Back to My Routine After the Weekend

After spending two days lambing last week I didn’t do any sewing on Saturday and Sunday. I’m not even sure I could tell you what I did on Saturday and Sunday. I think I took it easy, walked the dogs, and didn’t do much of consequence. It’s amazing how an entire weekend seems to disappear.

Oh, I just remembered what I did! I’m finishing up my huge budget at work for the upcoming fiscal year and had to spend several hours working on Saturday AND Sunday! That must be why I feel like there wasn’t a weekend. I also got my tax materials put together and shipped of to my accountant. He always saves space for me because he knows I come in under the wire every year.

Tonight I finally had some time and inclination to get into my sewing room and get a little bit done. I managed to sew all the pocket and placket pieces for my blue Aboriginal bag.

I didn’t feel like finishing the lining and getting it sewn into the bag, but still felt like I wanted to get something done. So I dug out the pile of 17 additional key fobs I prepared last week. Had already applied the fusible fleece, so started tonight with pressing these pieces in preparation of doing the top stitching.

Then I chain pieced them to add the three lines of top stitching to each piece. I use my walking foot and feed them through the machine one after the other, then turn around and feed them all through to add the top stitching along the other edge. then I do another line down the center.

I backstitch and the beginning and end of each piece so the stitching won’t unravel when the fob is done. And by the way… I’m sewing with one hand and holding my phone with the other hand. I don’t recommend sewing with one hand!

Here’s what it looks like when the chain piecing is all done.

Here’s the finished 17 fobs.

NOT SO FAST! I found two pieces that slipped by some how!!!

I’ve put these on my sewing machine and will finish these the next time I sit down to sew.

And because a couple people will ask… here’s the key fob tutorial I use.

I just realized that I made my Frankenbag tutorial a year ago March 25. It’s hard to believe I’ve had a year of making these bags.

Let’s celebrate with a ton of Frankenbag photos sent in by readers. First up is this bag from Sharon Logan. Sharon expressed her appreciation for the push to create… and I can’t tell you how happy this makes me! I love it that people are doing things they’ve never done before! And look at what she made! All that color is so good!

Next up is this bag made by D Maillard (she didn’t provide her full name). This is her first Frankenbag, but she said it’s not her last! She added all kinds of bells and whistles to her bag. I love that!

this next bag came from Linda Klysner. She made this from some left over collage pieces and other orphan blocks. I love the purple. She also took her own approach for the handles. This looks like a really well made bag.

This next bag was made by Susan Stewart. And you know I love this one!!! It’s GREEN… my favorite color! Here’s what she said about making this bag: “I was as nervous as a virgin on her wedding night when I decided this green Frankenbag needed a zipper placket closure. I followed your excellent instructional tutorial, however, and voilá! It worked!!” Hahaha! She made me laugh, and I’m glad it all worked out!

Up next is this bag from Lynne Hummel. She said she’s finally getting the hang of making zipper plackets. this is for her sister in law who loves bright colors and lives in Florida. It feels tropical. I wonder how many people have received Frankenbags as gifts over the last year. I love the little piece of orange fabric Lynne added next to her zipper. It’s a really cool design feature!

This next bag was also made by Lynne Hummel. She made this one for her sister in law who lives near the beach and loves blue. I think it will be a hit! What a great gift! I love that pink lining with the blue bag! It’s such a lovely surprise!

Next is this bag made by Tina Hadden. She’s really come up with some fun bags. She said this one really pushed her beyond her comfort zone… so much so that she’s now working on a black and white bag. Well, I LOVE this bag! All that fun and bold piecing. The colors are so good. It’s just so good in so many ways! And I especially love it because Tina is really pushing herself to do new things! How good is that???

This next bag comes from Sabine Muller Ruckriem. I love the bold and graphic black and white fabrics and the images are really interesting. She also made a matching zipper pouch, which is a great touch! It’s so cool that I keep getting photos of bags that are completely different from other bags and include so much creativity. I’m loving it!

This final bag tonight was made by Sue Everett. I just LOVE her fabric combo! That orange paisley she used is one of my most favorite Kaffe Fassett designs. And I love how she combined it with the blue Aboriginal fabrics. I just love everything about this bag!!! It’s pretty likely that my next bag will be a riff off of this one! I love that I’m getting inspiration from what others are making!

Thanks to everyone who sent photos! I hope I didn’t miss anyone.

Now I want to dig into my fabrics for my next project!