Month: January 2022

I met a friend this morning at one of our dog club’s agility training barns. We played and trained the dogs for about and hour and then chatted with the owner of the rented barn for about 30 minutes. I was talking to him about a 1984 Mercedes 450 SL he had parked there. I had posters of a 450SL on the walls of my college dorm room when I was a freshman. It was so fun to see that beautiful car. He’s going to let me take it for a drive when he gets it all fixed up!

Rico did a great job during our training session. Fun was definitely had.

The amount of fun he had is directly related to the amount of slobber on his face.

After we left the training barn we went and grabbed some takeout lunch and went back to my friend Anne’s house to eat.

And when we finished lunch we visited all of her fancy chickens. She has a LOT of chickens! Here’s some of them in her outside coop. They were all so happy to be out and were eating all kinds of plants and bugs. Their eggs will be delicious!

This is Lulu. She was an excellent poser during our photo session.

Here’s a bunch of Lulu’s girlfriends. And a couple tiny roosters thrown in for excitement. Click on the photos for a larger view.

And look at these beautiful and colorful eggs! A full dozen of them came home with me. Farm fresh eggs are so amazing!!!

Most of these chickens are pretty small and they make pretty small eggs. This egg was only about 1.5 inches tall!

I got back home right around 4:00 and I hurried and got the dogs out for a quick walk before the rain set in. Well, I hoped we’d get done before the rain set in. I had rain gear on, but Bender and Rico came home pretty wet and we only walked about 2.5 miles.

I didn’t get any sewing done today, but I did give some thought to what I’m planning to make next. I remembered the other day that I had dyed some fabric with indigo with an old friend of mine back before the pandemic started. I was thinking of using some of that indigo to make a bag. I thought it might be interesting to combine it with some indigo batiks that I bought several years ago for a different project I had in my mind and never got to.

There isn’t enough of the fabric we dyed to make something very big. But It would be a great focal fabric for a small project.

I bought these batiks back when I was still just buying 1/3 yards to build my stash. But there are a couple of pieces that are 1/2 yard so I could use one for the lining for a Frankenbag.

I’ll have to give this a little thought and sketch out some ideas. But I think I might dig in on this soon.

While I was turning my sewing room upside down looking for that dyed indigo fabric, I came across this little panel that a friend gave me a few years ago. She had picked it up on one of her travels. I’ve been holding onto it, wondering what to do with it. And now I think I might go ahead and make a bag out of it.

It measures around 18×18 so would be a good size for a bag. It’s all hand cut and hand stitched and quilted. And the colors are really vibrant. I have no idea how it would hold up to wear. I’m wondering if I should do a little more quilting on it to make it a little more stable.

All those colors are layers of different fabrics, combined with hand quilting and embroidery. It’s really cool.

And another bit of detail…

I’ll probably think on that one a little more before I start cutting.

I have some Frankenbags to share tonight. Some people have been pretty busy.

This first one is from Janet Hannah. She upcycled some old jeans into a bag and I love it! I’ve had a fascination with upcycled denim for a few years now. Check out my Pinterest board with way too many upcycled denim ideas! And here I sit, never having made one!

Next up tonight is this bag from Lesley Nammar. This is her first Frankenbag. I love her bright batiks and big blocks of bold colors. I think it’s a great first effort!

Next up: two bags made by Donna Martin. I love her fun and bold prints and all that black and white makes me happy! That little elephant on the second bag is so cute!

These next two bags were made by Wendy Shapiro and her 14-year-old daughter Laura. Laura made the first bag in these photos, and Wendy made the second one.

This was Laura’s first time piecing and quilting. She had only done a little sewing before this, so this was a big project for her. They worked on their bags together, but Laura designed and pieced the turquoise and orange one all by herself.  She designed the quilting and Wendy quilted it for her on her sit down longarm.  Then Laura assembled the bag, all except for the final combining of the bag and lining.  Wendy said the time they spent together in the studio together was the best part. 

They are both wonderful bags, but I’m so impressed with Laura’s first big project! It’s so well made and the colors and designs are so good! Congratulations to both of you!

