Amy Butler's Weekender Travel Bag

My daughter Vanessa and I saw Amy Butler's Weekender Travel Bag at a quilt shop and we fell in love with it. 

I told Vanessa that I would make her one for her birthday which was last January!  Vanessa chose the fabric online.  It's home dec fabric and she really likes neutrals.  When the fabric came in the mail, I wasn't sure they went together well.  I posted about it a few weeks ago and got some positive feedback.  That made me feel better :)

I have included a lot of photos of the sewing process, but this isn't a tutorial.  As I was sewing the bag I found it helpful to look at blogs and see photos of the process.

There are only 4 pattern pieces.  It doesn't show in the photo below, but there is a lot of  interfacing.  Peltex is very heavy, like a thin foam.  A woven iron on interfacing was also used.  

Sometimes there were 3 or 4 layers of interfacing on one piece.

There were 5 yards of piping.  It was easy to sew on with a zipper foot.

This is one of the outer pockets on the bag with the piping sewn on.

The outer bag and the handle have many layers of interfacing which make them really stiff.

I basted the pocket to the outer bag.  

So far, all the steps have been very easy.

The piping is thick, and I found it difficult to make the join at the bottom of the bag smooth.

The instructions for adding the zipper were very clear.  

This photo shows the side pocket.

I don't have a photo, but I sewed the bottom of the bag to this piece.  Then I sewed the two outer bags to the top and bottom piece.

That was the hardest part!  I was using a #16 needle but because of the thickness, my sewing machine  made terrible sounds and would make a loud buzzing noise until I turned it off.  I turned it on, began sewing and the needle would jam and  make that bad noise again.  I was getting really upset.  I mean really upset!  I didn't think I would be able to finish the bag......The materials for the bag aren't cheap either.  I went to the store and bought a pack of #18 needles and some long quilting pins.  I kept at it until the bag was sewn together.  The bag was heavy and because of the stiffness of the interfacing, I had to hold it in place really tight. My fingers were sore!

I was so happy when I finally sewed the bag together!!!

The lining was a breeze to sew.

There aren't any pockets on the inside of the bag, so I added some to the lining.  This pocket is the same size as the one on the outside of the bag.  I sewed a seam down the middle to make two pockets.

I sewed a zipper pocket on the other side of the lining, and added one of my labels  :)

I sewed a D ring on the inside of the bag.

The lining is all sewn by hand inside the bag.  
Vanessa loves owls, the D ring tag adds a pop of color.

This is the inside of the finished bag.

Ta da....my Weekender Travel Bag.  I'm really pleased with it :)

Vanessa hasn't seen her bag yet, I'm giving it to her in July when I go to visit her.  

Vanessa just graduated from Salt Lake Community College with an Associate Degree in Interior Design.  In the fall, she will be going to Weber State University to get a Bachelor's in Interior Design with a major in Graphic Design.

Vanessa wants to use the bag for her design books and supplies, at school and on design jobs.

I have a board on Pinterest called Weekender Travel Bag if you want to look at all the other designs :)

I would love to make one for myself out of quilt fabric.

Humanitarian Project

 There is a humanitarian activity at my church every Monday morning.  People make quilt tops, tie quilts, and stuff pillows.  All the fabric and supplies are donated.  

The idea is to make as many quilt tops as possible, in a small amount of time.  It is a different way of quilting than I'm used to.

Usually I design a quilt with little pieces like flying geese, stars, and other blocks that I love.

It would take too long to make quilts like that, so we just piece the quilts with large pieces of fabric out of the bins of donated fabric.

There was one piece that was so intricate, someone had painstakingly pieced a table topper.  No one knew how to use it.

I unpicked the triangles on the outside, sewed the four triangles into  two squares, and added them to the side of the quilt.  I found fabric that matched and pieced my quilt, humanitarian style!

I really like the end result.  Now it's ready to be tied.

The quilts are given to local charities, or sent to Salt Lake City to be sent to people in need, all over the world.  It feels good to help, even in such a small way.

If you really think about it though, if everyone would help a little, it would amount to a whole lot of love :)

Baby Girl Quilt

I have another grand daughter who we are expecting in August :)

It's always a miracle to experience being a grandmother, seeing each special little spirit and who they look like!

I bought this kit at Pine Needles about 5 years ago, I fell in love with it.  So much so, that I bought a girl kit and a boy kit.

I made the blue one for Benjamin, you can see it here.

This is what the main panel looks like without being pressed :)

I think it's so cute and vintagy!!!

Here are the lovely fabrics, there is even a white eyelet.

This is the softest minky!

It will be used for the border and the back.

Aren't these babies darling?

I cut all that fabric into l l/2" strips.

