Bee Organized Cutting Mat & Ruler Carrier

So, I made a bag.  A very large bag!

I've had these Robyn Pandolph fabrics from the Hannah Bella line in my stash for almost 20 years.  I bought them when Miss Main Street was a child, intending to make a quilt for her bedroom, but before I got to it, her taste changed and she didn't want anything girly or floral.  I ended up making her a quilt with bright batiks instead.  So all this fabric has been patiently waiting for a project to come along.

I am going to a quilt retreat in November.  I will need to take a LOT of stuff with me (fortunately, I will be traveling by car).   A bag to safely hold my cutting mat and rulers seemed like a good idea, so I made one.  

I stumbled on this pattern by Lori Holt.  It is really quite simple to make, though it does require a lot of fabric - I think I used about seven yards in total, plus interfacing and batting.  

I made a few modifications to the pattern to work with my fabrics better.  I made the straps narrower to make use of the floral stripe and I sized my pockets to hold the rulers I use most.  The bag is similar to an artist's portfolio, with large pockets to hold an 18 by 24 cutting mat (or large design boards) and several smaller pockets to hold acrylic rulers of various sizes.

Interfacing helps the pockets hold their shape and I used fusible fleece to provide some padded protection.  The whole thing folds in the middle and snaps shut at the top, with handles to carry it.  

Above  is one side, packed with design boards and rulers...

...while the other side has the cutting mat and more rulers.   The pattern is pretty easy to follow, except that all the instructions refer to fabrics from the line Lori Holt used to make her version.  It helps to make a conversion chart for your own fabric choices and I simplified by using fewer fabrics to work with what I had on hand.  

I'll let you know how well it works "in the field" after the retreat.

My Log Cabin Big Bag by AnnaStudiokr

You may remember from my last post that I was making tiny courthouse steps blocks.  I finished them and they have become the Log Cabin Big Bag by AnnaStudioskr. 

It is a B-I-G bag, the base is 19 by 7.5 inches and the sides are 13 inches high so it will hold a lot!

The courthouse steps blocks are sewn together to make a panel, along with a strip of framed square blocks for each side of the bag. 

The pieces are small, the logs are only 1/2 inch wide finished.

With scant 1/4" seams, the wrong side looks like this, with the seam allowances nearly butting up against each other.  I pressed the seams open to reduce the bulk and avoid ridges; it lies very flat. 

Here's a side view.  I used a jelly roll from Island Batiks in a colorway called Ocean Mist.  When combined with the solid black trim, it has all the colors found in my wardrobe so should coordinate with just about any outfit I wear. 

I lined it with a light blue batik print. 

Here's another beauty shot (I took a lot of pictures!).  I don't recall how I became aware of Anna Studios but I began following her Instagram where she posts photos of the bags she makes (and her photography is much better than mine).   A short time ago, she began selling her patterns, kits, and bag straps on Etsy so I bought the pattern and a set of black leather bag handles so I could make my own version.

The pattern has a lot of pictures but you need to know the basics of piecing and bag making as she does not explain those techniques.  The pattern also does not indicate how much fabric you need.  I used a jelly roll to piece the outer part of the bag, but used only about 3/4 of the strips.  You could piece this from fat quarters, fat eighths, or scraps.  I bought a yard of fabric for the lining, which was just right, and 3/4 yard of solid black fabric for the bag bottom, center square in each block, and binding at the top edge of the bag.  I have some left over but this length allowed me to cut the binding on the bias.  If you use straight cut binding, a 1/2 yard of fabric will suffice.  I used Soft & Stable in place of batting and added Peltex (heavy interfacing) to the bottom in place of the plastic mat the pattern calls for.  The bottom of the bag is pretty rigid. 

The pattern directions have you hand sew the sides and bottom of the bag together but I was afraid my hand sewing wouldn't be sturdy enough so I changed the construction so I could sew the top and bottom on the sewing machine.  I used used solid black fabric for the outer bottom, quilted to Soft & Stable, then I put a layer of Peltex between that and the light blue lining fabric. 

I'm very happy with how my Big Bag came out and I would make another of her patterns except I don't need another tote bag.  Well, maybe next year...

Quilt Show Vendors Are The Best!

While I enjoy the quilt show exhibits and find a lot to inspire me, it is the vendors I like best.  What can I say, my husband will tell you I was born to shop!

I took my Fabric Hoarder tote bag to the show, along with a certain feeling of liberation brought on by having destashed a little earlier in the week.  But I refrained from going wild; in fact, I did not buy much.  I was looking for layer cakes from some of the new fabric collections but did not see any (lots of charm packs available though).  I picked up a selection of fat quarters of red Kaffe Fassett prints, to go with the yellow, green, and blue I bought last year.  I have something in mind for these and needed to round out my supply.