Next up tonight is this bag made by Elfi. She said she was recently cleaning out her studio because it was making her feel suffocated, when she ran across these fabrics. So she decided to use them for a Frankenbag. It’s really a great way to use that panel, and I love the accent fabrics. Elfi also made a zipper pocket and said this was the first time she had ever done a zipper that way and was really happy with how it turned out. Oh, and she sent a photo of her dog Riley! Like us, they love their walks… but Riley isn’t a huge fan of his boots!

Thanks to everyone who sent in photos!

My computer is running out of power, so I’m outta here!

I took Rico for his weekly sheep herding lesson today and he was, as usual, a-mazing! Then I met a friend and her dogs to let the dogs have a nice run in a big field together. They had a blast!

The friend I met is the one I made the octopus bag for. I gave it to her today and she loved it! That’s always a nice bonus.

Once I got home I dug in and finished the Laurel Burch/Brandon Mably bag. All I had to do was add the zipper placket, sew the lining together and sew it to the bag body, then finish the top of the bag and the placket.

Here’s the front of the finished bag.

And the back…

And my favorite little tag…

And some photos of the placket and pockets.

I have to say… I am a complete convert to this method of doing the zipper pocket. It’s so easy and it looks really high end. And I like that lining too. I’m glad I remembered I had it in my stash.

And now it’s only 7:30 pm. What am I going to do the rest of the night? Thinking of starting on another set of panels for a new Frankenbag. Might just dig into my scraps and see what appeals to me.

After a nice field run and another three-mile walk before dinner, Bender is not convinced that it’s time to wind down on his Saturday,

Ok… going scrap diving!

It’s finally Friday night. I’m completely exhausted after a really busy week. So, here’s a really quick post tonight.

I didn’t get as much done on this bag as I had wanted, but I was just too tired to do more.

I got the lining cut and fused and made the slip and zipper pockets. I also got the zipper placket made. I am not going to forget to add the zipper plackets to the lining before I sew it together! I’m NOT!

I also got the handles made and the bag body sewn together.

And the other side…

I have a sheep herding lesson with Rico tomorrow. It’s supposed to be a gorgeous day, and then we get rain on Sunday. I’ll probably take the boys for a nice run in a large park with a creek while we’re up in Vancouver tomorrow.

On Sunday I’m going to visit friend and see her baby chicks. I’ll pick up some of eggs, and we’ll get some take out for dinner.

that’s it for tonight. Here’s to a restful and interesting weekend!

Last night I was thinking I would go with animals for my next project. But these are not the animals I had in mind.

Here’s what I’m calling the front.

I just love that Lurel Burch dog print fabric.

And this is the back..

I actually found the fabric I was thinking about using, but I didn’t love it. So I decided to go with this instead.

I got two panels made, sandwiched, and quilted.

Here’s the other side.

I was so tired after work tonight. What a week! But I wanted to go with my enthusiasm to make something.

I just love seeing these pieces as I’m working on them.

I’m thinking I’ll use this colorful fabric for the lining. I’ll take a closer look tomorrow when i’m fresher and have some good light.

I bought that piece of fabric a good number of years ago and had no plan for it. So I think this is as good a project as any. I think I have at least a yard of it.

Here’s both panels quilted and ready to be assembled. I think I’ll include a zipper placket and two pockets on the interior.

Short post tonight. It’s all I can do to keep my eyes open!

I’ll finish up this bag tomorrow after work. I’m going to force myself to put the zipper placket in the bag when the lining is at the right stage.

A four hour meeting I had today turned into a three hour meeting so I took advantage of that break in my crazy day to hop in the car and make the quick trip to pick up my sewing machine. I’m so glad to have her home.

After work I had a zoom presentation by a local sheep dog trial handler who competes on the national level. It was interesting to hear how he thinks about his dogs, sheep, and trialing.

Then we ran out for a brisk but fantastic three mile walk. And when we got home I dug in on my Octopus Frankenbag. And I got it all done!

I have to say, I wasn’t crazy about these panels once I got them done. They felt really chaotic and I thought the Octopus fabric just disappeared amidst all those crumb pieces. But now that it’s sewn into a bag, I think the chaos has subsided and the Octopus is the star! I’m thinking it’s because most of the crumb pieces disappear into the side and bottom of the bag.

Here’s the other side of the bag.

It’s a little more chaotic that the front of the bag, but I like that it helps make the front more obvious.

I used Brandon Mably’s jumble in turquoise for the lining and used his Onion Rings for the pockets and zipper placket.

