Friday, July 22, 2016

Zip it up

Happy weekend, everyone!  Was this as long a week for you as it was for me?  Just a number of frustrations this week, and if you're like me, that will sap your sewing momentum like nothing else.  The best thing I know of for getting out of a sewing funk is small successful projects.  To that end, I stitched up a few of these little zipper bags, which are quick and easy and just right for getting back to the projects I should be working on (which all have a bajillion little pieces):



Okay, those are kind of cute.  And useful!  We've been doing so much travelling that these will be put to good use right away.  We have at least two more trips to take before the end of August!  Most of these were larger scrap pieces, except for the blue chevrons, which was a fat quarter that was a gift from my friend Nancy.

This one might be my favorite--pink strings!  Why not?  Get them out of the jar and use them up! 



The only problems I had making these was that I used batting scraps that were a little too heavy. That made the seams pretty thick, and I used French seams so that they'd be finished on the inside, so they were extra thick.  They still work, though. For the pink strings I just stitched the strings directly to the batting.



It worked just fine, but it did leave a bunch of garbage all over my cutting mat:


I have an eraser that should take care of that.  Plus I still have this one to finish:



I want to make the zipper go all the way around so that I can open it up and lay it flat or almost flat.  I'm planning to put pockets in the lining for all the flash drives that I keep my research projects on. I'm constantly searching through my purse for the right flash drive, so maybe this will help.  And it will look festive in my research bag!

Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!  We will be looking at more houses.  We're closing in on another choice, so cross your fingers.  And if you're in the "heat dome" like we are, I highly recommend iced tea and ceiling fans--on top of the AC, of course!



Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, crazymomquilts, and soscrappy for RSC16!

16 comments:

Bernie Kringel said...

Hope this is the weekend where you find an amazing house! Crossing my fingers for you.
When I cut batting for projects like this I use the backside on my mat. It helps with all of the fuzzy residue. Love the idea of french seams for bags like this. I hadn't thought of that. I think my favorite is red and tan one with with the triangle accent piece. It is so pretty.
Time to go walk the dog before it is yukky hot outside....

Lynn said...

Those bags look so cute I may have to conquer my fear/inexperience of zips to give them a go. The scraps are no issue at all - they multiply in the dark don't they?

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

THose are so cute and bright!!Hope they eased your frustrations right away!! Here's to a good weekend for you!

Kaja said...

I hope next week is better for you and that you find a house. In the meantime little projects seem like a good way to keep things chugging along. I had never thought of using French seams inside a bag - very clever!

Sew Much For Free Time said...

I had one of those weeks too. Sigh. My solution was to drown my sorrows in iced tea and work on hand binding a t shirt quilt. I hope your weekend is great. And that the right house makes itself known to you. It's oppressively hot and HUMID here. Really gross. And lots of outdoor activities on the docket. Uuugh.

The Joyful Quilter said...

What FUN you had with your HOT PINK scraps!! I'm looking forward to seeing how the Triangle Pouch turns out. Your plan sounds like a good one!!

LA Paylor said...

that lime zipper just makes the whole thing! I cut felt this week, and have felt embedded in the mat. LeeAnna

gayle said...

Love your little bags!
I'll keep my fingers crossed that you find the perfect house. Though crossed fingers might make it difficult to sew...

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I completely agree that small projects are the way to go sometimes! I love your zippy bags - fun and useful all at the same time. Hope you have a great coming week!

Heidi said...

Clever, and Cute! I have wondered about the bulk using french seams with a quilted piece.

Afton Warrick said...

Best of luck with house shopping and avoiding sweltering. Your pouches are great. I didn't know that trick for getting the crud off your cutting mat. I'm visiting from Quilting Mod and saw your CMQ link.

PaulaB quilts said...

Those purses are so cute and practical. Can never have too many for yourself and great gifts. The only one I made so far was claimed by my friend with a huge bag, loves it. I hope all the houses you visit have a/c going. Lots of luck with that.

Sally Trude said...

What a great collection of purses. It is ALMOST tempting me to work in 3D.

Karen said...

Very pretty bags. I really like the blue and white one. I like that the zipper is on the front. Good luck with the house hunting.

Deb A said...

What great, quick projects! Love the hot pink string one. Hope your house hunting was successful this weekend.

KaHolly said...

Love your little bags! Something small and fun to finish....that's just the ticket!