 

 

And I made a couple of impulse pattern purchases.  These patterns came from different vendors.  The pattern on the right is for an iPad case.  The vendor had a sample made up and I liked it better than the case I have now.  It looks fairly easy to make and will be a way to use some of the pretty fabric I have in my stash.  I'm thinking of making some as Christmas gifts too.

The pattern on the left uses jelly roll strips wrapped around batting and woven.  The pattern is officially for a purse or wallet but I checked out the sample and think it can easily be adapted to iPad or Kindle size.  I have some batik jelly rolls I bought on my trip to Hawaii that I might use for this project.  Stay tuned.  The vendor I bought this pattern from had devoted their entire space to Aunties Two patterns, with many samples made up, plus all the supplies like the batting and clothes line you need to make them.  I've seen some of the patterns before but never made any.  They are cleverly designed and can take on a more conservative look when made with a more subtle color palette.

It looks like I have enough to keep busy.

Gifts From Your Workshop

Being a "crafty type," I like to make presents when I can.  Of course, I don't have time to make gifts for everyone on my list, and not everyone appreciates a hand-made present.  I am selective about who I make quilts for (must appreciate both the quality of the work and the quantity of time spent, and not treat it like a bargain from T.J. Maxx), but I often make smaller items that take less time than a quilt.  Still, they do require some thought, to match the gift to the recipient. 

Here are some ideas.  Last year, I made some kitchen towels using fusible applique.  (The Joy design is from a Nancy Halvorsen Art to Heart book called Tidings.)  They make nice hostess gifts, a good alternative to a bottle of wine.  Or you could make a set of coordinating towels. 

Pillowcases make good gifts, especially for children when made out of novelty fabrics.  There are so many character lines out now, you can surely find the child's favorite thing.  There are numerous tutorials for pillowcases; just Google pillowcase tutorial and take your pick.

Early in the spring, I made myself a new tote bag, using a pattern called Practical Bag.  I used a vintage piece of upholstery fabric I had on hand, but you could use any sturdy fabric, including quilting cotton, making this a good stash project.  Practical Bag is an unstructured bag that is easy to pack for vacations and could even be used for groceries. 

Bags are a good way to use novelty fabrics, too.  How about a new tote made in this chocolate print, and wrapped with a few choice candy bars?

For my next project, I'll be using this cassette tape novelty print to make Miss Main Street a pair of boxer shorts (she wears them as pajamas).  She picked this fabric out during our vacation last summer!  Time to get those boxers made!

Friday Find - Baggallini Travel Bags

By the time this posts, Miss Main Street and I will be on our mother-daughter trip to Paris (Mr. Main Street and Reggie, the homebodies, are staying home).  It's been a while since I had a Friday Find but this is a good opportunity to tell you about my travel purse, from Baggallini. 

Baggallini's signature line is "Designed by flight attendants, approved by travellers."  I would add, "and approved by quilt show attendees."

My bag is the Zipper Bag, which you can buy on Amazon.com.  Baggallini bags are very light weight, so you don't get that sore shoulder from carrying your purse around all day.  And they have lots of organizational compartments.  My bag has slots in the lining for credit cards, and a change purse on a tether, so I don't need a wallet.  And there are several zippered compartments, to make your things easy to locate.  Besides my credit cards and cash, I can carry my camera, glasses, cell phone, keys, lip balm, pad and pen, tissues, small bottle of hand sanitizer...it holds a surprising amount.  Almost like Hermiones bag in the last Harry Potter book!

Most Baggallini designs have adjustable straps so they can be worn on one shoulder or cross body.  I'm and on the shoulder gal most of the time but prefer the cross body method for quilt shows and traveling because it leaves both hands free and feels more secure.  

If you've been thinking you need an alternative to your usual heavy purse, look into Baggallini.     

The Practical Bag

I've been wanting to make myself a new tote bag and I finally got to it.  I was looking for something that I could take on my trip to Paris, that can be packed easily and is not too large.  I used the pattern Practical Bag from Grand Revival.  Fat Quarter Shop sells the pattern.

This is an unstructured bag that does not use batting or interfacing; just the outer fabric and lining fabric.  No zippers or pockets either, so fairly quick and easy.  I made my bag in about 3 hours. I used some vintage light-weight upholstery fabric I had on hand, and a quilt weight cotton for the lining.  (I should have taken a picture of the lining; it is hot pink polka dots.)

