Posted on by agilejack

I Would Like Another Sunday, Please

Today went by really fast. I was busy all day but don’t feel like I was terribly productive. I really wish weekends had two Sundays.

I didn’t want to sleep the day away today so I was in bed around midnight last night. That’s early for me! So I was up at about 8:30 this morning and just as I was getting ready to get into the shower my brother called. We talked for about a half hour and then I started my day.

After breakfast the boys and I headed out for a three mile walk. It was such a gorgeous day… a gorgeous weekend! I’ve been keeping an eye on a white peony along our route that has been opening over the last two days. And this morning it was fully open!

Isn’t that incredible! And I’m excited because the dogwood trees are just starting to bloom. They are one of the last trees to bloom each spring and I just love them.

When we got home from out walk I dug in and started working on my house. I went through a pile of mail that has been sitting for way too long. I recycled a lot, shredded a lot, and it feels really good to have that pile gone!

I also did a couple loads of laundry and started working on my kitchen. I straightened all the counter tops… put stuff away, threw some stuff away. Then I moved to cleaning the top of the fridge, which led to pulling the fridge out, which led to cleaning behind and under the fridge. And while I had the vacuum out I vacuumed the walls throughout my house to remove cobwebs. Have I told you that we have a lot of spiders in Oregon? That was a big job and it feels good to have it done.

After a dinner of the soup I made yesterday I took Bender and Rico four our evening walk. Another bit of time spent in some gorgeous weather.

I ended my productive day with a couple hours in my sewing room. I got the two orange and blue panels sandwiched and quilted and constructed the bag body.

I pulled out the piece of tangerine paisley jungle I have and it’s not big enough to make the lining on this bag so I looked at some options.

To me, the choice is clear.

Ooh! I love that! And here’s what it will look like with a nice blue pocket.

While I was quilting these panels I thought I’d test the new gooseneck phone/camera holder and record a quick video. So, here’s a look at how I do the straight line quilting on my bag panels.

I do about 2 inches of matchstick quilting at the top of the bag and then the rest of the bag has horizontal lines spaced about 1/2 inch apart. My stitch length is set at 2.5 and I use my walking foot. I’ve got this down to a pretty efficient method.

And you know I love the close ups of the quilting! This one actually shows me using that seam line to make sure my horizontal lines are staying as straight as possible. I use those occasional broad horizontal seams to adjust my line of stitching so it’s not off terribly by the time I get to the bottom of the panel.

OMG! Look at the details on those fabrics!!!

Good grief! So gorgeous!

I have a few Frankenbags sent in by my blog readers to share with you tonight. First up is this one from Paulette Aldrich. I just love this one! I love the KFC fabrics she combined with the octopus fabrics… they really pull the color out of the octopus fabric! It feels so vibrant. She said she’s been saving this fabric to make a bag, and I think she made a good one. Look at her handle detail! I bought some of that hardware to give that a try. It’s a cool look!

Next up is this bag made by Joyce Treizenberg. I love her Bargello style piecing. And the colors are great! That pop of rust is so good! It’s all complete with a zipper placket and zipper pocket.

This next bag is from @sewingbyadane on Instagram. I just love all that orange!!! And I love how the two sides are different, but related. She’s also done all the pockets and zippers!

Next up are two bags made by Lori Taylor. That Dr. Seuss one is so adorable. I just love the balloons on the zipper placket. That’s such a cute collection of fabric. And zipper plackets everywhere!

Poor Rico is not happy with his crate being removed from my bedroom. He would go into that crate and sleep early every night as I was winding down watching TV and writing my blog posts. He’s taken to sleeping behind the sofa under the console table.

He just got up and headed down the hallway as I posted that photo. And then he came right back and laid down in the corner of the living room. Poor guy. I hope he adjusts. I really like not having that huge crate in the bedroom!

18 Replies to “I Would Like Another Sunday, Please”

  1. Lovely blog. Gorgeous stitching as usual. Love the use of matchstick quilting to add detail. Also I have dog wood blossom envy. What a spectacular bloom
    Have a lovely week
    Alison

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    1. The dogwoods are one of my favorites. I had a tree in my yard but it died a few years ago. It never did well.

      I love the matchstick quilting too! It’s a nice tough on these bags!

      Anne

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  2. Thank you for sharing the short video. Nice to hear your voice and, as always, you generously give us instruction so we can be more efficient and make interesting and useful bags. One of my recent bags now belongs to a friend. She tells me that there is so much interest when she carries the bag. One lady did not believe that it was put together on a home sewing machine! Love that! Reading your recent blogs inspires me to tackle my closet! 😉 Oh boy!

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    1. What a wonderful story about the bag you made for your friend! I’ll need to carry one with me the next time I go fabric shopping and see if it gets any notice! I’m sort of amazed every time I finish one. “Look what I have made!!!”

      aNNE

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  3. That flower is so luscious. Wouldn’t that make great KFC fabric! Great turorial! Your match stick quilting is so precise. Another great bag fabric combo. Any quilts in the works? Or probably not til after company is gone. Poor Rico. He looks so confused. Fingers crossed is adjusts quickly.

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    1. I love my match stick quilting! And my method of making 1/2 inch spaces and then filling them in has been a game changer for me!

      I’m getting a new queen bed delivered later this week. I’ve been waiting to finish a couple of quilts so I can fit them to my new bed. So I will need to finish up a couple so I have options for my new bed.
      Anne

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  5. Fabulous post as ever and great to have the video, thank you.
    So jealous you have logwood, Anne! I’ve just started learning eco dyeing and log wood bark is perfect for it but sadly it’s not native to the uk..
    Rico is one clever doggo finding his alternative crate!

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    1. I never saw dogwoods until I moved to Portland in 2010. And I just love them! They are the prettiest color of salmon when in full bloom. And their blooms are hardy so they last a good long time.

      i wish I could send you some bark!

      Anne

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  6. Helloi was admiring your scrappy post on here I’m soooo struggling with that why is it so hard to grasp crumb quilting I’m cutting pieces of fabric as I go along any tips or help appreciated thank you so much

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    1. In crumb piecing I start with some various width and length strips and smaller pieces of fabric. There are a ton of tutorials on YouTube on how to do crumb piecing. Just go to http://www.youtube.com and search for “crumb quilting” or “crumb piecing” and you’ll get lots of videos to show you how to do it. Everyone goes about it a little different. that’s how I learned to do it!

      Good luck!

      Anne

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  7. Beautiful peony 💕 Thank you for the video! You make it look easy! I was trying to see your tattoo as your arm stretched out – I am guessing it is all healed up and looking good! Wow! Those bags are fabulous! You have inspired and unleashed so much talent🤗
    Our dog doesn’t like change either – eventually they find their way!

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    1. My tattoo is looking really good! I had few horribly itchy days last week and then all the skin peeled off! I’ve been keeping it clean and moisturized… according to instructions!

      I’m quilted a lot of these bags! I’m glad I’m able to make it look easy!

      Anne

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  9. This post was an eye opener for me. I had never really thought about putting Kaffe Fassett blue and orange beautiful prints together before but seeing is believing. Plus, I’m putting my current email address on this site. Your work is awesome and an inspiration. **

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