Then I sewed the strips together in pairs, some by fours.

I had lots of these combinations.

In the meantime, I fussycut the baby fabric into 4 l/2" squares.  

I barely had enough, I had to piece one of the squares.

After much measuring, cutting, sewing and pressing, I ended up with these stacks.

Here is the finished quilt top :)

I can hardly wait to bundle up my little grand daughter in this soft, snuggly quilt.  

I'll show you more photos when I get it quilted in July.

These are my favorite little blocks, "soooo sleepy" and "daddy's girl".

"Rub-a-Dub-Dub" and "Peek-a-Boo!"

This quilt is called "Marley Jane" by Remember When Pattern Co.

Pillow Sham Tutorial

I finished the top of my "Bee in my Bonnet Row Along", you can see it here. 
 I have to wait until July to get it quilted :)

I'm giving the quilt to my grand daughter to use as a bedspread.

I thought it would be nice if she had a pillow sham to match.

To fit a standard twin pillow, the measurements for a pillow sham are 27" across by 20" down.

I wanted to make the pillow sham into a patchwork of squares.

If the squares are 3" each, I would have 9 across and 7 down.

I cut each square 3 l/2" each to allow for seam allowances.

That makes a total of 63 - 3 l/2" squares to cut.

Row by row, I sewed all the squares together into a patchwork.

I traced  Neo's name onto paper and then traced the letters onto wonder under. 

 Wonder under has a paper side and a rough side.

 I traced the letters onto the paper side, making sure that the letters were backwards. 

Don't cut out the letters yet.

Then I pressed the rough side onto the fabric.

Now you can cut the letters out.

Peel off the paper, and you have some pellon glue underneath.

Lay the letters onto the patchwork and press.

The fabric will stick to the patchwork or whatever surface you press it onto.

I appliqued the letters onto the patchwork with a machine blanket stitch using contrasting thread for each letter.

I layered the patchwork with batting and a piece of white fabric, and safety pinned the "sandwich" together.
I much prefer to pin than to baste!

I machine quilted the pillow sham with a stipple stitch.

I debated whether or not to machine quilt the letters but decided against it.

I wanted to add some trim to the pillow sham so I cut 3 - 2 l/2" X WOF (width of fabric) strips of the pink fabric with yellow polka dots and joined them together as you would binding.

I added them to the pillow sham, the same method as you would use to add a border to a quilt.

 I also used the same fabric for the trim as I did for the border of the bedspread quilt.

Now for the back, it has the same measurements as the front.

I cut two pieces of white for the back to allow an overlap to fit the pillow through the pillow sham.

One piece of white is 21" X 16 l/2" and the other piece of white is 21" X 18".  That allows for seam allowances and a 4 l/2" overlap.

I pressed each end of the overlap under l/4", and then turned it under l/4" again.  I topstitched it to make a nice finished hem.

I machine basted the top and bottom of the overlap together.

I cut 3 more strips of border for the back trim, 2 l/2" X WOF.

I sewed the trim onto the overlapped back.

The front and the back of the pillow sham are finished.

Lay them on top of each other, right sides together.

Sew all the way around using a l/4" seam allowance, leaving 6" open at the bottom.

  Turn the pillow sham through the 6" hole, and press the seams flat.

I sewed in the ditch of the border, through all thicknesses.

The pillow will fit into the pillow sham, and the border will sort of be like a flat ruffle around the pillow.

The seam that I just sewed should be in the ditch on the back also.

It doesn't have to be absolutely perfect because it will never show.
Gasp!!! Did I really say that???? ha ha!

I stuck my hand under the overlap so that you can see that it is really an overlap, and not sewn together!

I laid the pillow sham at the top of the bed so that you can see how it matches the bedspread.  

The bedspread is on a queen bed and isn't quilted.

It is sized to fit a twin bed.

I have it on this bed because I don't want to fold it up and have crease lines.

I'm just storing it here until I visit my machine quilter in July, or I have some guests visiting :)

Here's the pillow sham close up.

I'm really pleased with it!  

I hope that this tutorial was clear enough to understand!

Thanks for following me :)

Sewing Kit Tutorial

I really love this sewing kit, I've made it twice before.

The first one I made for my son to take with him to Brazil, here it is.

The second one I made for a giveaway, you can see it here.

The original tutorial was done by Lots of Pink and you can see it on my Pinterest board of Random Tutorials :)

I made this sewing kit for Maggie, who is also going to Brazil.

I love Maggie, she's wonderful and I wanted to make something for her to take, a little piece of me :)

I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial today.

The exact measurements can be found on the link to the second sewing kit I made as a giveaway, or the link to "lots of pink".