I'm very happy with the way it came out and think it just what I need for my trip.  One caution - I'm not sure it is really a good pattern for a beginner because, though relatively easy, the pattern directions are brief.  She tells you what to do but not how to do it.  That is fine if you have some experience with making bags or clothing but an inexperienced sewist could be a bit mystified.

Amy Butler's Style Stitches: 12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags

Now that I've finished Practical Bag I feel ready to tackle one of the more complicated patterns in Amy Butler's book.  But that will have to wait until the summer.  In the meantime, I'll test my Practical Bag when I go to the quilt show this week.

Amy Butler's Style Stitches

When I ordered Miss Main Street's fall semester text books, I put a little something in the order for me.  It arrived today from Amazon.com.

Amy Butler's Style Stitches:  12 easy ways to 26 wonderful bags!  I bought it for the bag on the front cover, epectiing there would be more good things inside.  Here is a photo of the same design in different fabric.

There are some other wonderful ideas in here.  I especially like this more structured purse.

As you might have noticed from the photos, the book uses a spiral spine within a hard binding.  I like this because it makes it easy to keep the book open to a page with directions while you work.  The pattern pieces are in a sturdy envelope in the back of the book (none of that "enlarge by 400%" business).  And the instructions seem quite detailed.  I think this will be good for making a few Christmas gifts. 

The Quilt Fest of New Jersey VI

I learned a new quilting term today - SABLE.  It means Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy.  Good one, huh!  I think I'm there!

I learned it from one of the vendors at The Quilt Fest of New Jersey VI, which is at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset through Sunday.  I made a quick visit today, quick because I had to fit it in between various work obligations.  Quick was ok because I was not particularly impressed with the quilts on exhibit this year (the vendors were another matter but I'll get to that later).  The main exhibit at this show is a collection of quilts that were the winners at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, held in February in VA.    While I could admire the workmanship, none of the quilts fell into the "I wish I made that" category for me.  And the other exhibits were a little bit on the arty side for me.

This is a yo-yo quilt.  It was bed size.  Here's a close-up.

I don't have any desire to make a quilt out of yo-yos but I would like to try a pillow.  Another project on my quilting bucket list.

While there were not a lot of vendors as shows go, the ones who were there had what I was looking for.  I actually purchased everything on my shopping list.

I found some orange wool and black wool, and some black buttons; all items I need for the snowman quilt using the pattern I won from Thelma.

I found some more Kaffe Fassett prints that coordinate with the others I have, for the quilt I plan to make "someday."

I want to make one the projects in Stellar Quilts and need more light 30's reproduction prints.  I found these fat quarters that I think will do nicely.

I found this special ruler that was on my shopping list.  Only now I can't remember why it was on my list or which project I need it for!  Oh well, it will come to me eventually.  I'll chalk it up to a blond moment, not old age!  And this little book by Billie Lauder.  I had not seen these before but she has a series of them.  Full of tips and instructions, not actual quilts to make. 

This was my major purchase.  The pattern for the Bow Go Bag, along with the fabric and leather handles.  I saw the jelly roll of batilks, loved the colors (called Ocean Mist) but couldn't think of anything in particular to make with it so put it back (and felt virtuous!).  Then a vendor I came across later had samples made up of the bag along with the pattern.  It is made by putting the fabric over cotton clothesline then sewing it together (similar to the It's A Wrap baskets).  So I bought the pattern then went back to find the vendor with the Ocean Mist jelly roll (only one left when I got there, oh my!), selected the batik yardage for the bag lining and bow, then tracked back to find the vendor with the pre-made leather purse handles.  That vendor is called Quilt Plus and they sell online as well as at shows.  They have a variety leather handles as well as purse handles made of wood, plastic, and metal, and they have the metal purse frames. 

So, I have quite a few projects to keep me busy.  SABLE, definitely SABLE.

A Weekend Finish

I gave the new Bernina a workout this weekend, making this tote bag for Miss Main St. She is turning 14 in April and likes Japanese anime and manga so when I saw this fabric on eQuilter.com I thought it would make a good tote bag for her. It was a great project for testing out the features on my new machine - zipper foot (there is a zippered pocket in the lining), the edge stitch foot (makes topstitching a breeze), different needle positions. I am loving it!

I used a pattern from U-Handbag. Check this site out if you like making purses and bags. She sells supplies and patterns and has lots of free tutorials. I'm going to try one of the clutches with a metal frame sometime. I might start small and make a case for my sunglasses.

Miss Main St. objects to the use of wrapping paper on environmental impact concerns so I'll use this bag as the "wrapper" for her other presents. Now I need to decide what to do next. I'd like to start a new quilting project but have Christmas Pickle in process. I'm afraid if I don't get on with it, it will become a UFO.