627handworks

Fabric. Lots and lots of glorious fabric. That’s what happened.  Sunday I tricked talked Paul into going to Sarah’s Fabric in Lawrence. Ohmygawdohmygawdohmygawd, that store! I could have been there all damn day.  Those of you familiar with the store know what I’m talking about. It’s like walking into an online fabric palace, but in real life.  You get to see, touch, and most importantly, BUY all the fabric you want.

I decided to get half cuts of everything since it’s for my stash, then went running wild (almost literally) through the store stacking up bolts on the cutting counter. Just lookie at all my goodies!

Just when I thought I was done… I hit the back corner of the store and…. *cue heavenly music*… I spy Echino, linens, lots of imports!  I think my heart skipped a beat.

You’d think living in Kansas City I’d have some decent fabric stores in the area. I guess they fit the bill for some people, but usually I have to dig around a while to find the fabrics I’m wanting. Especially if it’s a newly released line or anything modern. I can be a bit of a snob about it.

Luckily Lawrence, Kansas (Rock Chalk Jayhawk, KU!) is only a 40 minute drive.  And well worth it.

That trip alone made for an awesome haul, but I had also received my goodies from Fresh Modern Fabric on Saturday. These are 1/4 yard cuts (not fat quarter) to use for a Kaleidescope quilt.

Between all of this fabric goodness and finishing up my Weekender Bag, I had a great weekend!  How about you?

I’ve joined the ranks of the “Weekender Elite”. YES! *fist pump*  Amy Butler‘s web site that should offer a Certificate of Achievement or something.

I don’t even know where to begin, so let’s start with pictures.  Lots and lots of pictures.

I will be changing the zipper pull at some point. Just don’t have anything right now.

Quilted side pocket that matches the main panel quilting.

Extra D-rings for an optional shoulder strap.

PIPING!

The pattern didn’t come with interior pockets – what kind of bag doesn’t have those? I added a zipper pocket, large side panels and key fob holder.

In love with the Architextures fabric collection.  Carolyn Friedlander is a genius.

Zipper pocket – I attached a little strip of selvedge too, it’s from the pocket fabrics.

Additional magnetic buttons for the large side pockets.

I just love it.  Will I make another? Probably not. At least not until I forget all about that lining.  I was doing so well… the piping wasn’t a problem at all. Not even sewing through all those layers. (another *fist pump*)  I read horror stories about this step so I read up a lot, took precautions and went slooooow.  Not bad at all.

I was so close to being done and I thought, wow – people are such wimps! This bag wasn’t all that bad, just really time consuming. I was already in the beginning celebratory stages, then WHAM! Lining.

The lining pieces were prepped, the inside zipper and little pockets attached and so far, no major problems.   Then the pattern states you piece it together like you did for the exterior.  Piece of cake, right?  WRONG.

The bag did take 14 or 15 hours, but the last 3 were just putting that damn lining together.  What the shit man?  It did NOT line up. I had extra fabric that I didn’t know what to do with.  Like inches of it!  Not enough to fudge or make it work.

The lining called for a 3/4″ seam and I don’t know if that was my problem or what.  After ripping stitches a few times I gave up and thought “F – this!”.  Really, who’s going to see the inside besides me? And you, if you’re reading this.  So don’t look too closely.

One more not-so-teensy thing about the lining. I’ve read so many reviews where people whined about hand stitching the lining and I always thought they were big babies. I don’t love hand stitching but it’s not the devil.  Well, stitching in the lining just flat out sucked. I apologize to all of those people I thought were big babies. You were right.

If you want a bunch of tips and tricks, there are a plethora of them out there on the internets.  I’ll just list some of my additions and everything I want to point out in case my future self is ever crazy enough to make another.