I’m just loving making those zipper pockets! I need to make a few more before I get the hang of getting the finishing just right, but I’ll get there. They are so easy and quick to make. I’m wondering why I was so intimidated by the thought of making them.

Here’s the tutorial I used to learn how to make these pockets. So easy!!!

And once again I forgot to sew the zipper plackets onto the lining before I sewed the lining together. This makes it a lot more cumbersome and difficult to get it sewn in. But I did get it put in nicely with some work. And at least I didn’t wait until the bag was done to realize I’d forgotten the plackets!

Facebook fed me the memory below earlier today. It’s from four years ago when I was excited that I had a drawer full of Kaffe Fassett Collective Fabrics.

My Kaffe stash now exceeds what that large chest of drawers will hold! The drawer in the photo now holds just my red KFC fabrics!

And now I have to decide what I’m going to make next. I’m thinking something that involves an animal of some kind.

I got a call today from my Bernina dealer and they have finished the servicing on my baby! I will pick her up on Friday afternoon… the first day when I have a schedule that will allow me to hop in the car and take the short drive down there.

The really good news is that the noise that I had been hearing was a belt that had slipped and was rubbing on the case of the machine. He adjusted it and it’s all good to go. I was afraid I might have damaged the motor so this was really good news.

So, in preparation of having her back in the house on Friday, I spent some time in my sewing room after our evening walk tonight. I prepared all the elements I need to finish the Octopus Frankenbag that I started a few weeks ago.

I cut the gusset squares out of the bottom of the quilted panels. (I should really figure out something to do with all those little quilted squares I cut out…)

I folded and clipped the faux leather handles so they are ready to be sewn. I cut and applied the interfacing to the lining pieces. I cut and applied interfacing to the two zipper placket pieces. I cut and applied interfacing to the slip pocket.

And I cut, applied interfacing, marked and pinned in place the zipper pocket placket.

When I have my machine back on Friday, I’ll be all ready to get sewing! I might even finish this bag on Friday night. I would consider that a fine accomplishment.

We’ve had some really amazing sunny days the last week, but a few of the evenings have been foggy and cold. It was so foggy during our walk last night.

I really love walking at night in the fog. The sound is so different. I love the way the street lights light up the fog. And I really enjoy walking in the cold — I feel really invigorated and full of energy. Some of my best walking happens in the cold fog.

The fog last night was so thick and there was so much moisture in the air that my hair was wet from my breath by the time I got home. Bender and Rico’s faces and necks were also wet. By the time I got home the fog has almost completely cleared. For out walk tonight, it was clear and stars were shining bright. I just love being out there at night!

One of the best things about our walks is that we all sleep really well at night!

Thanks to everyone for your concern and best wishes for Bender. He’s doing really well. I’m pretty sure he’s completely unaware that anything has happened. I wish I could recover that quickly.

I called his neurologist on Monday and had a chance to actually speak to her after work tonight. I had been worried that some new flea and tick treatment that I gave my dogs starting a few months ago may have caused Bender’s seizure. (We had a terrible flea infestation early last fall after the treatment my boys were on stopped working — fleas can develop immunity to the treatments.)

The neuro said it was unlikely that was the case and that any reaction to the meds would have been more immediate. She said the treatment I have him on is one of the safest for epileptic dogs. Many flea treatments are terrible for dogs with epilepsy. Ultimately, she said it was probably a complete coincidence that he had another seizure. She said we’ll just keep an eye on him and hope he doesn’t have any more seizures. If he does have another one, she said to get in touch and we would adjust his meds.

One of the really difficult things about epilepsy is that it’s so random. Our minds want answers. We want to know WHY something is happening. And the sad truth with epilepsy is that there just aren’t a lot of answers. Bender’s first neurologist, who I LOVED, noticed that I was trying to find a pattern with Bender’s seizures. He told me that I was going to drive myself nuts and would never be successful. It’s important to learn to live with a lot of unknowns when dealing with seizures.

Aside from the phone call telling me my Bernina is ready to come home, finding this in my pantry was the best thing that happened all day!

Mmmmm.

More Frankenbags coming in over the inter webs!!! These first two bags were made by Sandee Henricks. I just love all her close quilting and the combo of straight lines, diagonals, and wavy lines. That tight quilting ads that wonderful structure that I love. She has three other Frankenbags in progress! Her daughter thinks she’s going a little overboard. What do you think?

