Another 241 Tote...

On a whim trip to Hancock Fabrics today I found some fun chevrons in a nice decor weight/duck-like fabric.  Plus there was red with dots to coordinate.  I heart polka dots a whole lot!

Got home and had about an hour in which I got the outside cut out and all put together.  Then I finished it up this evening.




I had enough of the blue cordoroy left over to do the outsides of the pockets.  The inside is a tiny black and white check (same as the loops for the strap)

The hardware for the strap and the strap itself came from an old garament bag I found at Goodwill for $2!  Score!

This will be a gift for a friend who I've been promising I'd make a bag far too long ago.  Still have to make at least one more for that silent auction.  A project for Sunday, when it's suppose to rain!

Pattern:  241 Tote from www.noodle-head.com

Tick, Tock. It's 3 o'clock. In the morning.

Tick Tock, it's 3 o'clock.  In the morning.  Guess who was still up sewing?

This girl!  I haven't had a late night sewing marathon in ages.  It was awesome!

On Tuesday I noticed my LQS posted pictures on Facebook of some Melody Miller's Ruby Star Rising fabric she picked up at Spring Quilt Market.  The gift certificate I received for Mother's Day was burning a hole in my pocket as soon as I saw that!  It's a fabric line I've drooled over a long time, but never justified buying any.  The gift certificate was like a permission slip to indulge!

Paired with some fabric I left over from some other projects and Anna at www.noodle-head.com's 421 Tote Pattern , this is what I came up with:



 I mixed it up a bit, adding just one zipper on the front since it played nice on an angle next to the clock.

 


Instead of a regular pocket for the inside that the pattern called for, I added a zipper pocket to keep my stuff more secure.


 On the front zipper I added a fun zipper pull. Using a washer, a metal die alphabet set, and a hammer I added the word "JOY" to the washer. I drew over the letters with a Sharpie marker and then rubbed off the excess, leaving the black settled into the letters to make the word stand out a bit more.

 It's a great pattern - easy to follow and a fun design! I plan on making more of these totes... next one up will be for the camp that we used to work for. They are having a silent auction this summer and I was asked to make something for it. One of these would be a fun addition!

Now to gear up for a sleepy day ahead....  I'll probably be asleep on the couch before 7pm tonight!

Happy Birthday/Retirement/Mother's Day Mom!

Life has not been conducive to sewing lately.

Hence the lack of being around on here.

But I have something to show again!  A few weeks ago I went a couple of quilt shops in town with friends.  I saw a jelly roll that screamed "Mom" - Basic Grey's Origins by Moda.

It was Monday Her birthday was that Wednesday and her last day of work before she retired was Thursday.  Sounds like a quilt for to laze her days away under while she watches soaps on the couch would be in order!  (Yeah right, she's never home!)  The jelly roll and some nice, warm cozy minky for the back followed me home. 

I brought it home and started sewing it up right away that afternoon.  It was done lickity split - with a late night I figured I would have it done for her birthday!  I started doing free motion quilting on it and my nightmare began.  I was doing some loops and it all started out good.  Then my thread started breaking.  I'd get everything re-threaded, go a bit more and it would break again.  I put a new needle in, I made a new bobbin, and messed with tension.  All that stuff and it made no difference.  The thread kept breaking over and over and over. It was a new type of thread I was using and it seemed to be the issue.  While I was close to half way done,  it would take me forever to finish at this rate.  Guess she wouldn't be getting it for her birthday... another "raincheck" as a present.

Spent a bunch of time frogging those loops out.  And there it sat.

Finally got some time this week to quilt it in straight lines, with new thread - wasn't taking any chances with any sort of loop!  

Here's the finished product...

Done just in time for Mother's Day!  Happy Birthday/Retirement/Mom's Day Mom!  I love you!