Finishes and the end of another year

I mentioned in my last post a couple more gifts I finished off ready for Christmas... now that they have been gifted I can share with you!

For my aunt I decided to make a handbag... I've had this Melly & Me 'Black Forest' pattern for a couple of years now, and finally decided to give it a go. I must admit, while the instructions were easy to follow, the bag proved more difficult than I anticipated due to the stiffness of the interfacing. I persevered and was really happy with the result.

I joked to Mum while I made it that it might possibly be the first and only handbag I make... but I might have to make one more for myself!!

I also made a smaller bag, a 'mug bag' for my Mum. She goes to a stitching group each week and I thought it would be perfect for her to take her mug in. This is a small pattern by Anni Downs and comes with the pre-printed linen...

It was a really simple pattern to follow and I managed to finish it fairly quickly :)

Alex is already hanging out for next Christmas, although I'm happy to take it a bit slower for a while! The kids had a great day, they were spoiled with so many gifts and there was much yummy food to be eaten...

With only a couple of days left of 2014 I think the finishes above will be the last for this year... I'll be too busy enjoying the festivities to stitch! Tasmania is a great place to be at this time of the year, we have a big food festival (Taste of Tasmania) and all the yachts that have completed the Sydney-to-Hobart race lining the docks.

If I don't blog again until 2015, have a happy and safe new year xx