241 Bag - A Finish! (FAL #2)

It's done!  It's finished and I think I love it!  Here it is, my 241 Bag!

For the most part, my bag went together well.  The pattern, from Noodlehead, is well written and really easy to follow.  If such a thing as a "free weekend" existed in my life, I am pretty confident that I could make one of these in it!  As it was, the making of this bag stretched out over three fairly stressful weeks.  On more than one occasion, sitting down to sew on this purse was exactly what I needed. I discovered that it's really OK to just work for 15 or 20 minutes at a time, too.  It was actually very effective and helped me to get a finish in a week when I very possibly could not have had one!

This is such a cute purse, and such a practical design!  I love those deep side pockets, and that zip pocket in the front - Be still my heart!  It looks so stylish, it fits my phone perfectly, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN to put in.  Sure, it was a little intimidating at first, but I persevered, and it was really fun to see how to it came out.  Whoever thought of that method first was really smart!

I made just few simple modifications to make this purse even more practical for me.

 First, I added a front sleeve to the interior slip pocket.  I like to keep a bit of cash handy, and NOT in my wallet.  So, that front pocket will be used for that.  Also, I added a key hook, much to my youngest daughter's delight.  She panics every time I have to look for my keys for more than a minute.  Which is pretty much every time I look for my keys.  This should solve that problem.  Maybe.  My older daughter knows me well, and her comment was, "Great idea, as long as you remember to put your keys on it."  Yeah, there's that.

The last modification I made was to add a small pop of contrast to the navy strap.  I love that hashtag fabric, and I just wanted to use a bit more of it and add some interest.







There's not much I don't like about this project.  I did have a bit of a problem with the lining.  When I was finished, the lining was just a bit too bulky for the exterior.  I think I was just too small with the seam allowance.  So, after I and finished, I turned the whole thing wrong sides out again, and stitched around the three seams that comprise the lining.  that mostly solved the problem.  I might still hand tack the lining to the exterior in a few places, just to keep it flat and nice looking.  Although, now that's it's loaded with my  stuff, I really can't see enough of the lining to know that it's anything other than polka dotted and cute, so maybe the tacking won't happen.

I'm not sure I'll use fusible fleece for the lining of the next one.  It sewed really well, and it's what I'm used to, but I think it's a bit puffy for this design.  We'll see.  Maybe I'll be glad for the stability as I use it more.

It's going to be fun to use this purse.  It coordinates with my phone and my planner, so I feel all "pulled together" using it.  I have plans to use my scraps to make a wallet, a key fob and a tablet case to complete the set.  So fun.

With all the things I LOVE about this finish, I think perhaps the best thing was that I sewed along with a new friend while making it.  Bernie and I exchanged e-mails throughout the process.  It was so good to get her encouragement and to get to know her.  She blogs at Needle and Foot,  and you really should pop over and visit her.  You can see HER finished 241 bag, and scroll through her posts and get a peek at her incredible free motion quilting.  She's really an inspiration, and I'm pretty sure we're going to be on-line quilty friends for a very long time!

One last look.  And yes, I celebrated my finish with a Starbucks trip.  I wrote this post and enjoyed a White Chocolate Mocha while my daughter was at rehearsal.  It's all good!

And, now I have two of my Finish Along goals for quarter 2 done!

I am linking this FINISH to:

Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Let's Bee Social aThe Sew Fresh Quilts

Quick and Easy Baby Gift (FAL #1)

My favorite go-to hand made baby gift recently has been a flannel receiving blanket.  They are quick, easy, inexpensive to make, cute and practical.  A can't lose gift!

I have had fabric ready for a blanket for my niece's new little girl for a while.  Actually, I had planned to gift the blanket at her baby shower last month, but it didn't get done.  There's really no excuse for that, though, because honestly, this is a project that can be completed in about an hour.

There's a tutorial out there in blog land which is very close to the process I use to make these, that calls it a 10-minute blanket.  I must be slow, because as quick as these are, I've never made one in 10 minutes.  Getting my two pieces of flannel to lie nicely together with no wrinkles takes me longer than that!

I also add a few details that aren't included in the version I linked to, above.


 I round my corners (using a bowl or plate as a template)

and that necessitates clipping which adds a whopping
thirty seconds right there!


