Finally I'm Back

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile but we were having alot of trouble with our internet. Turns out we needed a new router and a new modem. I was actually making a tote bag from a pattern on-line and was worried I wouldn't be able to finish it. It was one of the two bags I wanted to get done for the fund raiser event I went to on the 23 of February. Normally I print out the pattern before hand to have it beside me when I am sewing but this time I was lazy and didn't bother. Thank god I have made a few tote bags over the last little while because I was able to figure out how to finish it on my own. I'll know better next time. Here is a couple of pictures of the 2 bags I was able to make.

The first bag is actually a lunch bag. The pattern called for laminated cotton or oil cloth which is a specially treated fabric that is water proof and can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. The area I live in does not have a shop that carries this type of fabric so I had to come up with something else. In my frequent searching on the internet I heard of a product that might do the trick. It is iron on vinyl. It's very easy to do and I had no problems. You just have to make sure Mr. Iron doesn't touch the vinyl. The vinyl comes with a protective paper that you use to cover the vinyl when ironing it. After I made the bag and was quite proud of myself, I read that the vinyl is not washer and dryer friendly. Thats okay if you never had to wash the fabric itself, but in the real world we know that is not true. The bag would really be cute for a childs lunch bag, but the whole bag would eventually have to be laundered. I plan on trying to make a removable vinyl liner for this reason. When I give it a go I will post on how it went.

The second tote bag is made from a tutorial I saw on the Missouri Star Quilt Co. for the charm pack tote bag. I added the pockets as the original pattern didn't have any. Of course the original pattern is just a basic pattern just waiting to be customized any way you want. I love the colors and the pockets I picked out. I wanted to keep it for myself as I only had enough fabric to make the one bag. But I know it is for a good cause and will find a loving home.  The fund raiser was a huge success and a lot of money was raised to help my friend be able to take a long recovery time off work without any financial worries.

I'm kind of on a bag and tote fix right now. I am currently making another tote bag and will blog about it and post pictures when I'm done. Sometimes I find when I'm lacking some inspiration for a quilt  to make , doing a smaller project and getting it done fast encourages me to keep on sewing. That is what I tell myself when I have a couple of quilts to finish but want to start a new project instead lol. I'm going to be good though and not start another quilt until the 2 I have on the go are finished. I better get at it.