BQL Bag Challenge - November bag

The bag snuck in under the wire - it's a great design. The Nancy Crow stripe that I planned to use for the handle is awful to match, I will do it.

Somehow.

Then, replace the solid black handle for the fancy stripe one. I need to do some more quilting on the flap too - it's a bit too flappy....

11 bags down, just one to go to have completed the whole year. I designed one of the bonus patterns, didn't make the 2nd bonus pattern. There is a 3rd bonus pattern, I could end up 15 bags the richer by the end of the year!

There have been some great designs, I have my favourites, my January bags get used so much - nearly each time I go grocery/vegetable shopping, I need to make a couple more. September is my favourite at the moment - perhaps because it's new!

BQL Bag Challenge - November

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, Gang aft a-gley - OK so it is St Andrews Day, and Mr Burns' quote is apt - I had planned to get the piecing done last night, and then quilt and construct the bag during nap time and once the littles were in bed...... I'm still piecing.

BQL Bag Challenge - November

Just 2 days left to the month and I have finally got a little time - I have a gazillion cards to make, but unless I shift my rear I will not make the November challenge - I might not make it in time anyway. I pulled this group of Nancy Crow fabrics - from a million years ago, they are starched, and ready to go - I have a couple of ideas about combinations - but will see how the test pieces go before I cut the pieces into a million small squares. The ALQS quilt is finished - yeah! - will go in the mail early next week - thank-you patient partner.

BQL Bag Challenge - October bag

Though I started this months bag early - it only got finished today - though 12 hours short of the deadline, great bag too.

BQL Bag Challenge - October in progress

I've been trying to quilt the bag - as per Kandy's instructions, though the 'humps' where the squares join are huge - I didn't baste it as well as I should have either..... there has been lots of 'frog stitch' happening, not that I want it perfect, but I'm not having it look shoddy. It's not even half way through the month and it's a good way there. Perhaps, perhaps it'll be done early this month.... ha!

I found this in the street outside our house, I figure the repairmen who fixed the electricity cable left it behind (along with the rubble, hole and road digger debris) It looks like it's aluminum and is moderately fragile, 10cm wide..... will be thinking of how to use it.

Incoming mail - Bag WIP

It's been a busy, but quiet day with no littles home - 'housework', Turkish class, some good news and a bit of sewing. I managed to get the front and back of the bag pieced, they need to be joined together then quilted, etc...
I also got mail for the first time in 10 days, with the holiday and my postie's schedul. Packets, envelopes, cards and bills.... first card today - from Deb P for the Artsnthemail Anything But Cotton trade. I think this is 'fabric-paper' or another 'monster-mess'.

BQL Bag Challenge - October

It's just the 6th of the month and I figure I'm about half way with the piecing of about a gazillion little blocks. This quarter-square method was new to me, I normally avoid anything like this or foundation piece it, but I am impressed. I also followed the instructions to starch the fabric, and though the red is a Bali Batik and quite crisp, the tea-dyed poplin has a soft hand. I like the crispness of the starch, but am not sure if I will starch more of my fabric for some odd reason.

Yeah for school for the littles tomorrow - after 10 days of holiday - I just need to figure what my Turkish homework was before tomorrow's lesson.

BQL Bag Challenge - September bag finished

Finished - yeah - though the hand quilting is barely visible and on reflection a bit sparse. I may pick the lining open and add some more stitching - 5 inch circles with a linen yarn and a sashiko type stitch. I now realise I 'under-trimmed' the log cabin square, it should have turned into a rectangle. It's great as it is though. Each month I vow to start the next bag as soon as the month begins, though I do like to see how other peoples bags turn out.

BQL Bag Challenge - September in progress

I worked on the log cabins for the bag during baby's nap, and as I half thought - there wasn't enough fabric, I had discarded one piece from the original pull, but have cut that now along with more of the check, which will be the handle also, I had hoped for a log cabin inside pocket, maybe from the trimmings I'll be able to get that together.

I went out this with girlfriends tonight some haven't seen me since the summer, since then I've gone down about 6 or so dress sizes, it was a bit of a surprise for them - a good surprise. It was a fun night out, nice food, great conversation, no children.....

