March Recap

I never feel like I accomplished as much as I wish I had, but there were a few finishes to report in March.

I finished my Madrona Road quilt using Ali's heximetry pattern.  Every time I see it, it reminds me of the quilt in this picture that Ali made and sent to Britton on the occasion of his arrival...

which was taken the day the quilt arrived.  Their mommy had no sooner put the quilt on the floor and placed newborn Britton on it in anticipation of a photo session, than his big sister had to lie down next to him for a chat.  I love this picture, and these children, and the quilt as well.

And here's another photo of our {then} new little guy {and the quilt, of course}.

Britton was a year old yesterday.  Look how far we've come!

... But I digress...  we were talking about March finishes, weren't we?  Let's see - Madrona Road...

And Jelly Roll Race...

And the wonky Hexie Scrap Basket...

And the little Selvage Pouch...

 And a {sorely needed!} new ironing board cover...

Leona's mug rug...

A table runner, napkins, market tote and pouch for my partner in the Wish List swap....

And my sister's Music Tote.

So, there were a few accomplishments.  And let us not forget that I had my first experience with a long arm, which was a blast!

So, that about wraps up March...  In addition to the Lovely Year of Finishes, I'm linking up with Richard and Tanya's Link a Finish Friday (even though this was posted on Thursday) because they said there were no rules.  =)


Here's to April!

An Adventure in Tote Bags

At the last ECMQG meeting, Marcy talked about bags.  She brought bags of all shapes and sizes, and since I've been on something of a bag kick lately, I thought I would try out some of the things I learned from her.

Unlike my attempt with the Wonky Scrap Basket, this time I followed instructions (I have a problem with that sometimes) and used both interfacing and headliner foam.  I had much better results.

The bag has double pockets on the outside and I used Pellon 808 fusible interfacing to stiffen the pockets.

It has a double pocket on one side of the lining...

And a zipper pocket on the other.  I had to have Marcy show me how to do the zipper pocket again.  I know I've done them before, but I couldn't remember how.  My recent attempts have been less than wonderful.

I know this sounds silly, but I really like the handles.  The polka dots make me smile.

The only problem I had was sewing the corners at the bottom.  My machine really didn't like 10 layers of fabric, 6 layers of Pellon and 2 layers of foam.  But four or five attempts and two broken needles later, I finally had the thing stitched down. 

And I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. 

Thanks, Marcy, for the inspiration.