Ahhh, what an hour!

Hi everybody!  First, an announcement:  Bonnie Hunter's new book, String Fling: Scrappy, Happy and Loving It,  is available for pre-order, yess!!!!  This looks like another winner  - click the link to get the details!


1 Yard, 1 Hour tote bag

A couple days ago I wanted to make myself a quick and easy bag, so that I'd have a bag like all my other little quilting friends.  So, I asked my go-to friend Charlene if she could suggest a pattern, and she reminded me of the 1 Yard, 1 Hour tote that she made some time ago.  Well, as you can see on the left I made the bag, but somehow my straps were a little on the short side!

Yesterday was Charlene's day to teach a quilting group at the senior center, so I trotted over there to show off my bag and point out that I added pockets on the inside, how clever is that!  I also wanted to see if she could offer any suggestions to make my bag more spiffy.

Well, of course she could! 

She showed me how to square off my corners on the inside so the bottom would be flat - a tip that's not in the pattern and it hadn't occurred to me to do.  I made that adjustment when I could get a free machine, and it made a big difference in how the bag looks, thanks Charlene!

Meanwhile, I needed to unsew a part of the bag's top so I could change the straps... Pat gave me permission to look inside her little sewing kit for a seam ripper, what a treasure trove!

Pat's tool kit

The box is only about 5x8 and she has all kinds of goodies stuffed inside!  I didn't see a seam ripper but I had an "ah-hah!" moment when I saw the nut pick she uses as a stiletto... how clever is that!



nut pick reborn as a stiletto

I made another set of straps when I got home, I think I'll like these better than the original ones. 

For comparison, the strap at the top is the original one; the bottom one is at least twice the length, what a difference!  After I took them off, I had one of those head-thunking moments... I could have left the original straps on and just added a second set!  A handle and a shoulder strap.

This is a really easy bag to make and I suppose it takes an hour if you don't add the pockets or have to resew the straps!   Or, if your sister doesn't call you and describe how frustrated she is because her hubby did something to the computer so that when she tries to download an email attachment that she really needs ASAP, it pulls up every single picture on the computer!  Then she calls you back about 10 minutes later and shares how she was sitting on the porch and had the taste for a cookie and decided to go to the store and get one ... she asked her hubby if he wanted anything and he said "uh-uh, I don't want nuthin'", then she went to the store and got the cookie and put it on the kitchen table, but while she was talking to you about the email, he went and got the cookie and ate it!

Ahhh, un-wedded bliss!!!!

Sew forth and sew on