Patriotic Pillowcases for Lukie & Susie

Aside from their birthday pillowcases, I finished Lukie and Susie's set of holiday pillowcases with the patriotic ones that they can use for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day.

 Lukie got the pinwheels...

... and Susie wanted the fireworks.

Sarah's National Parks Apron & Mask

I found the best fabric at the Field's Fabrics (Michigan) online store. Anne Fields (no relation) mentioned on her blog that she ordered from them, so I checked it out. I was so glad that I did.

 Sarah LOVES the national parks, and this panel of fabric is perfect for her!

Not only did I make her an apron...

... but I had enough fabric left to make her a pandemic mask.

She says she loves it. I am thrilled!

Pony Pouches!

Every year I hold Happy Trails, a small live show/pony party, in my home the first weekend of June. This year I am celebrating my 50th year in the formal hobby, and I had big plans and some surprises for Happy Trails. 

Due to the pandemic, Happy Trails had to be canceled. I was disappointed, but I figured we could still hold it virtually like BreyerFest. (On a MUCH smaller scale, of course.) I put the class list online and invited my friends to post their photos in class albums. 

And while Happy Trails may not be happening live, I am still sending out swag bags, giving out ribbons, and have one more treat for all who enter.

Pony pouches! All entrants will receive a pony pouch made by me, even if they entered just one photo.

I made myself a set in orange fleece about ten years ago. I also have a couple of Breyer pony pouches and some made by Lori Batchelor. Amazon gift bags work in a pinch, too, although I usually bubble wrap any models I put into those.

But it is one thing to sew pony pouches for yourself and quite another to make them as gifts. I don't mind if there is a flaw in the fabric or if I have a messy seam on my own pouches, but if I am making them for friends, then I want them to be really nice. And since it has been so long since I made any, I had to sit down and figure out measurements before I could get started.

I kept notes as I worked because models, even in the same scale, differ. A Weather Girl or a Cigar model need width, whereas the Moody Saddlebred or Belgian mold need a taller pouch.

I have a roll of pattern paper from making clothes for living history reenactors, so I pulled it out and began making patterns for a variety of pony pouch sizes. (Pepper is hoping that I will play with her.)

I experimented with scale size as well as the closure. I do not like velcro closures - too risky for scratching the models. Instead, I make deeper flaps to fold over the top of the model.

These are the experimental pony pouches. I will keep all of them for myself. Their flaps are not as deep as I want them to be. A few are padded with quilt batting, another sewing staple that I have on hand. But I have padded pouches in my own stash for shows, and I find that that extra padding takes up a lot of space when the models are packed into tubs for a show. In my opinion, my plastic models do just fine without the padding. (Chinas are another story - I like the padding for them.)

I had found a basic pattern online for the experimental pony pouches. The size definitely needed tweaking, but that was an easy fix. 

What I did not like about that pattern was how the flap ended up being partially twisted in at its base.

But that was an easy fix - I adjusted my pattern and while it added a couple of steps to the stitching process, I like how the side seams no longer twist in.

The photo show is this coming Saturday, so now that I have figured out the patterns and am happy with them, I am cutting and sewing several hours a day. I made 18 the last week of May.

And I figure that, as long as I am at it, I will replace my old ones and maybe even make some for donations to live shows or to sell.

Plus, with all the extra fabric I have from past sewing projects, I should not have to buy any more to make my own pouches.  

Better get back to the sewing machine!