First Finishes for August!

If you saw my post from August 1st, you will know that I have proclaimed August to be Finish It month. Well, here it is the 13th already and until now I didn't have a thing to check off my list.  I still don't, really, since these bags weren't on the list, but they WERE languishing in the WIP pile, and they are now finished, so I'm going to count them.  It is, after all, my list, and I can count them if I want to, right? 

My list, my rules!

I found several pieces of decor weight remnants at JoAnn's and brought them home.  I thought they were pretty fabrics (although you would never see them on a chair at my house...  pillows?  maybe.)  Anyway, I brought them home and then one night after work they were staring at me and just screamed to be made into bags.  So I got busy and cut them out.  I even made two of them and sent them on to new homes.

But the other two were just moping there in the WIP basket all this time.  So finally, I sat down yesterday and finished them up.

It's really not difficult when the pieces are already cut.  It's just a matter of getting them out and doing it, isn't it?  They are a variation of my One Hour FQ Tote, so they don't even take that long to make.  My One Hour FQ Tote pattern is really my go-to pattern for tote bags.  It's easy, it goes together quickly, and I always like the results.

So I don't have an immediate need for these bags.  The first two were sent out with swap items, and I may do that with these.  My friend Krista suggested that I put them in my Etsy shop and see what happens. 

What do you think?

Going Berserk for Bags

I've been on a bit of a bag kick lately.  Bags are really not on my list of things that need to be done, but that's how I've spent the last couple of evenings.  So far, I've completed two bags and have two more ready to sew.

I used my basic bag pattern from my One Hour FQ Tote Tutorial but used 1/2 yard pieces of fabric for the bag and the lining instead of the FQs.  The fabric is home dec weight and was on the remnant table at Jo-Ann's.  If you haven't been to Jo-Ann's this week, all their remnants (which are always half off) are half off again, so these bags maybe cost $2.50 to $3.00 each.

This one is red, white, and blue in honor of Independence Day.  I used a scrap of Kona Red for the insert.  The lining (I should have taken a picture of the inside, but I was afraid I'd be late to work) was a piece of DS Quilts Daisy Mae in red. 

I really like this fresh blue.  Not quite over-the-top 4th of July, but it gets the message across I think.

Here's the second finished bag.  Recognize the insert?  I thought you would.  You can't really see the outside pocket on this one, but it's there.  I love the size of these pockets - they hold my iphone and keys perfectly.  I really like this color combination too.  Kinda beachy, don't you think?

This remnant was slightly larger than the other one, so I had enough fabric for the pockets and the handles from this main piece.  It's a bit more subdued than the Independence Day tote.

The lining (you can just see a hint of it in the photo, right?) is a scrap from BD#1's scrap bag.  I love it when she gives me her scraps.  I find them very useful.  A couple of months ago she gave me a small paper bag full of scraps.  This particular scrap was about 1-1/2 yards long and about 22" wide, or a 1-1/2 yard piece split down the middle.  Not sure what she used it for, but I'm grateful for the donation.  Another piece from that same bag of donations was the back of my Outfoxed quilt.  You can't argue with that!