If You give a Mouse a File .....

And if that Mouse lives in my house....She will probably make a Quilted File Folder!

I look pretty happy here with my first retreat finish, don't I?

Last week I promised you in THIS post that I was planning something fun and happy with my little Mouse so I could join in on The Tartankiwi's fun Woodland Bundle Quiltalong.  Well, I packed up all my supplies ....

Zipper was recycled from an old beach bag!
It's been hanging around for years waiting for me to put it to use.
I love it!!!!

... along with this pattern/tutorial I've been hoarding for ages by Modern Handcraft (you can find the free tutorial HERE) ....

and chose it for my first project while at retreat at Becky's Barn with a couple of my favorite crazy fun friends.  This was a really fun project to do, and perfect for my first project because it went together quickly.  The instructions in the tutorial are clear and easy to follow :*)

First, I had to remove all the old faded pink fabric from around my recycled zipper....

And voila! - Good as new!!!

I love that it is a heavy-duty zipper, perfect for a folder that will get lots of use!

Before long, I had surrounded my little Mouse with a 1/4"hot pink border and then finished out the bottom front with that gorgeous bright blue.  It reminds me of a night at the fair while the fireworks are going off!

Next I added the layers of fabrics I had chosen for the top section ....  The topmost piece here is my inner lining.

Kinda wishing now I hadn't put the white at the top - it will get lots of touches and will be impossible to keep clean.  *sigh*

I proudly hung my new Mouse File Folder on the light over my machine where I sewed at retreat to spur me on to finish even more projects.  On the last day of the retreat, we were all packed up and ready to leave when Sheila comes strolling over to my station with her hands behind her back ... When she brought her hands to the front, she was holding my file folder!  ..... which she had stolen the day before .... and I hadn't even noticed!!!!  What can I say?  By that time I had shifted my focus to work on Moon Over Meowmi and forgot all about my poor little Mouse...

Now that I'm home, my folder has already been put to good use!

And at our Guild meeting this week, it held my new On-The-Go Project Bag patterns for those who ordered one :*)

FYI - I'm working on getting these available on the blog, but if you're interested in the meantime, drop me an email and I'll send you a PDF copy for just $6.00!

My next Woodland Bundle project is going to be very similar .... If my Mom is reading this, then she will know she is about to get a fun new gift :*)

Are you sewing along in the Woodland Bundle QAL?  Juliet at The Tartankiwi is so talented, and her patterns are always so well done.  You don't have to worry about running into problems - they sew up like butter!  And if you go over to her Etsy shop now, you can get the entire set of ALL FOUR Woodland creatures - in FOUR different sizes! - for SALE during the duration of the QAL!  Then you can join in to win some fun prizes!!!

I think my Bunny will be next to come out to play after the Squirrel - he's too darn adorable to sit alone for long!  

But to be honest, I can't be totally sure what my plan will be, because someone has taken control of my planning calendar ....

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with the following fun parties:

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?