began with an interrogation of my stash. The tote required more fabric than I expected, and it’s lined, so I needed to find enough of the right fabrics.

I found some polyester canvas harvested from a pair of thrifted Ikea deckchairs, and some cotton which I had dyed at some point in the past.

This deckchair is the subject of an international recall and money is refunded without a receipt. I was quite tempted, but decided that they are too useful even though they are dangerous if not set up properly. I removed the Ikea canvas and replaced it with black canvas. Here is son with Winnie, the German Shorthaired Pointer belonging to my stepdaughter. When I made the black canvas slings, I added little neck pillows for extra comfort.

I love this tote and it’s in constant rotation.

It has six pockets and a tie through the middle to hold it together. The canvas was too stiff to tie so I put a little clip on it.

all I have left is a small piece of canvas and some shreds.

I’m deep into the Making Zen online retreat and have just finished Selina Ben’s Unwritten Folded Treasure Pouch. Selina has lovely classes and this was no exception.

I used a scrap of floral for the outside and a scrap of Gorman quilt cover for the inside. There are two identical sides to this and the construction is so ingenious.

Each side finishes up looking like this

Each side has three tiny pockets (two on either side of the centre seam and one under the flap, and a centre pocket.

I used some lovely vintage poppas to keep the flaps closed. They came from my Mum’s stash

I used two different coloured threads for my worm knots and feel much more confident doing them.

This is another lovely Making Zen class, which can be completed free (you get 24 hour access) or as part of the VIP package. I am happy with this as a first attempt but will be making more. They would be perfect gifts!

Next up I made a small bag from ripstop nylon to keep my raincoat in. Depending on which version of Sue is on duty, the raincoat is either folded neatly or stuffed inside. If my raincoat gets wet I can store it in this bag until I can get it dry.

Finally I made a little. light, blanket. Some time ago I bought a Kantha quilt bundles from Woven Stories Textiles. The bundle consisted of all the pieces needed to make a jacket, but none of the pieces fitted me. I’ve looked at it many times, and came to the conclusion that I liked the fabric too much to leave it in the stash. I did have a photo of the whole thing but taken so long ago that it’s been deleted and I forgot to take another before I cut it up. I did remember just in time to take this of one of the jacket fronts – long and thin.

I decided to cut the whole thing into six inch squares and, because I wanted it to be reversible, I butted each square together and hand stitched it with cross stitch, which still looks nice on the reverse side. I then blanket stitched the whole border.

These are the two sides. The bright blue squares came from a sleeve, and the green squares were part of a front piece. There are a few visible mends and I needed to strengthen some parts as well.

A close up of each side. Piecing was required to make sufficient squares, but I think the extra stitching just adds to the charm. I did this whole thing in the evenings, which kept me nicely entertained.

The blanket is perfect for wrapping up when I’m outside on a cool day.

I have very few scraps left over, but I shall find a use for them.

I’ve had a busy few days, but pleased with the outcome. Right, on with the next Making Zen class!