Thursday, March 23, 2023

I Made A Duffle Bag!!!!

 I am so glad I took on the 2023 Quilt Goal Challenge  from my good friends at Fat Quarter Shop :) And here is the end result, my very own, Get Out Of Town Duffle Bag and it just makes me so Happy!!!


I went into this project with "bag making experience" basically from my Charming Tote, which is next to no bag making experience at all.   I am glad that I planned this project around a quilt retreat so that I could have Barbara (my amazing MIL) sitting next to me whenever I was working on this.  She was able to explain some of the more in depth directions and terms that went over my head.   And slowly but surely, I gained more confidence and things started coming together.   Although, I still had to laugh when a few pictures were snapped within one minute as I went through a whole range of emotions.   It starts with panic and fear,  moves to total concentration (my tongue always comes out when I am super focused) and ends with a little bit of confidence and an almost smile.  


But, again, Barbara would calm me down and get me back on track.   And in the end, I even managed a few steps while she was in a class.   So I can say I totally learned a lot and was almost independent by the end of the process.   ;)   And now I have this amazing duffle bag to show for it!!!  And I love that even in this picture, there are still mixed feelings on my face.   Half total excitement that I made something so cool, and half considering if I would ever attempt this again ;)  


This is going to be my new Quilt Retreat/Teaching bag and I am so excited to fill it with all of my favorite quilting notions and fabrics.  


And this duffle is full of pockets so there will be lots of little places to tuck away everything I need at retreat.   There are fabric pockets on the inside of one side and mesh on the other side of the inside.  There are 4 padded pockets on the outside and one zipper pocket (perfect for my phone).  And I couldn't help but add the little Handmade Zipper Charm.   Because this was indeed handmade and I am so proud that my hands made it!!!!  

 

So now the question that everyone wants to know is. . . what comes next???  This was an experience, and I can share that while making the bag I could be quoted saying "I will never do this again" several times.  But now that it has been a few weeks, I am considering more duffels.  Especially because my girls all love it and want their own.   And besides, at least I have a clue what I am doing now, and the second one is always easier, right :)  So who knows, there just might be more Bag Making in my future Happy Quilting endeavors.  (Which truly, quilting the panels was my favorite part of the whole process! Surprise, Surprise :)  



And just in case you are wondering, here is a list of the supplies I used to make this duffle bag.  And super fun, all of the By Annie Products are 20% off this month for Fat Quarter Shop's Notion of the Month, just in case you want to make your own duffle ;)  

Cross Stitch Plum Yardage for Lining                             Soft and Stable White Stabilizer
Turquoise Lightweight Mesh Fabric                                Turquoise Fold Over Elastic
Eggplant 24" Handbag Zipper                                          Eggplant 30" Double Slide Handbag Zipper
White 1" Polypro Strapping                                             Pellon Fusible Ultralight Interfacing
1" Black Swivel Snap Hook Set                                      1" Black Strap Adjusters
1" Black D Ring Set                                                         Handcrafted Zipper Pull


So how about you????  Is there a project that you want to try that is outside of your usual fare??  Join in the Quilt Goals 2023 Challenge.   And use the #QuiltGoals2023 to share your progress ;)  I can't wait to see what your goal will be ;)   

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting (and maybe even Bag Making) Day!!! 

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2 comments:

  1. Me encanta ,es enorme y que colorido
    Besos

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is fabulous and you did such a great job on it. Loved the facial expressions along the way too.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa