My week in bags

Those of you who follow me on Instagram may have noticed I've taken a break from my usual quilt making shenanigans this week, and have been making a few bags and a dress instead. My little sister is getting married tomorrow, so I have been finishing up my bridesmaids dress for the wedding - I will try to share some photos from the wedding over the weekend :o)

Other than that, it has been bags all the way. First up is a little commissioned library bag, made using Children at Play fabric by Sarah Jane. I made it using Jeni's fabulous drawstring bag pattern, and appliqued the name on by machine. I really love the border print for the main part of the bag, and I'm a bit sad to have used my last piece.

Next is another version of the Necessary Clutch Wallet by Emmaline Bags. This one is the class sample for the class I'll be teaching in May. I've used an Amy Butler print for the exterior, a citrus solid for the lining and border, and an Anna Maria Horner print for the pockets and card slots. When I made my first version of this wallet last year, I used a cotton/linen blend for the exterior, whereas I used a lighter weight quilting cotton this time around. It was definitely much easier to sew through all the layers and attach the twist lock in this second version.

My final bag from this week is another knitting bag, made using Amanda's Knitting Bag pattern by The Sometimes Crafter, for a friend's birthday present. This is such a quick project, and considering most of my crafty friends knit or crochet rather than sew, I think there will be a few more made for birthday presents and so forth this year. For this one, I used a woven woollen fabric I had in my stash and lined it with a Timeless Treasures print - the recipient will definitely appreciate the 'go green' message on the fabric :o) It was a little tricky to interface the wool fabric, but it seems to have adhered pretty well, and it has given the bag a really nice structure.

My to-do list is looking much, much better as a result of this week's efforts - I just need to get back on top of my bee blocks and then I will be starting something new. I'm excited :o)

I hope everyone has a great end to the week!

xx Jess

A Mother's Day Knitting Bag

Over the last week, I've been watching the series of Quiltcon lectures on Craftsy. The one that has really resonated with me is the lecture by Jacquie Gehring of Tall Grass Prarie studio - I literally had goosebumps while watching her amazing presentation. I think the thing that resonated with me the most was being from a family of makers. My dad did Fine Arts at uni, majoring in ceramics and is now an art teacher. My mum has always done some sort of crafty stuff - she dabbled in patchwork for a short time when I was very little, and she made a lot of our clothes as kids. Most of all though she has always been a knitter. So although I don't come from a quilting background, I definitely come from a family of makers.

So when it came to thinking of a good Mother's Day present to make for her, I decided to go for Amanda's Knitting Bag designed by The Sometimes Crafter. The external fabric is the most beautiful fabric ever created (IMO) - Parenthetical linen from Anna Maria Horner's Field Study linens. The lining is a red Kona (not sure exactly which sorry!)

I have only made a couple of bags before, but I found this pattern really easy to understand and put together. It makes a really roomy bag with lots of useful pockets for knitting needles and other bits and pieces knitters like to have handy.

The only modification I made was to put the small zip pocket on the back rather than the front - simply for aesthetic reasons. I'm really pleased with how this pocket finished - it was way easier than I thought! Not perfect, but it turned out much better than I'd anticipated :o)

Mum goes to a Spinners and Weavers Guild meeting once a week, so how she has a very pretty bag to carry all her supplies in. Happily, she loves it!

Happy Mother's Day!

xx Jess