The first bag was made from a kit called Three-Quarter Patch Tote from Bluprint. Yoga.
Spent most of the day at Lexus waiting for my car to be serviced, but I still managed to get this simple bag done. The fabric is from Sew Creative, a store that specializes in African fabric. This particular piece is a printed, polished damask. Yoga.
This one is made from African fabric that I purchased online from the store in Maryland. I really like their fabric selection. The pattern is the same as the first tote bag this year, except I made the stripes horizontal instead of diagonal. The pocket inside is made from the leftover strips. I used my new heat press, instead of the iron, to fuse the batting and interfacing. The new toy worked beautifully and saved a lot of time! Given to Aunt Linda.
Same as the last one. Even the lining and pocket are the same. Chelsea.
Yoga Bags
Made a prototype yoga mat bag for my yoga teacher. She sent measurements and I made adjustments to a pattern I found on the internet. This one took a lot of recall of 4-H skills, including making buttonholes, turning a strap, making a casing, and setting in a circle bottom. Somehow I dredged up the skills from my memory banks. The Janome Heavy Duty machine has an automatic buttonhole maker which is nifty but has a steep learning curve. It took me half a day to figure out how to use it! It also took math skills since my teacher sent a circumference and I needed to change that into a circle diameter! Now my yoga teacher needs to put the bag through use testing and get back to me about what to do better for the real bag.
The finished bag after feedback from the prototype
Differences from prototype:
1. More colorful!
2. More substantial strap
3. Strap attached 4 inches up from bottom
4. Loop for carabiner
5. Interfaced main bag. Will make insertion and removal of bag a little more difficult, but the added strength is worth it.
Firefly Tote Bag
I bought a pattern and some medium-weight canvas fabric from MSQC to make a bag with a drawstring closure. OMG! It took half a day to cut it out and a whole day to assemble it. Thank goodness for my heat press or it would have taken longer! The pattern was so complicated it came with labels to pin on your fabric pieces as you cut them out, a new first for me! However, the labels were very helpful and necessary! The bag has a slip pocket and zipper pocket on the outside and a slip pocket, divided into 2 sections, on the inside. Given to Cousin Leslie.
Heat Press
Pattern
Labels for Pieces
I used Soft and Stable as a batting and the QAYG process to make this bag. This bag came together quickly. I really like Soft and Stable. It’s lightweight, but provides a lot of structure. It’s also washable. The fabric is an animal print jelly roll. I used the Nancy Zieman trick for QAYG on foamy batting—wobble stitch (slight zigzag). Yoga.
Bag made from the scraps left from my teacher’s yoga bag (see above). This is the cutest and brightest bag I’ve made. I am giving it to Sonna as a get well from Covid gift.
A bag made using a Japanese fabric jelly roll and QAYG method on Soft and Stable. The inside is better looking than the outside. Yoga.
A bag made from a kit. The directions in the kit were poorly written and too hard. I prefer a simpler bag to let the fabric do the talking. Yoga.
Gourmet Grocery Tote
I’ve made this bag before (see February 2018). It’s like an old friend. I love the bigger size and all the pockets, inside and out. I improved on the pattern by adding more interfacing, lining the outside pockets, and stitching the bottom of the outside pockets, so that things you put in them don’t disappear around the corner. I used fabric left over from Grace’s son’s quilt (see Dogs and Sea Otters June 2021). The dog print really lends itself to the outside and inside pockets. Given to my friend Eirin.
Sew Creative Lounge Aaliyah Market Bag
I made this bag from a kit I purchased from Sew Creative Lounge. It took me a while to decipher the instructions. But that’s my fault as I did not watch the instructional video. I loved the African fabrics that came in the kit. The pattern did not have a pocket, so I didn’t add one. This may be the only pocketless bag this season. Yoga.
The Bag as Pictured on the Website
My Version
Two Small, Simple Bags for Children
I used batting scraps for the stiffening and quilted the exterior pieces on the domestic using a walking foot.
The fabrics for the above bag were leftover from Sharon’s quilt. (See Sharon’s Tulip Beds, March, 2019). Given to Eirin’s granddaughter Karina.
The exterior fabric was leftover from the backing of Madeline’s quilt (See I Spy with my Eye…, June, 2016). The interior fabric was scraps from Dani’s quilt. (See Catch Your Dreams, July, 2019). Quinn
The Kia Bag
This pattern came from Sew Creative Lounge and made a huge bag for serious shoppers! I say it looks like it has a glandular condition. I used Japanese fabric strip which are only 36” long so I had to finagle the pattern some to get 42” strips. The bag is so big and weighs so much, it’s going to take a big strong person to carry it. Yoga.
Used denim from Hannah’s old bed skirt, “jeans” colored thread, Soft and Stable inside, lining from leftover quilt backing.
David and Chelsea
My go to pattern using strips of African fabric and a piece of leftover cotton batting.
Up-cycled Old Jeans’ Waistbands
I used a You-Tube video to make a shopping bag out of waistbands from discarded jeans. I also used the elastic waist casing from my dad’s old green coveralls. Sally selected this one.
I made a couple more using the go-to pattern and African fabric.
“Henry Fording” it with these 2 bags.
Hannah
Ann
Final Bag for 2022
Final Bag for 2022
I used the go-to pattern and a jelly roll from my stash. This final one is the prettiest. For N’s mother.
Count of bags for 2022–20 tote bags and 2 yoga mat bags, so 22 for ‘22.
