Friday, February 27, 2009

Quilted Purse

I found the pattern for this purse as a freebie on the internet some time ago and printed it off to save for a rainy day. Well, guess what? It poured cats and dogs again all day today so what better to do than stay indoors and try something different.

After initially cutting out the pattern this morning, it appeared that it was going to be too small so I made a few adjustments and enlarged it about 2" all around. Next, I went through my scrap bin and selected a bunch of fabrics that I liked, then cut and pieced them together to fit the altered pattern size. The original pattern called for plain yardage but I went for the scrappy look.



I used a bunch of civil war fabrics which I love and it took about 4 hours from start to finish to complete. It probably would have taken less time but I sewed the binding on by hand because I didn't want the stitching to show.

This was also the first time I tried machine quilting. It took a while to master the hand-eye coordination thing but having my tongue out the side of my mouth helped a lot and as a result, it didn't turn out too badly. I did a simple random stipple pattern and held my breath the whole time.

We're supposed to have a flash freeze tonight after all this rain. My DH and I are planning to go to the BIG city tomorrow to do some shopping but it's all going to depend on the roads. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because the BIG city always includes a stop at the quilt shop. And if we go, I'll be able to use my new purse!

Happy stitching!

on

8 comments:

  1. JulieFebruary 27, 2009 at 8:40 PM

    kaaren, love your little bag! and you've just really made me laugh with your tongue comment....when my group learnt to stipple, our teacher did tell us that it's compulsory to have your tongue out! her excuse was that it helps with concentration. not sure about that but yes...we all had our tongues out without realising we were doing so.
    julie:

    ReplyDelete
  2. PatFebruary 27, 2009 at 8:50 PM

    Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. SaraFebruary 27, 2009 at 8:55 PM

    Cute bag, I really like it. I hope you get to go to the city tomorrow. It rained horribly all day here too so I hear ya on that. Hopefully the freeze won't come and you get to go!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Karen from Sew Many Ways...February 28, 2009 at 12:13 AM

    Hi Kaaren,
    Your purse is beautiful!! I also stick my tongue out...seems to keep me going in the right direction when I'm moving the fabric around. Too funny. It's pouring here right now. We must be in the same storm system. My husband is really into weather and he said it will be snow and sleet from Sunday til Wednesday. We need spring.
    ~Karen~

    ReplyDelete
  5. DebFebruary 28, 2009 at 6:23 AM

    Ohhhhhh I love that bag.. see there is always a reason we keep what we keep.. it comes in handy just maybe not today..LOL

    ReplyDelete
  6. DebbieFebruary 28, 2009 at 12:00 PM

    love your little bag....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Calamity Jane's Cottage, BonnieFebruary 28, 2009 at 12:15 PM

    Hi Kaaren,
    Love the purse and isn't it fun to change up a pattern just a little to fit your needs. Great quilting.
    Hope you got to go to the Big City.
    Keep Stitchen'
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Carrie P.February 28, 2009 at 8:53 PM

    Your bag turned out very nice. I bet everyone oohhed and aaahhed over it at the quilt shop.

    ReplyDelete

I try to reply to all comments and would love to reply to yours, especially if you have a question. However, I can't unless you have your email address visible in your settings.