This next bag was made by Sharon Hancock. She said she loved taking the time to carefully add some of her own features, which I love! I love her shorter handles with that long adjustable shoulder strap. I’ve been wanting to try one of those and I’m pretty sure I have the hardware somewhere.

Next up are two bags made by Celia Garcia. I just love these bright and colorful Laurel Burch cat panels. That reminds me that I have some of her dog panels somewhere in my stash. I need to dig them out and see how I can work them into a bag. She added a zipper placket, and she ads a binding to the top of her bags.

Here’s the second bag from Celia. She made this as a diaper bag for her daughter-in-law and grandson. She made it a little smaller than a regular Frankenbag. In the lining you can see some potato fabric. Celia said they call her new grandson Papas –which translates to potatoes(lovingly). That’s just so sweet! And I love that little nod to that loving name.

Thanks to everyone for sending photos.

I don’t talk about this a lot publicly, but Bender is epileptic. He had his first seizure six years ago this month, just shy of his third birthday. After nearly a year of seizures, around 22 in all, a significant boost to one of his medications did the trick. On Saturday we were all set to celebrate five years of being seizure-free.

He had a seizure Saturday morning before breakfast.

Bender is fine. He bounces back really quickly. To look at him yesterday afternoon and today you’d never know that anything had happened.

I am, however, not doing as well. I’ve known all throughout these five years of no seizures that he would likely have more seizures at some point in his life. So I wasn’t surprised to see it happen, but I’ve been feeling pretty anxious and very disappointed this weekend.

There’s really nothing to do about it now. No need for a visit to his neurologist unless he has more seizures. So I’ll keep hoping that we’re on our way to another five year streak and I’ll start counting the days, week, months and, fingers crossed, years again.

Last week I ordered a couple pieces of Kaffe’s shot cottons to use for the colorful wall hanging I want to make for my sewing room. They arrived a few days ago and I was right about which one I thought would work.

This is the teal that I was thinking would be best… if the color was true to what the photo online showed. To me it’s more of an indigo than teal. But the name doesn’t matter as long as the color is what I want.

Good news… the color is exactly what I wanted. This photo shows it a little lighter than it is in person, but I like this photo because it shows the color variation in the weave. One feature of the shot cottons is that the warp and weft are different colors. This makes the fabric color very deep and gorgeous!

I tossed some brassica scraps on top of this fabric to see how they look and I they look amazing!

The color in this second photo is more true. This is going to be a really fun project! Now I just have to figure out how big I’m going to make it.

Back in December @bksblingandbags on Instagram tagged me in the photo of a Frankenbag she made using a really fun cow panel.

I liked that bag so much that I found the Timna Tarr menagerie panels online and bought two of them… nine different images on each panel… because that’s what I do. If nine different images is good, imagine how good 18 images is!!!

Each section of the panel is approximately 10×10 inches. Here’s an image of the full nine-block panel.

One of those pig images will be made into a bag for me!

It’s getting close to two weeks without my Bernina. And another weekend has passed without me firing up my old Singer. But that’s ok.

After Bender’s seizure yesterday, I really felt like I needed some human contact today, so I messaged a friend of mine that owns a 10 acre property out west of Portland. I haven’t seen her for a few months and I asked her if she was up for a visit. So I drove the boys out there and we hung out in the glorious sunshine and warm temps for nearly two hours… just watching the dogs play and having some rare conversation with her and her husband.

She has three Labrador retrievers and they got along wonderfully with my boys.

Good grief… what a gorgeous day.

Please keep Bender in your thoughts as we hope for more years of no seizures. He’s a good kid. It’s such a terrible disease and so awful to watch.

The good thing about being without my Bernina right now is that work has been really hectic, so I’m perfectly happy to just rest and recharge in the evenings. I was on zoom calls today from 9 am until 4:30, with no break. Tomorrow is a little better.

I took my sewing machine in for a servicing on January 11. That means I’ll be without her for another week or two. I’m actually feeling a little enthusiasm for creating coming back to me. I think I might be ready to get moving again once I have her back at home.

I ran across a wall hanging on Instagram a few days ago that has my creative juices flowing. It’s similar to this sea glass wall hanging I made last summer. I’m thinking I’d like to make one to hang in my sewing room.

