the sewing crew: project #2.509 - wine lovers special

i wish i had thought of the cute title for this project myself - but i didn't. this is from one yard wonders, a book full of whimsical (and practical) projects that require one yard or less. the fabrics i used, as you can see, are from leftovers from the liberty case project. instead of doing 2 wine bottle carriers, i just did one. i also skipped the coasters, because... i made the test one too small, and i can't find a circular shape with a similar diameter. no, i do not own a compass.

._.

guys, following instructions without pictures/diagrams is kind of hard, even though the author did her best to describe in detail of each and every step. i had to reread some directions and imagine how they would turn out. my mind does not work in 3d! i'm so grateful of the sewing blogs out there with pictorial instructions - documenting every step is so tedious but soooooooooooo appreciated! (i.e. tasia's blog).

additionally, what i found to be annoying is topstitching around the opening. i had to stop every few stitches to make sure i had not accidentally sewn it shut. so here is the finished product:

ooooh i forgot to mention. i decided that i should put my logo (an elephant) on this gift for kirsten, instead of doing a bird (her current obsession) patch. i tried topstitching the elephant in place, but had to scrap it because the patch had a some really tight corners. second try - i decided to hand stitch. took me a while and a few spurts of frustration (i do not like hand sewing!), but i was able to securely patch it in place! a close-up: