Posted on by agilejack

Of Course I’d Make a Border Collie Frankenbag!

I’ve been making two of these bags at the same time over the last few days and finally finished this first one up tonight.

It feels good to use up part of the large pile of black and white scraps that I have. But I probably still have enough to make two more bags… at least. I also have A LOT of that border collie fabric. It can be hard to find so when I see it I usually buy a couple yards.

Here’s the back of this bag. I actually like the back of the bag better with just crumb quilting, rather than including larger blocks.

I also made the handles on this bag longer so that It can go over your shoulder comfortably. It’s a good handle length… the bag just nestles right into my waist. So the handles aren’t so long that you can’t carry it by the handles.

And speaking of handles… the first four of these bags I made had cork handles. And that meant that I had used up all the cork I had. So I looked around and found some on fabric.com. Well, it came the other day and it’s really thin and feels pretty flimsy. I toyed with the idea of using some batting inside the handle to give it some body, but I just don’t feel confident that the cork will wear well at all.

So I went online to see what options I had. Leather is really expensive and I’d hate to put that kind of money into a product that I can’t see and feel first. I landed on some “vegan leather” as they call it, or faux leather. It arrived this evening and I really like it! It’s soft and flexible and it sewed up nicely. The color of the one that arrived tonight is “brown” but seems a little orange to me. I also ordered a darker brown that will arrive in a few days. I’m curious to see what that color looks like.

Here’s a look at the inside of the bag. The lining is a white and black paisley. And I LOVE a good paisley. the pocket is a fun pop of Brandon Mably’s Jumble, white with black spots.

We had a nice weekend with some really incredible weather. Saturday I took my car in for an oil change. I left the dogs at home, but took a 4.5 mile walk by myself as they worked on my car, rather than sitting in the waiting room. Then I hurried home and ate some lunch, tossed the dogs in the car and headed down to Mollala, OR, for a sheep herding lesson. Rico was, of course, amazing!

After the lesson my friend and I took the dogs for a short hike down to the creek so they could cool off. Of course, we forced them to pose for a photo.

That’s some pretty awkward posing!!! But here’s a natural poser! Bender is an excellent level poser!

This morning I took the dogs for a nice 4.5 mile walk around the neighborhood, and then a friend of mine I haven’t seen for over a year came by with her husband to pick up the bamboo I had dug out last week. She is an amazing gardener and brought me a Rose of Sharon, a primrose, and some perennial grasses from her garden. I’m so excited about the Rose of Sharon!!! Here’s a photo I took of one back in September.

Those blooms are probably at least five inches across. I’m pretty excited to have one of these in my yard.

I got all the plants she brought me planted in pots this afternoon and then did some weeding. It was an absolutely glorious day!

My friends brought me a really good ham dinner for Easter. They keep me fed on all the holidays!

After dinner I took the boys for another quick walk so we could all get our yayas out. And we saw this a couple blocks into our walk.

That’s a lot of peeps!

22 Replies to “Of Course I’d Make a Border Collie Frankenbag!”

  1. Pingback: Frankenbag Tutorial – agilejack

  2. Love the border collie fabric and the paisleys! I don’t think the boys could ever take a bad picture, they’re just too handsome. The peeps are cute but I’d be afraid of drawing tons of ants 🐜! 😳 happy Easter 🐣

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    1. Isn’t that paisley fun? I just love paisley… I have since I was a kid. I remember a dress my mom made for me that was sort of an olive green with little red paisleys on it… little white cuffs and collar. I loved it!

      You know, we are notorious for ants up here! I would imagine those peeps were covered with ants… just didn’t show in the photo. I’m always battling ants!

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    1. Thanks! I like how this black and white turned out. It’s more vibrant than I thought it would be. Thinking of black and white with a pop of color!

      Peeps. I hate them! I would be horrified if someone did this to me!

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  4. Your bag is amazing. I love how it came out. That backyard with peeps is hysterical. Someone had too much time on their hands, don’t you think!??

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      1. It is so crazy!! I was at CVS the other day, after Easter though, and some woman was buying several boxes of peeps. It got me thinking…hmmmm, is she decorating her yard!??

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  5. I have usually used fabric for the handles on my bags but I think I have some imitation leather somewhere. I think I need to do an organization of my basement so I know what I really have.
    Someone down the block from me does Halloween like your neighbor did Easter.

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    1. I was worried I wouldn’t like this imitation leather, but it’s actually quite nice. And I can imagine how much stuff you have that you’ve forgotten about! I have a hard time keeping track of stuff in my 10×12 foot sewing room!

      My neighbors went crazy this year for Halloween! This is only one of two Easter decorations I’ve seen.

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  6. The people with the peeps obviously do not have a Labrador. They would not last 2 minutes in my yard! (Ants I can handle — I would be more worried about them attracting rats.) I love your bag!!

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  9. Love all the Frankenbags you make finally found the actual tutorial. Yea thanks . I too have a border collie. He is now 13 and getting old, deaf and lots of arthritis but I too have many of the same complaints. I love the border collie fabric. Where did you find it? My dog Larry, is red Merle very unusual but a full blooded border collie . Love the blog. Joy

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    1. Oh, another border collie lover!

      I have purchased the border collie fabric several times from different places. most recently I bought a few yards from Center Diamond quilt store in Cannon Beach Oregon. You can find them on the web. They don’t have a robust web site but you cal call and describe what you’re looking for.

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  10. Your bags are beautiful! Your instructions are wonderfully clear —enough detail and photos, but not overkill. Your stitching is perfect; just look at the top stitching on those handles. You definitely have a gift.

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