But before I get into that, let’s talk about something good today.
First of all… it was cooler today and it was fantastic! I think it only got up to about 87 degrees. I did take the dogs for a walk before work and it was so nice we walked for 3.5 miles! That’s the first time in more than a week that we’ve been able to do a walk that long. It was a great way to start our day.
Now for the other stuff…
I had to run to the post office tonight, only to find that I couldn’t accomplish what I went there for.
I have other post offices I can go to but I find that when one machine is out of order, they are often ALL out of order. I’ll give it another try tomorrow night.
Now some good stuff. When I got home I took the boys for our evening walk. We actually started at 8:30… the earliest evening walk we’ve had in over a week. It was really nice outside.
When we got home I hit my sewing room to work on the lining and pockets for the blue bag I started this weekend. I did end up getting the slip pocket, zipper pocket and zipper placket completed.
That’s the good news. Now comes the shit balls part…
As I was sewing the slip pocket on to one side of the lining I noticed that the top hem of the pocket was at the bottom of the bag. I had already sewn a line of stitching, so decided that it would just have to be that way and I kept going… topstitching two lines of stitching all the way around the pocket, with two vertical lines up the center to divide the pocket.
Once it was all sewn together, I realized my mistake.
I sewed the pocket on upside down, so that the opening is at the bottom. I had actually positioned the pocket correctly, I just sewed around the sides and top instead of the sides and bottom. So once I got all the other pieces finished I sat down with my seam ripper.
That’s a lot of stitches to pick out!
I know this probably comes as a huge surprise, but using my seam ripper is not my favorite part of the creative process.
Luckily, it all came out much easier than I thought it would and I got the pocket sewn on the correct way before I called it quits… I didn’t want to keep going and make an even bigger mistake.
Here’s some detail to enjoy.
Isn’t that blue ferns fabric pretty!
And speaking of pretty fabric, today I received a small order that I placed a few days ago.
Most of this is stuff that I tend to use over and over again and it was all on sale. Then there are two pieces that I just love and wanted more of… the spiral shells in the foreground just because it’s so magnificent and I just used a piece for a bag lining. It’s one I definitely want to have in my stash.
The one in the upper left is Philip Jacobs’ Dorothy in his original color way. I’ve wanted a couple of yards of that but the store where I bought it is out.
I had my first tomato harvest today and ate them with my big salad for dinner. They were so good! The first home grown tomatoes of the summer are always very special to me!
I’m also really happy that the crocosmia plants that I picked up in a neighborhood “free” pile are blooming!
I also have some onions blooming. These were red onions that I had in the house a couple months ago that started growing, so I just stuck them into one of my planters to see what they would do.
I met my friend Anne yesterday morning to go on a quest for local peaches. And we found some. Along with a bunch of other fruits and veggies. Luckily, we bought them from a farm stand that also serves strawberry and black berry milk shakes!
So of course we had to take time to enjoy one.
After the farm store we stopped in at a nursery on the way back and picked up some plants and some fertilizer. They had some really gorgeous hanging baskets.
That first one mush have been almost five feet across!
And look at this gorgeous cone flower they had! COLOR!!!
On the way back to Anne’s place we stopped and got some take out eggs Benedict. We ate them in the shade of a big tree surrounded by hot dogs.
Rico and I felt obligated to give Brody the pug some love and attention after our brunch.
Did I mention it was HOT?
I have some Frankenbags to share with you tonight. It’s been a while so I have a few!
First up is this one made by Lisa Kerns from British Columbia, Canada. She said she found making this bag fun and creative. I love her very scrappy approach and all that bright color. And look! A Zipper placket!
This next bag was made by Beverly Rose. I love her combo of blues, purples and pinks. And her swirly quilting is a lovely touch.
This bag was made by Jane Bers. Here’s what she said about making this bag:
“I loved doing it and using scraps from a batik quilt I made 10 years ago! Plus a paper pieced block for the front! I knew those scraps would be put to good use some day!! I am officially hooked on making this bag and my friends and relatives will be getting them for Xmas.”
I’m a big fan of batiks and these fall colors make me think of my mom who loved colors like this.
Next up is this made by Rachel Snee. Here’s what she said: “I finally got around to making my first Frankenbag, starting with an experimental improv skull block I made. It’s for my daughter who loves pink and green, and she’s very happy with it.”
That skull is pretty damned amazing for being improv! Nice job!
This next bag comes from Margaret Douglas. It’s a fun and scrappy bag. I love the black and whites and all that color!
These bags were made by Janice Quinn. She said she’s having a lot of fun making these bags. She started simple to get the hang of it and has taken off since then! She plans on making a lot more in the next few months. The last photo shows her next bag in process. Of course I love all of her bright color and I love that she’s learning as she goes!
Thanks to everyone for submitting photos!
agilejack 
Wow! What a nice photo lineup today. Not only flowers but Frankenbags. Anne, you should have a commercial pattern made up as your Frankenbags have been such a big hit! I came across a big stash of Kaffe 2 1/2″ strips in my Kaffe containers yesterday and have decided to make a nap quilt for a dear friend who is having very extensive back surgery today. I think a 16 patch would make up quickly. P. S. I love the dog in pool photo!
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I wish I knew how many of these bags have been made. It must be in the thousands! Not a very good business model to just give stuff away!
Oh! I love a good 16 patch. Be sure to check out Wanda’s tutorial at Exuberant Color blog. It’s so good!
