Sew very tidy

I'm so happy. I actually made something without a pattern! My crafting friends made these "sewing tidy mats" and I have to admit at first I wasn't too sure I'd want one. Theirs were beautiful, but it's not something I ever felt I needed.... until now. All my sewing supplies are in my wonderful Prym snap-on trays, which I love, but it meant opening them up every time I wanted something out of a tray. So I started looking on the Internet for a pattern. I found LOTS of pictures but no patterns except about two that looked incredibly complicated, so I just thought about it for awhile, then did some measurements, then boldly started cutting out. Here's what I ended up with:

I've had this sewing-themed fabric forever but never knew quite what to do with it and this seemed like the perfect project. It's a bright cotton, same fabric front and back and a layer of wadding in between. In case you haven't seen these, there are lots on Pinterest but few have any kind of dimensions or instructions, so I did my own thing. It turned out fine, but if I had to make another one, I'd measure better (especially the wadding or stuffing) and I'd be much more careful when sewing it. If someone looked at this one closely they'd find all kinds of craziness. The bottom line, however, is that it works:

And here's a hint... I wanted somewhere to put bent pins, broken needles, or small items like buttons, snaps, etc. and didn't want to just drop them into one of the pockets. So I took a plastic cup and stuck it into the pocket. That way, when I'm finished, I can pull out the cup and dispose safely of the pins and needles or find easily the small buttons, etc. It looks like this:

Of course, inevitably, my sewing room is now a mess! I sew in my little garden cabin but there's NEVER enough room, even if I sewed in a palace. 

I still have my blouse to sew. It's cut out but I can't find the kind of lace I want. I've bought some blue ribbon and green ribbon, but neither are "just right"!

This is the fabric and the trims I've found. Below is the blouse I'm making with it all. Sigh.... the world moves on!