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Friday, February 20, 2015

A Bag for Grandma Carol

You might remember that I didn't make it to my brother and sister in-law's wedding last July.  One reason why that was a bummer was I missed seeing this lady:



Grandma Carol and my Mark

Grandma Carol came down to see us this month.  The timing was great--Ohio was seeing double-digit sub-zero temps while she was here!  We had the privilege of hanging out with her for a few days, so I thought I'd mark the occasion with a handmade gift.  Check it out:



This is the Aeroplane Bag by SewSweetness.  You can buy the pattern at Sara Lawson's shop here.  It's a super-roomy zippered tote with fabric handles and two interior zipper pockets.  I really had a great time making the bag.

I opted to use headliner foam instead of Soft and Stable, simply because I had some on hand.  I quilted the patterned portion of the bag by machine by following the natural pattern of the fabric:




As you can see, I used my walking foot to do the quilting.  I actually kept my walking foot on for the majority of the bag construction.  I feel like it really makes the process easier.  Here's a close up view of the quilting:



Not too shabby, huh?  I used Connecting Threads' Essential Quilting Thread in cream, and it really agrees with my machine.  I was even so bold as to do all of my topstitching in a contrasting color!


I am thoroughly impressed with myself on this one. 

I did make one major boo-boo:


I completely mis-measured the Peltex for the bottom of the bag.  I ended up zigzag stitching two smaller pieces together.  It ended up being okay, though.  Overall, I though it turned out nicely, and Grandma Carol loved it, which is all that really mattered. 



What do y'all think?  I love it!  I've got a lot more coming your way, so stay tuned.  Until then, God Bless!




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10 comments:

  1. Simply beautiful. I have been wanting to do this.

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    1. Thank you! I hope you try it--it was a lot of fun.

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  2. Very nice gift and so practical. I want to make that pattern this year.

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    1. Thanks! I'd love to see see yours when it's finished!

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  3. What a cute bag! This pattern is on my to-do list! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Why thank you! I hope you have as much fun as I did making yours.

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  4. That is a beautifully done bag!

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    1. Thank you for the kind words and for stopping by!

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  5. I love Sew Sweetness bags!! Your bag looks great - I've never used headliner foam (?) just soft and stable - is there a price difference?

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    1. Yes, there is. It's usually sold as automotive headliner in big box stores. I can usually find it between $5 and $8 per yard, which is significantly less expensive than Soft and Stable. It's a similar concept to Soft and Stable--polyester foam with scrim, but the headliner is only encased on one side. I actually have a bag interfacing "challenge" in progress that I'll be writing about soon where I will compare the different types of stabilizers and interfacing. I hope you'll check it out when I'm done!

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