Patchwork Sewing Set

I go through stages of obsession in my life, and for the past 6 months or so, it's been Pokemon. That appears to be calming down now though; I've been sewing up quite a few things instead!

I made this set of patchwork sewing accessories for my mum, who's getting back into her own patchwork as well as redecorating in red, black and white.

 

I told Mum that I'd make her some wall art for her bedroom, but she doesn't know about the sewing accessories!

I made a long strip of friendship-braid-esque patchwork for this project; it was about a metre long, and 13cm wide. I cut something like 50 half-hexagons for that length, which ended up being a little too long (which was totally okay because I ruined that extra length accidentally and then still had enough). 

I used three fabrics in the braid; a grey arrow print, a black and white semi-geometric print and a black, grey, white and red chevron print. When I put everything together I used a red version of the grey arrows as the accent fabric, and I think it worked a lot better than I thought it would. My original idea was to have the red in the braid but this turned out so nicely that I'm glad I did it this way instead.

I'm really pleased with the wall art. It looked like a quilt block all ready to become a part of a quilt! And I got the seams matched up pretty much perfectly, which I've found difficult in the past (admittedly with smaller projects).
I framed it myself, basically just lacing it directly onto the board that makes up the back. I should have used a mat in there but there ended up being no room.
I tried some freehand embroidery on one of the hexagons, just some red lines and dots to add interest.

 I decided that she needed a little pencilcase to keep her sewing notions in order, so I took two squares of the patchwork, combined them with a little red and sewed them up into a little pouch! I followed this tutorial, except I made smaller, more substantial tabs and put them on both sides. Everything else is pretty much the same. I'm really pleased with how it came out although the topstitching is a little wonky due to the interesting seams in the patchwork.

Another square became a rather large pincushion! I found a pair of red and black buttons in my stash so I used one of them here, and I'm very pleased with how it matched.

I used two more squares of the patchwork to make a nice little needlebook, and used the other red and black button here. I don't really like how the button loop looks and performs, though, so if I did this again I would probably use black hat elastic or something similar.

And the last thing I did was crochet a little ladybug! I needle-felted some red and black felt on for the wings and spots and I love how crisp it looks, much better and far less lumpy than if they were crocheted too. He's got a tiny fabric sleeve on his underside that I slipped some elastic through so that he can be tied onto a sewing machine for use as another pincushion.
I'm not sure how well he works because I haven't really tested him out fully, but I think the elastic may be too flimsy and not hold him onto the machine well enough. If I do something similar again I'll use a fabric strap with velcro or something.

I'm pretty pleased with the whole set, really! I hope my mum feels the same way when she gets the package!
I'll be sending it soon, along with this blanket I edged for my little sister's birthday:

I hope they like the parcel!