All Decked Out: Friday Nite Project

Friday Nite Project

Saturday, January 16, 2010 4 Comments »

Well, the best laid plans.....

I had planned to work on my grand daughter's flying geese quilt, but somehow the inspiration just wasn't there. What was there was what my friend Nancy calls "the crud". Scratchy throat, stuffy head, achiness and a heavy feeling in my chest. Time for the Mucinex and a project that needed a little less attention to detail than matching geesey seams. Something my foggy brain could do & not screw up.

So I finished a quilted tote bag that I'd started a while ago. It's a really big bag, with six pockets on the outside, six on the inside, made with 6 fat quarters and an extra half yard for lining. Although I was quite taken with the fabric when I got it, I am less so now -- I'm just not all that much about brown this month. It's a nice bag. however, and turned out well. At least it's not sitting in the corner anymore yelling "finish me, finish me".

I also finished the fleece blankets for my son-in-law's dad and brother. They will be thrilled when I pull them out at dinner on Sunday. His mom is planning a huge Mexican food feast, so these should be a real hit.

Even though the evening wasn't quite what I had planned, it was still a great night. I lit my lovely scented candle, hubby brought me tea, I watched totally stupid shows on TV (Platinum Weddings, Bridezillas and Swamp Loggers), and didn't do a darn thing but sew. Didn't put a load of wash in the dryer, didn't put the dishes in the dishwasher, didn't vacuum up the threads, and (best of all) did not feel guilty!

And the most awesome thing was that all over the universe, a lot of my quilty sisters were doing exactly the same thing! Thanks, Heidi, for getting this rolling!

Pat

4 comments:

Sandy said...: I thought the Sew In was great also, imagining what was happening all over the world. Love your bag...with all of those pockets. Hope you feel better real soon!; 1/16/2010
Cath Ü said...: I love that bag.. yes it was nice to know that even if we were sitting in our lounge rooms alone we were not alone as our stitching sisters were with us...
Cath Ü; 1/16/2010
Heidi said...: Pat.. I am in LOVE with that bag!! Is that a pattern you made up? I really really like it! and your fabrics are adorable too.

I hope you are feeling better. I've heard that when a person is feeling a little sick.. a good dose of vitamin C and some sewing is all it takes to get better. :-); 1/17/2010
Pat said...: For those of you who are interested, the bag pattern is called FIESTA BAG, by Poor House Quilt Designs. I bought it at my LQS (local quilt shop). It is a big bag -- pattern says 16"hx15"w, but mine finished slightly smaller.

I did make a several modifications. (1)I added an extra 2.5" fabric strip when making the ouside pocket assemby. The pattern calls for 3; I used 4 because I like really deep pockets. (2)I made the straps slightly longer because I am tall & like to put the straps over my shoulder, with the bag tucked under my arm. The first bag I made using this pattern just didn't let me do that comfortably, especially with a coat/jacket on. (3) I made the inside pocket assemblies run all the way across the bag so that they kind of mirrored the outside pockets (not unlike a big Vera Bradley tote). Each inside pocket assembly was made with a single piece of fabric, folded in half to self-face, and reinforced with a light interfacing. Can you tell that I like lots of pockets?

Because of the overall thickness of all of the layers, I kept the walking foot on my Bernina and used a #16 topstich needle with 40 weight thread.; 1/17/2010