Wednesday, September 13, 2017

A Wee Bag

Last week, my granddaughter asked if I could make her a crossbody bag. During Facetime, she demonstrated with her hands how big she wanted it. Well, of course! That's what Grammas do! She asked if it could be pink and blue and maybe have mermaids on it. I looked at a lot of pictures of bags online but was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to do, and because it was going to be very small, I drew plans on graph paper rather than using an online pattern which would have needed to be re-sized anyway. I'm not going to include a tutorial, because there are tons of those online. But here it is!

I decided not to go all-out mermaid, but I found this cute iron-on applique (it looks like her) for the front--and the back:
That blue lower section is a pocket.
And when she opens the purse, there are more mermaids:

I didn't use the mermaid fabric on the outside of the purse. It had more red than pink on it and just didn't look right to me with the other fabrics. But I think it makes a great lining. And hey, that's my first go at installing a magnetic closure. I didn't know those were so easy.

Here's the purse, hanging up. I'd model it, but it's a bit too wee to fit over me.

The adjustable belt was a challenge to rig up, but with lots of fiddling it worked just fine. 

I had one little mishap. My iron died. Kind of a slow death, I think, because I had a little trouble getting my interfacing to stick evenly to my fabric before it quit altogether. Ironic situation (ha!) because I had just ordered a little travel iron, but it hadn't arrived yet. I ended up running to the store for a new full-sized iron because I'm sure that travel iron won't be big enough for all my pressing needs. I went over the interfacing again with the new iron and reinforced it a bit with a few "quilting" lines to disguise some residual bubbles in the fabric. Anyway, all is well. And in a few days I will have 2 new irons (that will rarely be used on clothing).

The whole bag is roughly 5 1/2 by 7 inches by 1 inch--just the right size for little treasures. The pattern pieces were about 1/4 inch bigger in width and length (plus seam allowance) to allow for the thickness of the layers. 

This was so much fun, I just might have to make one in a little bigger size for myself. Minus the mermaids, though. And probably not pink and blue. I'll be sure to share if I make it. 

My other project this week was finishing up the piecing on the Lake Michigan quilt. Here's a bit of the foreground:

Now I have a decision to make. My original plan was to somehow applique/thread paint trees along the sides so that the lake would be seen as if viewed from the forest. But I've abandoned that plan. It would be a lot more work, and after being at the lake this summer, I think I want it to be an open beach scene. I do want to add some beach grass--some long stems along the left side and tufts in other areas to give it depth. I'd like to do hand embroidery for this, but I'm not sure how that will work with the machine quilting I want to do. I will need to either carefully work in the quilting with the grass after embroidering or quilt first and then embroider, with the embroidery showing on the back (which could look a bit messy). I suppose I could put another piece of fabric on the back after quilting (sort of like the paper on the back of an art print) before binding. Hmmm. Have to think about all this a bit. Any ideas?

I'll leave you with pictures of a ride we took on Labor Day in our little town--a new trail. It's only a mile long, but so pretty, and with the riding we do to get there and an extended trail that links up to it we can get a nice ride of about 10 1/2 miles--just right for fall evenings when it gets dark too early for longer rides. 

Hills,

curves,

and ponds, all in one mile.

And the fields by the linking trail:





Fall is definitely in the air here.

I hope you've had a good week. My thoughts have often been with people, not only in our country, but all over the world who are dealing with natural disasters. There will be lots for all of us to do to help in the months to come. I am so afraid that when the news coverage eases up, we will forget. Let's not, okay?

I'm linking up today with Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social and on Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it Up Friday. Oh, and because this is a DrEAMi (Drop Everything and Make It), with Mmm Quilts at the end of the month. 

11 comments:

KaHolly said...

Moms, too! My daughter loves her cross body bags! This one is too precious for words. And I like that you made an adjustable strap. Thank you for taking us along on your walk! Lovely photos!

Mari said...

What a darling little purse! I'm sure your granddaughter will love it. As for your beach grass dilemma, have you considered couching, either by hand or machine? That way you could have the texture on the front with only a few stitches on the back. The piece looks really great already!

Linda said...

I love, love, love the bag! IMO you did really good in not going all-out on mermaids - the iron-on and the mermaids inside are perfection!
I'm no help with ideas on the embroidery. I love to do it but am not imaginative so I'll be interested to see what you do. How beautiful it is going to be!
What a blessing to have that gorgeous trail!
Like you I worry that the nation will forget the natural disasters as time goes on. :(

The Joyful Quilter said...

What a beautiful ride!! Thanks for sharing.

Kaja said...

What a sweet bag - I bet your granddaughter loves it. My instinct would be that it is easier to quilt and then embroider. Maybe if you were careful you get keep your stitches on the front/in the wadding without pushing all the way through the backing?

Unknown said...

Your mermaid bag is super adorable !

Sandra Walker said...

Well your post stirs up such emotion in me...because we are so on the same wavelength this evening...first, talking to your granddaughter over FT (me with Brady, sniff) and then seeing the adorable bag you made her, and I think of Brady's mask he designed and we sewed last week, then your bike ride through territory that not too many miles south and east of you is amazingly identical to that around me in my own little town, just admired the goldenrod beside the asters this very morning while walking our dogs, and THEN, the emotion spilled over when I read about your thoughts about people...just watched on PBS news a piece on the Rohinga which has so devastated me these past several days, but this piece---exactly what I thought, let's not forget; I need to do something; how can I use my blog to help? Good post my friend. btw think you got the stitching down from what I saw on Instagram this past weekend. ;-)

Jeanna said...

The little bag you made for your granddaughter is just the sweetest. You definitely filled her order :)

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Your biking trail is gorgeous! Right up my speed. Thanks for sharing your grand daughters adorable bag with us this week at Tuesday Archives. :)V

somethingrosemade14@blogspot.com said...

What a lovely post to read this Sunday morning! I can see myself one day making a bag for my granddaughter when she's old enough because basically what my granddaughter wants comes first before any projects. The photos of the lovely bike ride, so much to see in one mile and the perfect distance for me to ride. And your final thoughts pretty much summed up how I feel and I think others feel as well. We are in this life together.

Preeti said...

The mermaid bag is so lovely, I wish I was your granddaughter. If you have any of the mermaid fabric left over, I'd love to get my hands on it.
The Lake Michigan quilt is already looking gorgeous.