Anne
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I’m curious as to how you resolved the issues with the bobbin thread bunches you mentioned in a post last week.
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I rethreaded my machine and that took care of it. Just like that!
Anne
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Hi! I really enjoy your blog – I thought I was the only one addicted to Kaffe Fassett- Where do you get his fabrics from ON SALE?
I’ve made quilts but never that bag – I may start!
I’m in Florida so I also enjoy your varied weather – lots of flowers that could never grow here between April-Oct.
Have never been to northwest but it looks luscious!
Thanks again for your inspirations! Laura McCabe Sarasota Florida
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It was this shop, but it’s not on sale any more. https://www.sistersquiltshop.com/
I like making the bags because they allow me to try an idea or technique or color combo without committing to a full size quilt. Plus, I can finish them. They are a nice break from a large project.
We definitely have a lot of water up here and that makes this area very verdant!
Anne
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My Grandmother would have said, “Shit Fire!”
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Oh, that’s a good one!!! I’ll have to add that to my vocabulary!
Anne
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Ha-ha!
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I love reading your posts!!! You are one busy gal! Love your doggies too!!! So enjoy seeing your creations, your hats and bags! And, it is nice that you post those of others! I love to see how other people create! And, you gotta love KAFFE! Can I ask you, where can I find your Frankenbag pattern? Do you sell it, as I would love to make one?!
Please keep up your posts, as they are my favorite posts to read with my coffee in the morning!
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There’s a free tutorial for my frankenbag on my blog. You can find it here: https://agilejack1.com/2021/03/25/frankenbag-tutorial/
Thanks for reading!
Anne
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So who hasn’t sewn a pocket on upside down late in the evening when she should have known better and put everything away? Welcome to the club! I hate when that happens.
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Yeah. Too bad I didn’t notice before I sewed the entire thing on. But I bet I never do that again!!!
Anne
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I love your bag pattern and your hats in Kaffe are wonderful! I use a site called Pirate Ship for shipping packages. It is free, lists options and best prices for shipping. I print my labels, tape them on and no waiting in lines or dealing with shit balls broken machines!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
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Hmmm. I’ll have to check it out. They put in new machines a year ago this last Christmas and they were out of order for months. They’ve been much better the last year, but occasionally they do go on the fritz.
Anne
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love this site!!!!
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Thank you! Happy you found us!
Anne
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I have a great suggestion for you. At least, I think it is a good suggestion.
When you need to use your seam ripper, only clip or rip every 4 or 5 stitches. When you are at the end of the stitching line, turn your piece over, and pull that complete piece of thread out. Separate your 2 pieces of fabric. You will then have the small pieces of thread to remove, not every stitch. I have used an eraser to help in moving those pieces of thread out of the fabric. This also does not distort the fabric.
Hope you find this suggestion a plus.
Jo Ann Neely
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I do usually rip out seams that way but this pocket involved four layers of fabric and four layers of interfacing so the stitching was buried pretty deep! I couldn’t get to all of it without cutting holes in the fabric!
Thanks
Anne
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Is the Frankenbag Pattern your own design or can it be bought in a Quilt Shop.I am interested to know how you get the front and back as one straight flat piece when putting in the top Zipper.I love seeing your Sheep Dogs.I am originally from the U. K. And have seen lots of Sheep Dog Trials in the North of England and one or two in Scotland.Those dogs always amaze me.The Farmers could not do without them.They are so well trained and such friendly Dogs too who seem to love their work. Hope you have a great day. It is very hot here in Southern Ontario and we badly need rain. I enjoy seeing your creative work and hearing about your life.
Sent from my iPad
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It’s a free tutorial on my blog. YOu can find it here: https://agilejack1.com/2021/03/25/frankenbag-tutorial/
There is a separate tutorial for making the zipper placket. It’s linked in the main tutorial.
I was lucky to spend a couple days with a friend of mine during lambing season this spring. It was really fun to get to see the dogs working on the farm. It made all the sheep dog trial stuff make sense!
Thanks for reading!
Anne
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The blue fern fabric is gorgeous. More fabulous art bags from your readers! You certainly started an artsy colorful trend. Your fresh produce market looks like a fun place to hang out too. The doggy pool does look big enough- I think I will buy one for my baby! Thanks for all your fun posts – I always look forward to reading and seeing fun stuff ❤️
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That little wading pool gets a lot of use in the summer. Mine is smaller than my friends, but it’s easier to deal with when it needs to be cleaned and refilled.
It’s plenty of space for my boys.
Annne
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Oh my.. you’ve been busy. I think the post office or is it UPS will pick up st your home? You should look into that. Might be a time saver. I’ve enjoyed your sharing of Farmers Markets and those Beautiful hanging baskets. Some pretty awesome plants…your pets really know how to cool down, like a child.. what fun. And to top it off all those beautiful creations from around the country shared with friends, quite spectacular.. a Bag that will last a lifetime and have a story to go with it. Special. Thanks again for sharing..know it takes time to create a written word.. 🌷
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with working from home I’m usually looking for some excuse to get out of the house. A trip to the PO gives me a little different scenery!
Anne
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I gave up my seam ripper and use an exacto knife, or single edge razor blade to do large areas with unwanted stitching, goes quicker, practice on scrap fabric…..
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OMG! I hope I never have a need to have to perfect this!!!
Anne
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