BB Bag–New Purse Pattern

I recently purchased this new bag pattern, BB Bags by Mickey BeeBe, at my friend’s quilt shop, Quilter’s Delight in Holdrege.  She had one made up in the larger size that I fell in love with so had to get the pattern.  When I say larger size it is only 8” wide and 6 1/2” long…just the right size for me.  This bag will fit a check book across it’s width and has several pockets.  These bags have long shoulder straps too so they can be worn across the body over the shoulder.  I seem to like that kind as they don’t fall off and I can have both hands free.

Want to make the smaller size sometime too as they might come in handy when I just need some cash, credit card and some money.  Think the middle sized one will fit a passport.


I chose to use the fabrics below for the bag.  They are drapery samples I purchased at the Joann Fabric store that is having a liquidation sale in Grand Island.  They are moving to a new location and guess they are not taking any of the merchandise in the old store with them. Last time I was there it was down to 50% off most items.

The drapery samples are maybe just a little smaller than a fat quarter and come in so many great patterns, textures and fiber content.   After I was home and looking at the grouping I did eliminate the dark brown.  I had decided to use a stiffer black woven fabric for the strap and the brown just didn’t look good with everything at that point.  Since we were making so many trips to Grand Island for the State Fair I stopped and got this fabric to go with the rest.  The samples are all on these cute short hangers….keeping the hangers as they might come in handy for something.  I think every time I save something like this that my daughters might someday think I was crazy and one of those hoarders you see on that TV program, especially if I don’t use them.  If any of you might have some suggestions on how they might be useful let me know.

After cutting out all the pieces I only had these small pieces of fabric left.  The largest piece is a textured fabric so only wanted to use it on the outside of the bag.  I did have to piece some fabrics together to make them large enough to cut the pattern pieces.  One pocket was pieced vertically using two different fabrics – made it look like a design choice.  The other was pieced on a corner and will never show as it is an inside pocket.

Pieced Pockets VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I did secure the seam allowances though.  I first pressed the seams open then top stitched on either side of the seam so the seam allowances won’t curl up or roll after the bag is used.
I did change the pattern a little by adding a magnetic snap to the flap of the purse and the second half to the folded outside pocket.  I just like it better if my bags are not flopping open as I sure don’t want to loose what little I carry.  If you are going to add snaps you need to put the snaps in before you sew edges of the outside and lining together.  You want the backs of the snaps hidden.  I also fold a small square of fabric and lay it behind my snap after the prongs are bent and it is secure.  From the front – snap side – I stitch around the snap as close as I can get using a zipper foot keeping the little fabric square on the back.  After it is stitched I trim the fabric down to about 1/4 “.  I feel this will help protect the fabric the back of the snap might be rubbing on as I use the bag.

Magnetic Snaps VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

One thing I did that I wish I wouldn’t have was to use too much interfacing.  The fabrics were a little heavier than quilting cottons so don’t know why I thought I needed to double interface the outside layers.  This really makes it too stiff but didn’t realize it until the bag was stitched together. It also added bulk to the outside edge.

Stay tuned for the big reveal on the next post.
Lynn

Another New Window

One more basement window was replaced recently and only one more to go.  It may be a while before the last one is done as the young man that is doing them has a regular job during the week and now it is getting into hunting seasons and he loves hunt, especially wild turkeys. 

I don’t care when it gets done but just glad it is finally getting done.  He is doing a good job so I can be patient.   Patrick had to dig a lot of dirt for this one window and it was all dug by hand.  His brother came over that day to help and got in on the digging too.

Here is the window all installed.  Now anyone could escape if they needed to as it isn’t too far off the floor and is large enough to crawl out.  There is even a ladder on the inside of the window well.
The top is covered with a grate and then covered with a plastic cover so no more corn shucks blown into the window wells – YAY!  Each fall the wind swirls the corn shucks around and fills the window wells and that corner of the house.  Will still have the wind and the shucks but can use a rake to clean them up instead of pulling them out by hand.  I am always leery of that job as sometimes snakes like to keep warm under the piles of shucks in the window wells and that just creeps me out.  I HATE SNAKES!  They scare me and I have to scream every time I happen on one even though they are only Garder snakes and not much longer than a foot and a half at the largest and supposedly harmless. It doesn’t matter – I scream every time and my heart beats like crazy for a while afterwards. 

