Gatherer Crossbody Bag, Take 1

They said it couldn't be done, but did I prove them wrong? OH! Absolutely.

I made a bag other than a 241 tote. Who knew?

This is the Gatherer Crossbody Bag, and it's a pattern from the same designer as the 241 tote, Anna Graham of Noodlehead. Like the 241, the directions are super bomb. I feel like this bag came together a lot faster than the 241--but that could be because there were no zipper installations. Though there was piping, and that was a new adventure...hmmm...I don't know. All that to say, this pattern was super cool, and it's FREE, so there you go.

I did make a few modifications to this bag. I actually increased the size of the pattern pieces, though I couldn't tell you how much as I have no clue! But it makes for a bigger bag, which is sweet. I used a magnetic closure instead of the leather/button combination. I used canvas for the exterior (Lizzy House's Nosara Canvas in Blue) and a quilting cotton for the interior and extra details (Laura Gunn's Painter's Canvas...probably in Lagoon). Finally, we opted for a 1.5" strap sewn into the lining rather than the super cute (but not as durable) thin strap.

See, this is a replacement bag for a friend who wore the last bag I made for her into ruin. You might think that's an over-exaggeration, but trust me, it's time for that 241 Tote to be retired. It has given more than any bag should ever have to give! And this new bag has been made to hold up for just as long, and hopefully longer.

I sewed the bag up, but the strap was much too short, so I performed a bit of surgery, and now it's all gravy. Bonus, I found a way to get to the post office this afternoon, so as we speak, it is on the way.

This was a super fun bag to sew up, and I have fabric cut and prepped for another one--this time for me! 

Patina Quilt Start

My oldest niece just had her Bat Mitzvah. (And if I may say so, she totally rocked it.) In the eyes of the Jewish community, she is now a woman. Cue Audrey freaking out. How do I have a niece that old?

And just how am I going to celebrate such a momentous occasion? You can probably guess, but just in case you're still waking up because it's Monday morning--oh it's Monday morning over here all right--I'm making her a quilt! Because it's one of those "go big or go home" kind of moments, I've chosen to make her a twin-size beauty of a quilt, the Patina quilt from Tula Pink and Angela Walter's book, Quilt with Tula and Angela.

I sent my niece 5-6 different quilt patterns that I thought she might like, and I was so excited when she chose the Patina quilt because it's the one I thought she might pick.

I have already used my seam ripper more than I would like to admit. I keep sewing the wrong colors to the wrong colors! But when you're dealing with 13 different fabrics and something between 500 and 600 rectangles, well, it's understandable that mistakes do occur.

I've chosen to use Kona solids for this quilt project, and I have this soft tie-dye flannel to back it with. (I actually bought the flannel before I bought the solids.) We're going with a color scheme very close to the original as my niece really liked it. I've finished sewing up my strip As and my strip Bs and I'm almost through my strip Cs. I hope to have a finished quilt top soon.

Happy Monday, friends!

Coast to Coast Traveling Bee Quilt 5

For my fifth and final quilt project from the Coast to Coast Traveling Bee, I got to work on Chelsea's quilt, woo! Chelsea had sent along some Alison Glass charms and some oh-so lovely blocks utilizing AG fabric, asking for additional blocks for a super fun sampler. This was my last quilt project from the bee--other than finishing up my own quilt, of course--and it's sad to think we are done for the year. I had hoped this bee would be totally wicked awesome with some totally wicked awesome peeps, and it was that and so much more.

I referenced the block library at Gen X Quilters, and I picked out a handful of blocks I thought would make fun contributions to this project. This is my personal favorite, the Modern Star from LaineyBug Designs.

This is the Crown of Thorns block from Charise Creates.

And a Starry Skyline block courtesy of From Blank Pages.

I made a couple of small filler blocks as well and sent it all off. Here is a shot of Chelsea's blocks all together--I'm eager to see what this finished top will look like!

C2C is already planning for next year--at least one of the peeps has already bought fabric!! The rumblings of an idea are starting to take shape, and thankfully I have some time to let them mature. I hope to have one more C2C post for this year--one full of finishes! (Or at least finished tops...)