I'm a Guest Blogger Today!

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged here, but I'm in Utah watching the grands for a week.  So fun!  I've got pictures (I know you're excited!!) and I'll share them in a day or two when their mommy and daddy come home.  In the meanwhile, as I promised literally months ago, I'm a guest blogger today on Leona's Quilting Adventure, sharing my addiction to tote bags.

Check it out.

Intervention Needed?

 I think perhaps I'm addicted. Maybe I need an intervention.  It's entirely possible I am obsessed.  I just can't seem to help myself.  What's up with me?

On Monday, after I finished the hexagon bag for the Secret Tote Swap, I had a whole bunch of things that I could have done, but I ran across these blocks that I made for Val's charity quilt back in January.  I got the dates wrong, so it was too late for her to use them, so she said to keep them, and they've been bugging me ever since.

So I made them into {another} bag.  Don't really know what I will do with this one.  It was truly just compulsive behavior.

But it's out of the WIP pile at least, so that's something.  Isn't it?

Shhhh... It's a Secret

Knowing how much I like hexagons and tote bags, a few weeks ago Leona gave me this Charming Hexagons tote bag pattern by A Quilting Life.  Sometime later, Krista invited me to the Secret Tote Bag Swap on Lia's blog.  The two seemed destined to go together.  While Krista was doing her chemo last week, we picked the charm pack/fabric via text message (isn't modern technology wonderful?) and I cut the hexagons with my new {to me} AccuQuilt.  I'm not sure whether I'd use the AccuQuilt for simple squares, strips and rectangles, but for shapes like the hexagon, it is wonderful - accurate every time is awesome for machine piecing hexagons.

Since the topic at the ECMQG meeting on Saturday was hexagons, it was perfect.  I used the method Marcy demonstrated at the meeting to do all the Y-seams and it came together very quickly.

Marcy had some scraps up for grabs, and they came in pretty handy, too.  Anything you recognize here, Marcy?  I quilted down each row, and then came back to quilt each crossing line individually.  Honestly, it went more quickly than I expected.

The only thing I didn't like about the pattern was that it had no pockets.  I think pockets are an absolute must for tote bags.  Luckily, since I've  - ahem - made a number of tote bags lately, it was a simple matter to add a couple of pockets to the interior of the bag.  My favorite divided pocket on one side....

And a zipper pocket on the other side.  (Um, Marcy, do you recognize anything else?)  I really love scraps!

So, one more project ready to mail. But don't tell...

Shhhh....  It's a secret!

A Productive Sewing Day

I had a pretty productive day at the sewing machine yesterday, which is a good thing, considering that my items for the Modern She Made swap need to be mailed today.  To be honest, I like this tote so much it's kind of painful to mail it away.  That said, I just made myself a new bag, didn't I???  Well, as one of my readers said, "Can a woman ever have too many bags?"

I bought some Melody Miller fabric awhile back, which became the focal point for this tote.  Then I started browsing through the fabric scraps in those colors and found a much better selection than I thought I would.  The theme of this round is stars, hence the wonky star....

I used some of the Dear Stella FQ scraps from the Dresden pillow I made last fall, and some of the AMH feathers and the RK Quilter's Linen I scavenged for my Scavenger bag, plus some of the Vintage Modern scraps from the BOM I'm working on (the colors were perfect!), some DS Quilts leftovers from various projects, plus a tiny bit of the Architextures I bought a couple of weeks ago...  Oh, and the floral was from some decorated towels I made for my sister's family last Christmas.  It was fun pulling the fabrics for this one.

The bag is loosely based on Elizabeth Hartman's Perfect Tote, but first I decided that I didn't want to do the piece-as-you-go method, and from there it was a downward slide to do-your-own-thing. Just one more example of that problem I have with following directions, I guess.

This is the first time I've used cotton duck as the interfacing for the bag.  I liked the structure and substance it gives the bag, and will probably use it again. One thing I did learn though - if you're using linen, the linen itself actually needs some stabilizing before it is quilted. The linen stretches and the duck cloth doesn't so it makes for some shifting in the layers.  This might not have  been an issue if I had actually done the QAYG method, but since I pieced it first, and then quilted, I found that I was fighting with the linen all the time as it stretched.  If I were to do it again, I would definitely use a lightweight iron-on stabilizer on the piecing before I quilted the project. 

I did some basic patchwork for the back of the bag.  I haven't done basic patchwork in awhile.  It was fun.

And I had a little catastrophe when I assembled the bag - oops, I sewed the top as the bottom.  And I had already cut the corners.  Made for some interesting moments.  But I managed to salvage the project.  Whew!

The inside has a zipper pocket and a patch pocket on one side - something I hadn't tried before.  It was an idea I got from the original pattern.  I also attached a loop - an idea I got from the AMH bag I made last week.  It's a cool touch, I think, though I'm not sure what to use it for?  Keys maybe?

And a double patch pocket on the other side, for cell phone, business cards, or whatever. My I-phone fits perfectly in one side. 

I had a little extra patchwork left over, so I cut a few more squares and made a fabric basket - my first one.  I love that there are so many fun tutorials on the internet!  It's so easy to find instructions for just the item you have in mind.

And since I was having so much fun, I grabbed some of the AMH Loulouthi scraps youngest daughter donated to me and made my basket for the Fabric Basket Swap.  It feels weird to make something so far in advance - this one isn't due to mail until June 5th.  What's up with that?  It's so unlike me...

All in all, a very fun day sewing yesterday.  I think I'll do it again.  There are certainly some advantages to being retired.

Hope you have a fun sewing day too.

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.