Here it is all finished with the dirt up around it and the lawn edging back in place.  Mr. Cat (that is his name) our geriatric cat, sitting on the new window well cover looking over his kingdom.  He has to be around 14 years old by now and is starting to show his age.  He does love to hunt yet and we see him with some prey now and again.  He sleeps in the shop but wants out first thing each morning winter or summer and makes his rounds then sits and observes the world the rest of the day.
Until Later,
Lynn

Nebraska State Fair–Quilts

I just love attending, exhibiting and white gloving at the Nebraska State Fair each year.  There were 467 quilts entered from 195 exhibitors and they were fantastic!  Sandi McMillan won the grand champion award with this quilt.  Her machine quilting is amazing and she does it all on a domestic machine too.
Here are a couple of detail photos of her quilting – isn’t it beautiful?  Sandi has won the grand champion award numerous years and they are well deserved honors.  Click on the photos to enlarge them to take in all the detail.

 

Reserve Champion honors went to the Nebraska State Quilt Guild’s raffle quilt.  It too is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!  You can see other photos of it on this blog post on August 3, 2011.

I entered two small quilts and was lucky to win two ribbons.  My miniature “Sweet Remembrance” won a second place ribbon.  You can read more about it here on a blog post on March 31, 2011.

The quilt I made for our guild challenge received a first place ribbon.  I was surprised and pleased of course but was thinking of not even entering it.  I didn't know if it had enough pizazz or something but glad I did.  I did do more quilting on one of the borders before I took it though.  There were a lot of entries in this class too so that makes it even a nicer win.  (Notice how the large and med. quilts are hung...skirt hangers with hooks over the pipes.  Really works slick.)The funny part of this win was the prize.  I read on the online results page that it got a special award and couldn’t figure out what that was.   I didn’t realize the class was divided into two sections and thought I got a second place as my name was second on the list.  I didn’t see the placing numbers for several days and was still not sure what the award was.  The prize I won was a $25 gift certificate to Quilter’s Delight quilt shop in Holdrege, NE…owned and operated by my long time friend.  She gives the prize for this category each year and this year I just happened to win it. 

When the State Fair moved from Lincoln to Grand Island last year the state fair board decided it wanted to have a large block made for every county in the state and have them framed and hung outside the large room where the quilt display is held.  I was asked to make a block for my county and write about it in this blog post from September 17, 2010.  This was a photo I took of the block before I sent it off  and is now framed.

Here is a view of one of the walls where the blocks were hung.  All the county blocks got finished but 3 counties so there were 90 of the 93 Nebraska counties represented.  Hopefully the last 3 will get done to be hung with the rest by next year.  As you can see they are high up on the wall and were a little difficult to get photos of individually as the glare off the glass reflected the lights overhead. 

The Grand Island newspaper had a nice article about the quilt display and these county blocks here.  The fair board hosted a reception for all the makers of the blocks during the fair at the VIP lounge.  The lounge is a large glassed in area on the second floor overlooking the air conditioned show arena.  Now that would be the way to watch a livestock show!  What fun it was to see so many people I knew and a lot I didn’t know.  I think most of the makers of the blocks attended that reception so they came from all parts of the state.

I have been so busy every day lately and have not taken time to post … maybe things will slow down a bit now and I can catch up.  I do have some photos and ideas for posts but just need to get them written up.

Until Later,

Lynn

Tip Time

If you are like me you have several brands, types and weights of threads in your stash.  When the thread is on the spool it is very easy to know what it is as you can just read the label, but how do you keep track when it is wound onto the bobbin unless you keep them together.  I read this tip this somewhere and now I can’t  find it so if you blogged about it please let me know so I can give you credit.  Now here is the super-duper tip for IDing those bobbins.First you buy small bottles of brightly colored nail polish.  Make sure they are different from each other and buy as many as you have different threads.  These tiny bottles cost me less than a dollar each. 
I use plastic bobbin boxes with clear lids so with a permanent marker I wrote the kind of thread in this box on the underside of the lid then put a spot of polish beside the name.  (Remember that I wanted to read it when the lid was closed so had to mirror image the writing.)  Put a small dot of the same color on the side of the bobbin.  Some boxes hold several kinds of thread so they have more than one name written on the lid but each has their own color of polish dot. Now how easy is that?  I love it and now have all my bobbins labeled and I know immediately what kind of thread they are.

If you empty a bobbin you can remove the dots on the metal bobbin with a little polish remover if you are going to wind a different thread on it.  I would caution you not use polish remover on plastic bobbins though unless you know the polish remover will not dissolve the plastic.

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Until Later,
Lynn