sunday. the day i got a hankerin' to make something pretty...with fabric.

first, i don't want to forget to let TONA know that she was the lovely winner of the newly released Karen Foster goodies. use that link over there to email me your address sweetie and i'll pass it along to the warehouse!

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i was so excited to head into a weekend with absolutely nothing on my calendar--no appointments, no deadlines, NOTHING. that's a very rare thing indeed.

BUT, by mid-day saturday, i was BORED out of my mind. nothing to focus on equals immediate boredom in my book. clearly i need a class to teach me how to relax and.......just be. after a whole morning of being lazy and putzing around here, cleaning a little there, and watching a movie, i decided to go to the fabric store while doug put the girls down for a nap.

it was the most glorious 2 hours alone in a loooooooong time. i think i heard the angels singing!

i came home to the girls bickering over that darn blue rasberry jolly rancher, so plan A (sewing) was quickly ditched for plan B (gingerbread house making) to rid this house of all remaining candy, LOL.

but, sunday morning, i woke up jazzed to start sewing. i've been wanting to make another quilt for at least the past year, but my schedule just hasn't allowed for it. being the instant gratification person that i am, i really have no patience to drag something out for a whole year, LOL. the eagerness to begin a quilt grew while watching Torm and Steph follow along with the quilt-along hosted by The Old Red Barn Co. someday, i'll make one of those lovelies.

but, in the meantime, i came across this lovely tote bag tutorial on Kim's blog and knew instantly---that's the project i need to do! small, fairly simple, no new techniques that i haven't really tried before (except the box pleat).



and i got busy. for an hour or so. well.............until, i ran out of thread. *sigh* i bought a light blue, but later changed my mind to brown. mistake #1.



i got all 12 charm squares for side A and side B laid out in the order i thought looked best. taking a picture of them always helps me see it from another perspective. i sometimes do that with my scrapbook layouts before adhering everything down. i think i moved a few of the squares around after seeing this photo. the bottom right corner needed grounded with a stronger color.




then, i got them sewn together, ironed out (is it iron open OR iron to one side when quilting?), batting added, and then both sides quilted---take that THREAD! ha.

i used this new (to me) batting that is fusible. BRILLIANT! that stuff is fantastic!

it felt kinda strange sitting at the table sewing with a laptop by my side instead of a book or chicken scratched notes from my Grammy Lou (my mom's mom). most of the tips and tricks i've learned about sewing have come from many years of sitting beside her when i was a kid watching her make the sewing machine sing. i'm thankful to have 2 quilts made by her in my possession. but i'd be more thankful to have her here by my side telling me what in the world i screwed up on this tiny project. LOL.

so i could ask her....how's come my charm squares don't line up as pretty as kim's? hrmph! it's been a loooooooong time since i sat down at the sewing machine. long enough that i think i forgot some of the most important rules for quilting. i need someone to remind me apparently. i mean, really, how hard is it to cut perfect 5" squares, sewing them all with the same seam allowance and then not have them match at the seams? too hard for me apparently. but the wonky seams are what makes it charming, right?

i hope so.

here's what i ended up with just before running out of thread. so the project is put aside until i can pick up a new spool of brown.


part of my problem was adding a corduroy to the mix. corduroy is notorious for slipping while you sew your seam. oh well. lesson learned. i'm sooooooo glad i took the time to make this little project before tackling another quilt. it's saving me hours of ripping (longer) seams and helping me brush up on my skills a bit.


someday i'll make another quilt. it's hard to believe that i made my first quilt when i was just 19 years old. again, without Grammy Lou here to help me. i think she needs to move back from Florida already.

it's still my favorite sewing project i've ever made. it was the Cracker Quilt pattern. soon enough i'll make another one. but not before i work out all the things i've forgotten on this tote bag. it might be a hot mess by the time it's all said and done, but surely it will be a beautiful mess. those are my favorite kind of messes.