After breakfast today I took the boys for a 4.5 mile walk while it was still dry. It was nice and cool and we had a great walk.
When I got home, I dug in and started making the panels for this purple bag. Then I got it quilted and constructed. I almost stopped before I got the lining done, but decided to keep going and finish it. I think this is bag number 23. I miscounted when I said I had made #20 a couple weeks ago.
I still need to put the tag on. I’ll sew that on tomorrow and take some better photos outside.
Here’s the other side of the bag.
I lined it with the green and purple jumble and made a purple spot pocket.
The colors in these fabrics are so amazing. While I was quilting this I got a view of the green strata under the lights of the machine and the colors were so vibrant and exciting!
And look how cool that stripe looks with the match stick quilting! GAH! I love this!!!
I received more photos from people who have made Frankenbags.
Here’s a cute little one from Amy Buehler who made this bag smaller than in my tutorial. It’s for her three-year-old grand daughter who will be visiting with her soon. She’s planning on having a different surprise waiting for the toddler each morning.
Here’s another one from Michele Pintark. I love these bright yet soft colored prints combined with that fun black and white fabric. I really want some of that fabric. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. This bag just looks like spring time… or rainbow sherbet.
Michelle made long cork handles and added a zipper pocket and snap closure. And I just love that fabric she used for the lining.
Here’s a bag from Jodi Smith. I just love her fabrics! Bright, saturated, bold. Really pretty. And I love Jodi’s diagonal quilting on this bag. That’s something I’m going to need to try soon!
And those pops of pink here and there are just lovely!
Here’s one more bag from Betty. And I’m sorry I didn’t get Betty’s last name. It’s a really fun and whimsical bag. I love the great big bloom and you know the black and white fabrics make me happy.
It looks like Betty added a zipper at the top of the bag along with a zipper pocket on the inside. This will be a really pretty and functional bag.
Thanks to Betty, Jodi, Michele and Amy for sending photos of your bags!
As we were walking this morning I realized that I the shirt I was wearing has been with me for over 20 years!
What an odd thing to think about.
And an added bonus during our walk was this guy.
He was about 6 inches long, not including his tail, and was just sitting there next to a mail box. Odd behavior for a rat. I’d be just as happy if we didn’t have these nasty little things.
On Saturday at our sheep herding lesson Rico worked these girls in a little pen. We were working on moving the sheep around tight quarters. It’s so different than working in a big field.
I think his brain hurt by the time our lesson was over. He didn’t exert a lot of physical effort, but he exerted a lot of mental effort!
And these raggedy looking sheep? They’re hair sheep. They lose their fleece every year so they don’t need to be sheared. But they look pretty rough while it’s happening!
After our lesson I stopped by a local quilt store that has a pretty good selection of Kaffe, Brandon and Philip Jacobs fabrics. They don’t carry much in the way of the newest fabrics, but you can sometimes find prints that aren’t available anywhere else.
So I bought a bunch of mostly older Philip Jacobs prints.
They’re all so pretty together. I might have to come up with an idea for a quilt using a lot of these. And I love some of the lighter shades here.
Phew. I feel so much better now that I have more fabric in my stash!
agilejack 
You are a master at combining colors and patterns. So inspiring. Thank you.
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Thanks! That’s really my favorite part of each project… putting colors and patterns together. I love it when the first few pieces come together!
Anne
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I love your work!!❤️ Do you sell your bags or are you making one for each day of the Month. You must have a fabulous quilting studio!!!
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I do sell them. I’ve sold about half of the Frankenbags I’ve made. I do have a pretty good collection hanging on a coat tree in my office!
My “quilting studio” is a small guest bedroom. It’s not nearly as large as I’d like it to be! I’m using every square inch of space I have. Next time I get it all cleaned and organized I’ll post some photos.
Anne
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Isn’t it funny what buying even a few fat quarters can do to make us feel good?
I absolutely love your newest bag in the purples/greens – my faves. Thanks for showing us the bags your fans have made. It’s so interesting to me to see the interesting fabric/ color combos people put together.
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I love these purples and greens. It’s so fun to put the fabrics together. I’ve been looking at the purple coleus for some time now thinking I wanted to use it as a base for a bag. And these pictures really don’t do this all justice. I’m hoping I’ll get some better photos outside today.
Anne
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Love, love, love that purple bag! Did you do the matchstick quilting by machine? It looks amazing with these fabrics!
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I do all the quilting on these bags using my walking foot on my Bernina domestic machine. I put about two inches of matchstick quilting at the top of every bag. It helps hide the topstitching and stitching if I put a zipper panel in. It also helps make the top of the bags sturdier and more constructed to hold up to the job it has to do. Plus, I love the look of it.
Anne
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Cool! I’ve got a domestic Bernina as welll. Almost 30 years old and a definite workhorse. I’ll have to explore some of the stitches I never use! 😊
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I just love your quilting stitches! What machines do thread do you use?
Another beautiful bag!
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I’m doing all the quilting on these bags using my walking foot on my Bernina domestic machine. And the thread is just Gutterman cotton/poly. I love sewing with Aurofil, but it tends to curl on my machine and it’s a pain to deal with when starting and stopping. The Gutterman doesn’t curl.
I love the quality of stitches on my Bernina.
Anne
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How long does it take you to walk 4.5 miles?
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Hmmm. It takes me around 17.5 minutes to do a mile. So 4.5 miles would take a little less than an hour and 20 minutes… depending on how often I have to stop to pick up after the dogs, and whether or not we chat with anyone.
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Rico and his “broken” ear is my favorite! Could you share the name of your local quilt store? I’ll be in Portland visiting my son and family this summer and I always insist on a trek for fabric. They really really don’t love it, but I do. THanks!
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The store is called Country Manor and is in Battle Ground, WA. It’s a real experience… not your normal quilt store. Fabric is crammed everywhere and there are bolts of fabric all over the floor. But she has a good selection of Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics. Be prepared to hear some opinions if you go. It’s not the place to go if you’re looking for quilting inspiration. It’s a bit overwhelming and chaotic.
If you’re looking for a prettier, more inspirational experience, take the time to drive up I-5 to Chehalis, WA (it’s about 90 miles), and visit Sisters Quilt shop. They have a really good variety of KFC fabrics and they have a lot of lovely batiks as well. A lot of other stuff too. There is more inspiration at this place. Probably won’t hear any opinions here either.
And Rico’s ear? I just love it! It’s not broken. He could just never get it to go up like the other one!
Anne
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This might be my favorite bag so far. I just love the colors. How fun to have a shop that carries some of the older Kaffe prints nearby. There’s a few I wish they would reissue.
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OMG! There are so many old ones I wish they would bring back. I do feel lucky that I can locate some every now and again, but there are some I know I’ll never have… and that makes me sad.
Anne
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My first tote. It was a learning process. You are an inspiration!
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Thanks! I’m having a lot of fun with all these bags!
Anne
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I love your bags. They are awesome. Where do you get the faux leather for straps? Thanks.
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There’s a link for this at the very bottom of my Frankenbag tutorial. Scroll all the way down: https://agilejack1.com/2021/03/25/frankenbag-tutorial/
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