BQL Bag Challenge - September

I pulled and cut the fabric today - though I'm hoping there is enough as I have no more of it except the pink and yellow check..... these were trimmings from a quilt I made in New York for the Ronald McDonald home way back in 2000 or near abouts - I've just been waiting for the right project to use these babies on. The bag is a log cabin on point. I need to organise the purchase of the zip too - maybe I can get this locally, then again it may be an excuse to go to my favourite haberdashery shop.

BQL Bag Challenge - August finished

Finished - such a quick bag, and once I read the instructions properly it's SO easy. Not reading the instructions properly meant that there is a small amount of the lining showing on the inside - looks quite good, though isn't strictly the pattern - sorry Kandy. Looks big enough for the keys, camera and phone for The Wedding too - yeah!

BQL Bag Challenge - August

Queen of the last minute, I keep on planning to start the next bag as soon as I get the pattern - maybe it'll happen in September...... I pulled some silks out and went for these. It may go with the dress for 'The Wedding' - it might not be big enough. Will see. The tab has mirrored blanket stitch rows (3) though they are hidden by the grain of the silk. Not sure yet if it will be light inside or outside. Tomorrow I'll get it done, it's really a quick bag, I can't believe I've not got my finger out by now and got it done.

BQL Bag Challenge - Febuary

This is the February BQL challenge bag - I altered the handle so that I could clip it over the back of the rear headrests and the contents would stay upright - alas the headrests have had to come off with the 2-3 stage booster seats - good idea for a couple of months anyway. It is of course in the same fabric as the flags, but the bag came first.
Today was not so hot, 32-34 degrees, but SO humid. No sewing - not nice, lets hope for either a good wind to blow the humidity away or a rainstorm to clear the air - or is this not how to get rid of humidity?

BQL Bag Challenge

Here's one I prepared earlier. This is the March Bag for the BQL challenge, before my blog started. I got the fabric from Paula, I have the rest of jelly roll to play with and some of the lining, though I can't figure out what I want to do with it.

SO....

I put it in a nice neat pile and it will go into the cupboard to wait another day. This is the most used bag so far. I would like to make another though this time with some stiffener in the top part. Today was burned by taking my car to service then on to Ortakoy. Sadly I forgot to take my camera, there is one of the most beautiful mosques down there. While driving along the coast I hatched a plan to walk the coast in weekly installments with baby over the late summer/autumn - once T1 and T2 are in 'school' - we'll see if this happens!

BQL Bag Challenge - July

This July's BQL bag got finished at the end of July.

This was a quick one - really just a few hours...... destined for yellow boy, T2 - for his tools and bits of wood - gasp horror.

I need to shorten the handles as the bag is too tall for him, This month the bag is a very snazzy little evening bag - ironically something that I need, the one I have is just a bit too small.

BQL Bag Challenge - June finished

Flying in June - this was the bag title - It wasn't till it was photographed that I saw my geese are flying South - too late now. This is quite a 'small' bag - the first time I've done geese with this method - by Pauline Adams.

BQL Bag Challenge - June

Work in progress - the BQL challenge bag this month has flying geese - not something I would ever choose to do, but that's the joy of a challenge and what a method - they go together so easily - am looking forward to the finished bag.

BQL Bag Challenge - January bag

Today has been mad busy with nothingness -though I did manage to buy some shoes..... I thought I'd put up a picture of my January bag. It's a very cunning design that utilises a carrier bag as a pattern. Turkish carrier bags are large and this beautiful bag hauls home over 10kg of fruit from the market each week - without complaining. I've made several of these now - and have one cut out ready to stitch. They are being used not only in Turkey but Israel and the UK.

BQL Bag Challenge - May bag - done

The May bag is finished - just a few hours short of the deadline - slightly different to the original design due to a zip deficit in the household - and the only one I could find that was the correct length was white, it's a great bag non the less and will join my mom's January bag no doubt.

BQL Bag Challenge - May bag in progress

May Bag in progress - a loopy quilting design was suggested - I tried it but I kept going though the design -and the quilting looked lumpy - so out it came and I did these wavy lines - missing the balls - connecting the blue background fabric. I've sort of fallen out of love with this bag - it's not me - so I think it'll get given to my mom when she visits - it's a great shopping bag and I put in a inside pocket and key clip.