Puzzle Ball and Tote

A couple of items to complement the pinwheel baby quilt for our newest niece or nephew come September. Both the puzzle ball and tote are featured in Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. I was initially initmidated by the the puzzle ball, but the directions are simple to follow and I completed it in one afternoon. I used a 6" plate as my circle template and found that piecing carefully by machine did not require many pins. I added a bell in one of the sewn pieces to give it some jingle. Next time, I'll make it in higher contrasting colors to highlight the pattern. It's fun to toss around and the dogs would probably like one as much as a baby.

The directions for the simple bag are also easy to follow. The only thing I changed was cutting the straps slightly wider (2" instead of 1 3/4") and sewing right sides together with a 1/4" seam allowance to create a tube. Using a safety pin at one end, I pulled the fabric through the tube to turn it right side out, and topstitched to secure it in place. That was easier than lining up both pieces with pins and topstiching only. I also added a simple pocket to give it more color and utility. The size is 12" x 15", and it would be easy to alter the pattern's size.