A few finishes

I'm still here! I haven't done much blogging for this year. I have been concentrating on things at home. Trying to get things clean and organized. Let's just say...I have a long way to go. It's so hard to balance what you love to do with what you need to do. But I'm working on it.

I do have a few finishes this year. I took the Craftsy class Design Your Own Handbag with Brett Bara. I thought I pretty much knew the in's and out's of handbag making but I actually learned a lot. She gives great instruction and I love her zipper method!! (so professional looking)

Here is my first bag.

Great backdrop, eh? haha I had to take a quick snap shot before I gave it to my friend. I wasn't sure if she really loved it, until she text me telling me so. She also added that she want's to go shopping to find more fabric to make her another one;)

Here is the next one.

I'm not sure who will get this one. Pink is just not me. But it's a really nice size. On this bag I experimented on interlining. This is suggested in the Craftsy class. I used duck cotton from Joann's. the stiff 100% kind. I love the weight and flexibility it gives to a handbag!!  The only drawback I see is that I don't think I would wash the bag once it's made. This bag, I did not prewash the duck cotton. I am working on a bag now that I did prewash the duck cotton. It shrinks horribly! It would be very hard to whip it back in to shape since it is the middle layer of the bag. Even if you pre-wash it, my guess is it would do the same thing all over. It was a lot of work to get the fabric smooth again. I won't be pre-washing the duck fabric again. For the outer fabric I used twill cotton fused with Pellon SF-101(shape-flex cotton woven fusible). I love this combination! The twill is a nice sturdy weight for the outer fabric of the bag. I used quilters weight cotton fused with the Pellon SF-101(love) again for the lining. Of course, as I mentioned above, duck cotton in the middle. As for using the duck as interlining, I worked out a method(trick) to keep the bulk down on the top of the bag. I may do a tutorial on this later.

The white bag above, I didn't use the duck cotton for the interlining. I used the same twill fabric as I did for the outer fabric of the bag. It won't stand on its own like the pink one will. Both will work, but I prefer the duck cotton interlining. However, I think the white one with the twill interlining will be more likely to be machine washable. I haven't tried to machine wash either one. I'm basing this conclusion on how the fabrics reacted when I washed them initially. Try at your own risk!!

I plan to do more experimenting with hardware. If you haven't made a bag before, It's very fun and a little addicting.

Here is a quilt finish!

This will be for my sister-in-law. She is having twins, so I still need to make another one. Any suggestions for a quick easy quilt? This quilt measures 45inx60in. It will be a generous crib quilt size and big enough to go on to her toddler years. Oh, I forgot to say she is having girls :)

Here is the back.

I know, its a little crazy looking. Let me explain this madness. First off, lets just say things are financially tight around here. I'm on a fabric diet(forcibly) and there is no room for waste. The solid bricks were intended for the front. I didn't like the way it looked, but I wasn't about to waste them, so on the back they went.  The strips of prints were left-overs from the front. Again, waste not want not. I didn't put a lot of thought in to the layout of the back, but hey, it's functional;)

The only time I had to go back to the store for this quilt was for the binding. I did not have enough of any of the fabrics left to make it. My husband saw the fabric in my purse after I smuggled it in the house. I defended myself by saying " It's for YOUR sister!" :) Really, though, she is my sister, too. I love that girl;)

Well, that is all I have for now.

Danielle