Indecision...

One of the things on my before-baby to-do list is to make a new diaper bag for myself. A couple months after the Boy was born, I made Amy Butler's Nappy Bag, and I have been using it ever since.


You can't tell from the picture above (because it was taken when it was sparkly and new), but it is starting to look a little worn, and I'm pretty tired of it. After three years of use, it is definitely time for something new!

I searched about for a pattern, and came across the Mabel Messenger by Jenna Lou Designs on etsy. I like the size, the shape and the long adjustable strap. I don't like the dearth of pockets-- but that is something I think I can remedy pretty easily.

At this point, I've got everything cut and fused and I've stared sewing.


Here's where the indecision comes in. The pattern calls for Peltex (a super thick, heavy interfacing) on the outer pieces. I used it. I'm not thrilled with it. It is super stiff. I mean, I like a structured bag and all, but this verges on the ridiculous for me. At first, I wasn't even happy with how it looked, but with some vigorous ironing, I've tamed it to a shape I like. So now it's just back to the overall feel and crazy structure that I'm unsure about. I'm torn (and here is where the indecision comes in):

Should I scrap it (since I'm not thrilled at this point) and start anew (keeping in mind that this would require purchasing more fabric, because I don't have enough of the outer for a do-over)?

-or-

Should I keep plugging along and see how it goes? If there is one thing I've learned from my Jane Stickle blocks, it's that what seems hopeless at first can turn out just fine in the end. And this bag could be like that too.

At this point, I'm kind of leaning towards forging onward, but at the same time, I'm really worried about the waste of time if it's turns out to be a bust. It's just stressing me out. I think I'll sleep on it. Maybe even for a couple of days.

February Project Linus

Yesterday was the February workday for the local Project Linus chapter. And I even had a quilt to bring along with me!


I call this quilt "Beaded Curtain" because that's kind of what all those long lines made me think of, which also inspired the quilting.


I used white thread in the white areas and did three wavy vertical lines in each section. Then I quilted the colored areas with a bright variegated thread in a wavy criss-cross design that kind of resembles beads.


The pattern came from the book, M'Liss Rae Hawley's Fat Quarter Quilts. The design is called "Parallel Paths." My white bars are wider than what she called for in the pattern, since I wanted to take advantage of the whole width of the roll o' fabric I was using. My quilt ended up at 62" by 67". I used the white print to bind it as well. It wasn't my first choice, but I have a lot of it and want to use it all up. It was a little challenging to work with because it is more of a home dec/canvas weight-- but it got the job done.


And the label.

The focus of this month's workday was to pack up blankets to send to Haiti. We packed 300 blankets and quilts for the cause. Wow! My quilt isn't making the trip to Haiti (it was a little too bulky), but I know it will find a happy place somewhere closer to home.

Jane Stickle Quilt: G-6

Block number/name: G-6 “Papa’s Star”

Date completed: February 6, 2010

Number of pieces: 31

Notes on block: This was a toughie. I really wasn’t sure how to go about it, so I just started in the middle and worked my way outward, worrying the entire time that pieces weren’t fitting together correctly. I guess that’s how they were supposed to work, because I ended up with a 5” square block. Frankly, I’m still a little confused as to how that even happened. But I’ll take it!

Late-night catch-up

I've seemingly reached the point in my pregnancy that is making sleep more challenging. I decided to take advantage of that last night and stayed up way too late working in the quilt mines (aka, my sewing room). Now I'm up to date on my Paintbox Quilt Along blocks!


Not only did I finish the blocks from last week, but I also got this week's blocks completed as well. Twenty blocks in all:


It always feels so good to get caught up.

Playtime: the checkerboard

This morning, I finished up another Playtime block!


This block is probably the simplest one in the quilt. I'm thinking I may put some buttons on there for checkers once it's all done. That might be kind of cute.

Between this and the Jane Stickle block I recently finished, I feel like I've been appliqueing a lot of stars lately. Good practice!

And my progress thus far:



The next block is the train. I spent a few minutes looking it over yesterday, and have a feeling it might take awhile. It's 43" long, and there's lots of applique involved!

Jane Stickle Quilt: I-6

Block number/name: I-6 “Viewer’s Choice”

Date completed: February 2, 2010

Number of pieces: 9

Notes on block: I used freezer paper on the bottom when appliquéing these melons. I think that method really helped control the long, skinny pieces better than I would have been able to do with needleturn. As a result, they have a nice, uniform look to them. And freezer paper on bottom really helps make placement easier too. For the star shape, I did needleturn with freezer paper on top. Overall, a very happy little block!

Jane Stickle Quilt: TRC

Block number/name: Top Right Corner “Longwood”

Date completed: February 1, 2010

Number of pieces: 48

Notes on block: There were some challenges along the way in putting this one together. The first was I had no idea how big it was. The Dear Jane software automatically defaults to 4.5” x 4.5” when printing. So you have to manually adjust it for all of the triangles and corner blocks (known as “kites”). But I could not find anywhere exactly how big it was supposed to be. I finally just decided on 8” x 8” as that seemed kind of logical (since all of the surrounding triangles are 8” tall). I feel pretty confident that I’ve got the size right, but I guess the true test will be when I put my borders together. This block just feels so huge compared to the rest!

Another challenge was the appliqué. Stars are not my favorite shape… too many narrow pointy-points! But, I feel like they turned out alright. I did them by needleturn with freezer paper on top.

The last challenge was that I mis-cut my white star section. It ended up being kind of a lopsided square. Fortunately, I was able to compensate when I pieced it into the block, but it was definitely a pain.

Hopefully, my next kite will go a little more smoothly!