It’s the same concept, but a different color approach. Here’s a snippet of the one made by @hasmeinstitches on instagram.

I thought it would be cool to use some Kaffe Fassett shot cotton for the background, so I ordered a couple of pieces so I would have some color options.

I’m thinking the darker one will give me the effect I want, but I didn’t want to have it arrive and have it be totally wrong and not have options. So two different pieces are on their way to me.

I’m thinking I’ll cut the colorful pieces from various color ways of the brassica fabrics I have left over from making greeting cards.

The variety of colors will give me lots of options for arranging the colors on the background.

I’m not sure if I’ll make this a rectangle or a square. Thinking I might go with a square this time. I’ll have to look at my walls and see where it will fit the best and then make it accordingly.

That’s really the extent of my creative work since I’ve been without my machine. I didn’t get anywhere near firing up my old Singer on the weekend. I actually had opportunities to hang out with friends instead so went that direction instead. And it was a good decision.

I finished my bird jigsaw puzzle after our walk tonight.

I really enjoyed putting this together. It’s been a lot of years since I have done jigsaw puzzles. It’s been fun to have this on my kitchen table and spend a little time on it each evening. And it’s been a really good ten minute break from work a couple times during the day. It’s so hard to sit at my desk all day without a break.

I enjoyed it so much that I went online to buy another puzzle this evening and I ended up buying four more!

I had to buy the bottom one with the leaves because it looks like a Philip Jacobs fabric design! It might be a hard puzzle to put together, but I think I’ll enjoy it.

And now I’ll have enough puzzles that I’ll be able to trade with friends. I do have a few friends who are avid jig saw puzzlers so I think I’ll be set for puzzles for a while. Or at least until my interest in them fades.

Looking at these puzzles, you might get the idea that I like color!

I had planned on taking the boys for a nice trail walk on Sunday but decided to go on Monday instead. I had a couple things going on Sunday and didn’t want to feel rushed. It was a fantastic walk. It wasn’t too terribly cold but it was quite foggy. The fog made it feel a little eerie, which was accentuated by the fact that the we didn’t see very many other people out there. I like being in the woods alone and feel safe with my boys. But it did feel different than it does when the weather is clear.

We walked a total of six miles. At about the 2.5 mile mark there is a side trail where I let the boys run off leash. We walk in a half mile and then back to the main trail the way we came in. The trail gets steep at the turn around point and when it’s wet out the trail is muddy and slick. So we turn around before it gets too steep. And six miles is a good walk.

The boys love the part of the walk where they get to run free. In that mile of walking, I’m pretty sure they run at least three miles. And it’s all with pure joy.

With my schedule of meetings today, my poor dogs were bored out of their minds. Rico handles it pretty well — he just goes to sleep. Bender doesn’t handle it as well. So when I used the last of my peanut butter for my sad little lunch, I gave Bender the jar to lick out.

I think it kept him occupied for about 90 minutes! I finally took it away from him when he started chewing on the plastic.

I have a quilt guild zoom meeting tomorrow night. I think I’ll get all the pieces for my octopus franken bag cut and prepped so I can start right in with sewing it when I get my machine back.

I got quite a few Frankenbag photos sent to me in the last few days. This first one is from Paula Florence. She really went all out with this one and included a divided slip pocket, a zipper pocket, some embroidery on the inside, and a zipper placket. I love her fabric choices… love that dark turquoise paired with the purples. It feels very rich and noir. Paula said the zipper pocket was easier than she thought it would be. So if you’re thinking about making one, be like Paula and dive in!

This next bag was made by Judith Tompkins. This is the third Frankenbag Judith has made. It’s for her daughter who is a teacher and likes to use it for taking her school supplies to work. Judith said she likes the Frankenbags because they are a good respite from the time commitment required to make a quilt. And they have provided her with the freedom to let her creative juices flow. Plus, making them has helped keep herself occupied during the looooong pandemic. That’s the same things I like about making them!

I just love her really fun bright and graphic fabric combined with the bold black and whites. It’s such a perfect bag for a teacher!

The next bag tonight was sent to me by Ute Drury who lives in Germany. I love her bold colors and really fun black and white pops! She’s also added a zipper pocket and a zipper placket. I just love that I’m seeing more and more zipper plackets. If you’re going to get over your fear or zippers, you just have to do more zippers!

