I Made a Bag!

I have been wanting to make a small-ish messenger bag for awhile now. I had loved the fabric, and finally caved and bought some. And then it sat for several months. On Friday, when I went to sew, I discovered that my projects are all at quilting or pin basting stage and that's not what I felt like doing.
So I pulled out my fabric, I sat down with my paper and pencil and made a quick sketch. And then, I was off.

I love this fabric so much! I bought this print in canvas, and as sturdy as that is, I decided to add a layer of Pellon 809 to give it a bit of extra body.

This is the fabric I chose for the lining. I added a few pockets for things. I don't like my pen or pencil rolling around in the bottom of my bag. The shorter pockets are for lip balm and nail clippers and such. I left the printed selvedge on and just hemmed it under. It makes seeing the top of the pocket very easy.

The side is a mere one inch wide. I told you I like a small bag. I attached the strap with a sturdy X in a square, double stitched.

And this is a look inside with all my stuff in it. Everything fits just right. I don't want so much room that I can keep stuffing things in there.

And I added a strip of red to the edge of the flap for color and interest. The strap is long enough so I can wear it cross body and right at my hip. I love my new bag! And as many bags as I have made over the last year for my craft fairs, this was a pretty quick one to design and put together. I think it only took about 3 or so hours. I started in the morning and was done by lunch time.

Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.

Busy Busy

I have been so busy with so many different projects. I have not take the proper time to share here.

 This is the front of a quilt for a sweet little 4 year old boy who loves dinosaurs. This is such cute fabric.

And this is the back for that quilt. It's difficult to see, but the blue fabric is printed with cars all over it. His second great love is cars. So really, It's like getting two quilts in one!

I will be back soon with more to share. Have a great week.

Long Term Project

So I started this project several years ago. I'm not sure when, but it was before I moved 2 1/2 years ago. I began making my yellow slab, thinking that when I used up all my yellow scraps, or when it was big enough, I would quilt it.

Well I finally took it out and began on it again. I finished the slab and got it pin basted. I ended up using my pink lemonade jelly roll quilt top for the back. It was almost the perfect size. I had decided to do some machine and some hand stitching on it.

And in this polka dot area, I decided to tie it. This is just a long term meandering, do as you please project. If it sits for awhile, that's okay. I will work on it as the spirit moves me.

 The hand stitching is Pearl cotton in #12 size. I love how easy it is and I really want it to be visible.

 I am letting each section speak to me about what it needs. I know it will take awhile to finish.

 But I like the idea of a long term, slow stitching project. It is perfect for the summer time and when it is finished, It will make all my days sunny.

Some of these fabrics are nearly 20 years old! I bought them when I was just looking for something to go with something else for a quilt, with no thought to designers or collections. I sort of long for those easier days of fabric buying.

Have you ever done a long term project? How long did it take you, start to finish?
Have a lovely day.

New Pillow Covers

I have projects in the works. Some have deadlines, some do not. But some days, I don't want to work on any of the things I am supposed to be working on. When that happens, I do  something just because I feel like it. Today, it was new pillow covers. What drew me in was the fabric. I ordered a couple of new fabrics, which I do not do often right now to save money. They sat there looking at me until I caved.

The new fabric is the cat print and the little pink flowers. I had the blue on hand and I loved the way they worked together.

 And this is the way it came out. I love it. The colors are more muted than I usually use, but I am very happy with them.

 And on the back, I used a zipper, instead of the usual envelope closure I usually use. I used to avoid zippers, but I have done so many with the bags I am making for my craft fairs, I am no longer avoiding them. I just put a small flap over them to hide them.

And it looks like this when it's done. I love the way it looks and the zipper is hidden. This fabric was from my stash.

And then I wanted another one, same fabrics, different design. So I made this one. It too has a zipper, hidden under a strip of fabric. I used the same backing fabric.

And here they are together. The second one turned out a bit smaller than the first. My measuring mistake, but fortunately I had a pillow that fit into it anyway. Now I have to get back to my regularly scheduled sewing. Talk to you soon.