Summer of Sewing - bag edition part 1

 It all started with this.....

I made this bag for myself, simple denim and

decorator weight fabric and posted pictures on social media.

One of the typical designs I use with lots of pockets.

This bag is lined with canvas something new I tried.

Some friends and family asked if I would make some bags to sell.

I have done this in the past but not recently.

With not much better to do I decided to make a few.

With one parameter, use what I had on hand.

First a cousin wanted a bag, so I made these 3 for her to select from.

Each has unique features that I often use.

I ended up keeping this one it has a flat bottom with piping.

My cousin selected this one, the colors are so vibrant and beachy!

It's hard to see but this one has an boxed bottom

with the corners coming up the sides.

This feature also appears in the denim purse above.

I gave this one to a dear friend who has bought many

purses from me over the years.

This bag features a traditional boxed bottom with 

coordinating side panels. This striped fabric is vintage bark cloth.

Another friend asked for a bright cheery bag.

I had this outdoor decorator fabric on hand.

She loved it!

It was really hard to part with this bag.

This bag featured a flat bottom with piping.

A friend's daughter asked for a diaper bag.

I haven't made a diaper bag in about 10 years

but it all came back to me.

This is for a boy mom with a newborn and a toddler

but she didn't want a typical nursery print.

I chose denim for the adjustable straps and a
zippered closure.  So thankful for my hardworking Bernina machine,
at times I was sewing through 8 layers of denim and 
4 layers of interfacing.

Of course there are plenty of pockets inside and out.

I was really pleased with this one too.

It is lined with a pre-quilted cotton fabric.

I'll continue with the other bags I made in the next post.

Told you I was a "crazy bag lady" this summer....

Carolyn

p.s. I typically don't use patterns, these are my own designs.

Heart Conversations at My First Quilt Retreat

Recently completed this heart quilt, it reminds me of candy

converation hearts....thus the name Heart Conversations

Love how it coordinates with my surviving poinsettia.

The quilt finished at about 50" square, 

which is a nice display size.

I made the quilt at home to take to a quilting retreat

as a free motion quilting demonstration piece.

Again perfect size for a quick project.

The hearts are made of 2 - 3 inch squares, one

background and a 3 inch by 5.5 inch rectangle.

You could easily use 4 squares though.

The hearts are set on point with alternating

background squares, a very easy project.

I was able to use all scraps for the hearts and

had the background yardage in my stash.

As a side note, I used the back side of this background 

fabric. The gray pin dots were a little too much

contrast for me, so the back side had the perfect

shadow effect I was going for.

Here's a sampling of the feathers and simple back and forth

along the border. I love sewing FMQ feathers!

The quilting is not perfect but that's perfectly fine with me

 it has that handcrafted look.

The backing is a vintage bed sheet.

And I used a leftover heart for the label.

I worked on 2 other quilts at the retreat.
I finished this top, accept for the border.

Hoping to quilt it soon. I followed a Missouri Star

video titled Disappearing Hourglass Medallion. 

I only made 16 blocks, the video sample is much larger.

I also started these blocks, I have 4 more to stitch. 

These blue quilts are my take on snowflakes

but spring has arrived early (at least it appears that way)

in our area so they will be ready for display next year.

With the early spring I'm anxious to start working on

summer quilts and bags but plan to finish the snowflakes first.

I really don't need any more UFO's.

The retreat I attended was fantastic!

It was a small, private retreat....I was so blessed to be invited!

Thanks for visiting my little blog.

Carolyn

 

Disappearing 4 Patch

 I found this little orphan 4 patch block in my stash.

Found a Disappearing 4 Patch tutorial on Pinterest,

cut on diagonal....

and put it on display with other orphan blocks.

Displayed using these vintage mini clothes pins.

Just a little project to brighten my studio space.

I'm planning to post more pictures of my studio next week.

Enjoy your day!

Carolyn