She also made this little cross body bag… it’s basically a mini Frankenbag! I love how she switched it up and made it her own!

Next up is this bag from Sharon Hancock. This is her third Frankenbag and she used blocks that were made for her by her old quilting group. She cut them up, stitched them back together, added some lace and buttons to come up with this fun bag. She’s include all kinds of pockets and a zipper placket (not from my tutorial). She added D rings on the sides of the bag so she can add an adjustable shoulder strap later. I love that she added her own features and included elements from others patterns and designs. That makes it even better!

The final bags tonight are from Lynne Hummel. I just love the large print she used on this first bag. It’s such a great use for those big blooms! She also included a zipper pocket and a slip pocket on the inside.

Lynne also made this Frankenbag. She used a small piece of Philip Jacobs Carp and Petals fabric in he centers. It’s such a great fabric. I have a modest piece of it in my stash and I wish I had many more yards of it. I would love to make a shower curtain from it. I really like Lynne’s quilting on this bag and the turquoise accents are so good with that carp fabric. And of course, the black and white lining with pops of turquoise make me happy!

Thanks to everyone who sent photos.

I am now five days without my Bernina. So far I have found ways to pass my time. I ordered a jigsaw puzzle online and it arrived a few days ago. It’s really pretty and I like that I can finish little pieces of it and move onto the next section.

I’m already moving along on it. But I’m setting a 30 minute timer and only allowing myself to work on it in short stints.

I’m using the muffin tin to sort the pieces by color. That way I don’t have to have all those loose pieces all over the table.

There are a lot of my blog readers who see each post via email. The emails are automatically generated and sent every time I make a new blog post. If you are receiving this by email, be sure to go to my blog and look around. You can scroll through all my posts, going back a few years. You can search for projects and tutorials. You can read all the comments and my responses on each post. I typically respond to every comment.

Here’s the link to my blog for your convenience: www.agilegack1.com

If you’re new to my blog, I have a few tutorials on my blog that you may be interested in:

1. Frankenbag Tutorial
2. Frankenbag Panel Tutorial
3. Frankenbag Zipper Placket Tutorial
4. Knitting Project Bag Tutorial
5. Zipper Pouch Tutorial
6. Feed Bag Tutorial

Here’s a picture of each of these projects for reference. Click on each photo for a larger view.

We’ve been having some really nice weather the last few days. It’s so nice to have these days in our typically dreary and wet winters. The sun was out today in Portland. On the way to our sheep herding lesson this morning, the jet trails in the sky were really crazy.

I’ve never seen jet trails like that. I’m so curious as to why the planes were flying like that. I could see them from my house in SW Portland all the way to Vancouver, WA.

After our sheep herding lesson I took the boys for a four mile walk around the Washington State University Campus in Vancouver. They got a couple of field runs while we were walking. It was so good for all of us to get outside in the fresh air and move our bodies.

I also cleaned out the drawers of my coffee table. I opened one this afternoon and it was so crammed full of crap the it got stuck. Now they are all organized and actually have plenty of space for more stuff.

We took another walk, about two miles, before it got dark. I noticed how light it is now at 5:00 pm. A month ago it was almost totally dark by 4:00 in the afternoon.

It makes me so happy to notice the sun coming back in the evenings!

And look. My daffodils are up!!!

Tomorrow I’m going to take the boys for a nice long trail walk in the morning, will meet some friends for some dog agility training in the afternoon, and then I have a dog club meeting in the evening. It will be a busy day.

I have Monday off for the Martin Luther King holiday and my plan is to hang out at home and fire up my old Singer sewing machine and see how she does.

I have to share with you my new favorite lunch. It’s crackers with raspberry jalapeno jelly and some crumbled gorgonzola on top.

My boys are very interested in that lunch! Rico could even smell it in the air! You should give it a try!

I’ve received photos of quite a few Frankenbags this week. So here we go. This first one was made by Dana Ligon. I love her bright colors and that Sharks teeth fabric is so fun! I have a few yards of that I bought recently. I need to pull it out and start cutting.