• The pattern is really well written and overall (not counting the lining) I had no issues.
• Needles broken – ZERO!  Can you believe it?  I think it’s because I was stitching like a snail.
• I used Oh, Fransson’s quilting method for the side panels, and all 4 side pockets.  That did take up some time.
• Added piping to the little side pockets and my interior pocket. I had so much leftover I wasn’t about to waste it.
• Quilters tape for the piping posed problems for me.  Sticky needle!  I won’t use it again.
• I actually liked the piping process – it was a first for me. It looks so nice! I’ll make it again, just not with that tape.
• Interior: Added a key fob holder, zipper pocket and side panel pockets.
• Exterior: Added D-rings on the side so I can add a shoulder strap if I feel like it.
• Exterior: Added magnetic button snaps to the large side pockets.
• Piping  – use this method to creat 5 yards out of one fat quarter. It works!!
• I remembered to add my little personal label. Teehee. I’m a nerd.
• I used a 24″ zipper, not a 32″ and I had no problem whatsoever.
• Cut the fabric for the handles 6″ wide instead of whatever it called for as well as making them a bit longer.
• You NEED Clover Wonder Clips.

FABRICS:

• Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet in Cosmonaut – Top, sides and side pockets
• Carolyn Friedlander Architextures Text in Navy – Main side panels
• Lizzy House Supernova in Purple – Large side pockets
• Carolyn Friedlander Architextures Hatch in Plum – lining and exterior pocket linings
• Robert Kaufman Quilter’s Linen in Midnight – Piping and handles
• Carolyn Friedlander Architextures Landscape in Blue – Interior Pockets

My bag is far from perfect but I love, Love, LOVE it.  Screw you imperfect lining!  Now I see why people go ape shit bananas for this thing.  It’s like I climbed the Mount Everest of sewing.  Since I’m a quilter, it’s a big frickin deal!

I’ll leave you with one more picture of my bag and the sweet machine I made it with. I’ve never gotten around to blogging about it, but I never could have made this bag on my old machine. NEVER.  It’s a Janome 6600 Memory Craft Pro and it’s a stitchin’ beast.

Now I just need to talk my husband into going somewhere for a weekend.

A big thanks to a Quilter’s Table for this kick ass tutorial.  Seriously.  I have no idea how she figured this out. It’s mind boggling how it’s built until you hit that “a-ha!” moment. Then it all makes sense.  I did get a little stuck at the end but Marci Girl Designs has great pics for the last step and shows you how to make it all work.

Can you see the little bead on the top zipper?  My past interest in jewelry is working out for zipper pulls!

The interior pockets play fabric peek-a-boo. That’s what makes this design so much fun to me.  There is a Triple Zip Along group over at Flickr that shows a great variety of fabric combinations.

Last Saturday I received some fabric in the mail (happy, happy, joy, joy) and was literally sewing within minutes. I had this tutorial bookmarked for a little while and was just waiting for the right fabric combo. Good thing my zipper order arrived last week as well!  Zipit has lightning fast shipping and a great assortment of zipper colors.

I love how you cut all all these different size squares and end up with a great little pouch. It’s also lined with fusible fleece so the pouch is not flimsy and has a quilted feel to it.

The Echino deer and dots fabric is one of my favorite prints ever.  Although, I probably say that a few times a week about different prints.

If you’ve been on the fence about making this pattern or haven’t seen it yet – give it a go!  It comes together quickly and I’ll definitely make another.

FABRICS

• Madrona Road by Violet Craft – Herringbone in Pink
• Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander – Crosshatch in Black
• Echino by Etsuko Furuya – Deer in Glasses Pink
• Sophie by Chez Moi – Petal in Pink

Let’s Get Acquainted!

Just a quick post today!  You can turn fabric scraps into little origami stars. I made these right before the holidays and the bunting is safely packed away with our  Christmas decorations.

I saw a star ornament on Sew, Mama, Sew! and thought you could string several together into a bunting. So I just crocheted a length of scallops and attached the stars.  Have to admit it looked pretty cute in our kitchen window.

The tutorial is not in English but the pictures are super easy to follow.

This is such a great scrap buster. All you need is four pieces of fabric approximately 3.25″ x 12″ and a little patience. Once you’ve made a couple you can get on a roll!