Posted on by agilejack

Crumb Block Bag on a Whim

I sat down after work tonight and decided to start working on a bag made from the crumb panels I made last night. It went together really easily and it turned out so cute!

It’s a nice generous size and I put a slip pocket in the lining.

I trimmed the two crumb panels to 17 inches square and made a quilt sandwich out of each piece. I used my walking foot and started out with matchstick quilting and I liked doing it, but I realized it would take a week to get this all quilted with that narrow spacing. So after about 1.5 inches of matchstick, I switched to an organic wavy line.

The section with the matchstick became the top of the bag.

Here’s a photo of the wavy quilting.

I decided to make the handles out of some cork fabric that I’ve had for a while. It was really lovely to sew on and I like the way the handles turned out.

My cork was 18 by 12 inches, so I was limited on the length of handles I could make. 18 inches is fine for regular handles, but not long enough to put over your shoulder. I’m going to keep an eye out for cork that comes in larger sizes for more flexibility.

I cut the cork 3 inches by 18 inches and folded it lengthwise in thirds. I clipped it all in place and top stitched down both sides.

I’m curious to see how the cork wears and washes. It has a nice soft feel and is comfortable.

I dug into my drawer of larger pieces of fabric to see what I wanted to use for the lining and selected this gorgeous Philip Jacobs Snow Leopard design. It’s called Padma. And it’s perfect!

I just love a bold and surprising lining to a bag. In my mind, the lining is not the place to skimp!

I wanted a nice deep gusset on this bag, so I cut out a 2.5 inch square from each of the bottom corners of the lining and bag front.

You can see the pocket on this lining piece.

I love making gussets this way! They come out beautifully every time.

The paisley fabric you see was used as the backing for the quilting. I left the wrong side out so it wouldn’t be as dark. I knew it would eventually be covered by the lining, but wanted to add some stability to the quilting.

I had so much fun making this and am so happy with how it turned out… I’ll definitely make more of these!

23 Replies to “Crumb Block Bag on a Whim”

  1. Hi, im not sure of your name so sorry I’ve not used any name to address you. your bag in beautiful and it looks very sturdy, just right for shopping ,I have some cork fabric I bought from the last quilt show i went to and was wondering what to do with it. I did think handles but wasn’t sure if it would be strong enough. I love the quilts you make they Are So Vibrant just lovely. I look forward to your next post to also see the beautiful place you live.

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    1. Kathleen. I’ve been thinking about cork for handles for a while. I’m really hoping it wears well. It’s sort of an experiment. But what have I got to lose? If it doesn’t work, I can just make new handles out of something else!

      thanks for your comments on my quilts! It’s really fun for me to share them with others and to get to “chat” with other quilters and sewers.

      Oh, and my name is Anne!

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      1. cork fabric can not be washed. i make tons of totes over the years, and all mine can be washed. I will not add any parts that can not be cleaned. Exspecially handles, just think of all the build up of germs over time.

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    1. Thank you Pam! I just love making things like this on an impulse! and with piecing the bag sides, each bag can be completely different! I don’t have to make the same thing over and over! And I love crumbs too! Thinking I might do a batik one next to get rid of some of my batik scraps.

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  3. Gorgeousness personified in a bag! Thanks for sharing your creativity. I love your blog and your colourful projects and beautiful dogs!
    Have a great day… or I guess night?
    Lindy (West Country UK)

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    1. Thanks so much! It’s really fun to get to share my stuff with people all over the planet … one of the best things about the internet!

      I saw your comment first as I had just settled in bed last night. It made me laugh!

      thanks for reading and for commenting!

      Anne

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    1. Thanks for reading my blog and for taking the time to comment! It’s so much fun to hear from people all over the world who appreciate my bold approach to color! For me, it’s ALL about the color!

      Anne (with an E!)

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    1. Ahhh! The secret of grey thread! I almost always use a light grey thread because of this exact reason. It either blends in or just disappears in the different fabrics! I use it for piecing too. Only occasionally do I venture away from light grey, and if I do it’s typically to an off white!

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    1. Thanks Donna! It’s fun to get to share my love of making these vibrant things with others who feel like I do about color! I’m thinking of making a quick tutorial for this bag so others can get creative too! Thanks for reading!
      Anne

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  7. What a lovely colorful tote, your creativity is amazing ! I enjoy your blogs, I’m like ” look what she’s done today, and look at those cute dogs !!

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  8. That turned out beautifully. Perfect choice for the lining, and I think the matchstick quilting will help firm the top edge to stop it sagging. Wavy lines are my favourite freehand quilting design, easy to do, but beautiful to look at!

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  10. Absolutely love this “scrappy” bag. And your choice of a vibrant colourful lining .. I have usually chosen rather plain colours for bag linings so will have to re-think linings. We have just gone into “lockdown” for another week (Australia) so I will certainly be making a bag or two this week. Thanks again.

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    1. Lockdown. A great reason to keep a good stash of fabric and make sure you have thread! I hope you make something fun.

      and you’re right… the lining can make the bag! Choose your lining carefully!!!

      anne

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  11. Pingback: Scrap Happy Day 15th July | Rutigt – G Adrian

    1. this bag was made from all Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics. I buy some at local quilt stores or at quilt stores when I travel. I also buy a good deal online. There are a lot of online stores that sell it.

      Anne

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