This next bag was made by Pat Krinock. The bright rainbow colors are really fun and cheerful and I love how she included the flying geese. That zebra fabric for the lining is so good too! Really fun! Pat said she hasn’t been quilting long and thought this bag was an easy make. That’s so great to hear.

This next bag came to me from Sandee Henricks. I love her fabrics and her narrow quilting all over the bag! That’s such a great effect, and it makes me want to do it even thought it will take forever. And that lining she used is one of my favorite Kaffe designs! It’s a lovely bold lining, which I love! this is her very first Frankenbag and she’s planning one with a bee theme for her sister.

Next up is the bag made by Susan Stewart. she added some padded pockets for phone and Kindle, and she used one single handle attached at the side seams of the bag. I’ve wanted to try this handle alteration. I’ll have to give it some thought. I love the gray spot fabric with these bright colors. And look… more geese!

This last bag tonight was made by Betty Sims. She made it from some of her left over holiday fabrics. It looks like she’s added some of her own customizations. She’s added the handles to the exterior, and it looks like she added a zipper to the top of the bag, rather than adding a placket. I love it when people add their own features!

Thanks to all of you for sending in photos. Oh, and it’s important for you to know that if you attach photos to a reply to one of my emails, I won’t get those photos. So if you want to send photos, email them to me at anne@agilejack1.com.

Don’t forget to be like Rico and get a good stretch every now and again!

I finished up the panels for the octopus bag last night. I like how they turned out, but I don’t love them.

For now, this is the front.

And this is the back.

I’m anticipating I will love them more once I see them sewn into bag form. That is usually quite a transformation for me.

This next picture shows the turquoise jumble that I’ll use for the lining.

I really like the cool feeling this turquoise brings to these panels. I had originally thought I’d line this bag with purple, but I really like the turquoise idea better.

Here’s some close ups of the quilting, just because it makes me happy. Click on each photo to see it larger.

I was just finishing up the quilting on the second panel last night when my sewing machine started making a funny noise. I decided to not risk doing any major damage and stopped sewing. So the panels are done, but the outer bag still needs to be constructed, then I’ll need to make the lining and pockets, make the zipper placket, and put it all together.

I will take my machine in for servicing later this week when I have a lighter afternoon. So I’ll be without my machine for 10 days or so. I’ve been giving a little bit of thought to what I can do while I’m not able to sew. It will be a good opportunity to get organized to finish some projects.

The first thing I want to do do it get my blocks for the Sunburst quarter log cabin quilt up on the design wall, get the setting triangles cut, and bundle it all up in labeled rows so I’ll be ready to sew it all together when I get my machine back.

This will be a large quilt. It is to be used on my brother and sister-in-laws bed. So it will take some time to put together.

I’m thinking I’ll also spend some time working on the strip tube sets I’ve made for my scrappy Aboriginal trip quilt.

I have four strip tube sets that are all sewn and haven’t been cut. So I will get those cut into strips, slice each tube, and then get them all pinned for sewing. I also have five or so strips sets already cut that need to be sliced and then sewn into blocks. So more pinning. Once I have my machine back I’ll be ready to just sew, sew and sew!

I’m also thinking I might do a little painting. I have a horizontal canvas that I want to paint for the bulkhead in my kitchen. I have an idea for the design, just need to take some time to do it. it’s been a long time since I did any painting and it sounds like a nice diversion. My plan is to do something like this…but in an extreme horizontal format.

I’m also thinking I might actually fire up the old Singer machine that I bought at an estate sale several years ago and have never taken a stitch with. It’s a beautiful machine and I got a screaming good deal on it. It came with the cabinet and a bench that are in beautiful condition. It had just been refurbished when I bought it.

It’s really a lovely little machine. I don’t know whey I’ve never actually fired it up. I just like looking at it. Look how pretty this is.

It came with all the original attachments and manual.

It will be fun to dig in and get some projects organized and ready to finish.

I received some Frankenbag photos to share with you today. This bag was made by K.B. Barden. I love the greens and turquoises in this bag! It feels so cool and fresh. KB intentionally left the lining showing at the top of the bag… it sort of serves as a binding. She also used aquarium tubing to add stability to her handles. I just love it when people add their own features to a Frankenbag.

A few more days of work this week, and then we get a long weekend for the MLK holiday. I know I will appreciate the day off. I’m hoping for good weather to get the boys out on a trail somewhere. We all need it.