I also add a few  of these little zig zag "bar tacks" through out the middle of the blanket.  It might not be completely necessary, but I feel like it helps the blanket maintain its shape in the wash, and not come out looking like a twisted mass of wet flannel sewn together at the edges.

And, I always add some sort of decorative stitch around the edge.  It just adds such a nice touch.

Flannel can be found in so many cute prints that its easy to make these blankets to match nursery or shower themes.  I use two one-yard cuts of flannel, which I almost always buy on sale, so they are also really economical to make and give. And because they are so quick, they are perfect for a lot of baby related situations.

For example, I once made a boy version AND a girl version and took them both to a gender reveal party. The mom-to-be got to keep the one that matched the inside of the cupcakes she was using to let us know what she was having.  I might have come up with that idea on the afternoon of the party while at WalMart shopping for ingredients for a pasta salad to take to the party.  I also might have cruised through the fabric department to pick up 4 yards in appropriate colors and a spool of ribbon that coordinated with both.  And, it's entirely possible that I also might have made my teenage daughter make the pasta salad while I whipped up the blankets!

I hope that the moms I've given these to find them to be useful.   They are a nice size,  perfect for swaddling,  and the double flannel makes them feel so much more substantial than the receiving blankets that come three or four in a pack at the store. I love it when I catch glimpses of my blankets being used and loved by babies in Facebook photos.  Makes me so happy!

This was one of my Quarter 2 FAL projects, and, yaaay! It's done!

Linking this up to Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts and Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quarter 2 FAL Goals

I have decided to join the Finish Along Link up hosted at A Quilter's Table, and 8 other places around the Internet.  They have just opened the link up for the second quarter of the year.  This is my first time joining in.    So many quilty bloggers seem to be keeping themselves on track each quarter,  and having fun,  that I thought I'd give it a try!

So,  here are the things I want to finish by July 7.

1.  T-SHIRT QUILT. This will be a new experience for me,  but I'm looking forward to it.   It's for a friend's daughter,  but my own girls have plenty of t-shirts, so I figure I should start perfecting the process now.   And if it goes well,  I have two more people interested.  Needs to be done by July 25, so perfect for the FAL.

A very small sampling of the graduate's many show t- shirts.

2. LEADER AND ENDER HST QUILT  This was the first time I used a charm pack,  and the first time I tried used the leader/ender method.  I loved it!   The colors are going to be perfect in our living room. I'm looking forward to getting rid of some of the assorted fleece blankets that congregate there and finally replacing them with a quilt.   I need to press,  trim and decide on a layout.   Should be fun!

These big HST's have been waiting forever to be pressed,  trimmed and pieced into a top. 

3. LITTLE LETTERS IN DOTS. If all goes well,  these little cuties will be my county fair entry this year.   They make me so happy. Can't wait to see them as a completed top.   I haven't decided how to set them,  yet.   Should I use the same Irish chain setting I used on AJ's quilt or try something new? Hmmmm.

These were a lot of fun to piece. What a happy little quilt it's going to be!

4. 241 BAG. I have wanted a new purse/tote for myself for the longest time.  I really just need to bite the bullet and make the first cut.  Well,  choosing a weight of interfacing would be good too..

What am I so afraid of???

5. FLANNEL RECEIVING BLANKET. I feel a little guilty even putting this on the list. At most,  it's a 90 minute project.  I just need to sit down and get to it, some day.   But,  baby has not been born yet,  so I keep putting it off.   It's so simple that it seems out of place among my other projects,  but,  I just read somewhere that every list should have one item that can be completed and crossed off quickly to give a immediate sense of accomplishment. ..so this is it!

Cute, and quick! 

  Also on my list for this quarter but not part of the FAL:  shortening those darn pants and working on round robin quilts (border #1 & 3 on my pen pal's quilt, and border # 2 on mine after I get it back from her.)

This seems like a lot!   I know my typical pace,  and I know how life has a way of messing with my to do lists.  I'm sure I'll be rolling some of these over to next quarter,  but I am hoping that the FAL motivates me to keep moving all of these things toward the finish line!

I am linking up with the FAL at A Quilter's Table, and I'm very excited about that!!!