Ugly Fabric Challenge

Earlier this year a fellow quilter sent several of us a piece of "Ugly Fabric" and challenged us to make something. I thought this is fun and raided my stash looking for fabric that would go with it.  I am very happy to say that the only thing I had to buy when making this purse was the webbing for the handles.  I did buy a zipper but decided that I did not want to put one on this version.  I also decided that I was not interested in making it into a quilt. I wanted something simple that I could actually finish, not something that would add to my UFOs.

For a long time I have wanted to make a purse of my own design using things I liked from other purses to make it one I would like and so I went for it.  I measured a couple of purses I owned that were about the size I wanted, and I looked at the pockets in others to adjust them to be useful to me. I also measured and adjusted the handles to a size that worked for me, as often the handles on purses are much shorter or longer than what I really like.

The end result was this purse:

I made the purse roughly 10 inches wide and 10 inches tall, and about 5 inches wide.  I used one layer of Temtex on each of the sides and two layers in the bottom.

I made the one inside pocket long enough to fit my iPhone laying sideways.

I added a smaller pocket on the opposite side of the lining.

I also reinforced the upper edge by using Timtex on both the inner and outer side and used polyester webbing for the straps. I sealed the webbing with liquid seam stuff that I got at JoAnn's.

Then I top stitched the upper edge to the outside of the bag and quilted the top edges to really hold in the handle ends inside and reinforce them, spacing the quilting lines about 1/4" apart.

The end result is a cute purse in my opinion is very functional and stands up on its own.  I also like the contrast of the light pockets with the darker interior, as it makes it easy to locate things.  The only thing I have not yet done is to spray the purse with Scotch Guard as it has been rather cold out, and I am waiting for it warm up before doing so, after all I do live in Alaska.

Ruler, 12"size, to give you a better view of the dimensions.

 


I plan to make another version of this purse. I have ideas for a few modifications to my basic pattern  and am thinking I will try adding a zipper to it and maybe even add an outer zippered pocket for my cell phone, or my keys.  I like that I have come up with a design that pulls concepts from purses that I like so that I can make it functional for me.

My 20 Minutes Plus of Sewing

Today I pressed and  sub-cut strip sets I had sewn into sections and realized I needed more so I started sewing strips together to make more so I can sub-cut them tomorrow.  I cannot post a picture of the fabric or colors here as it is a surprise for someone, but here is the pattern.  I love this pattern and think it will be perfect for the recipient.

I also finished piecing two Seminole borders for my Tiffany quilt.

Now I just have to decide how I want to do the borders.

 

This is the one I am going with after much deliberation.  I have two sides of the Seminole patchwork pieced and most of the other two sides pieced.  I am using the borders as a leader and ender while working on another project that I need to finish and send to the quilter as it has a deadline and this one does not.

I will up date the progress once I get the borders added.

Finally Getting Back to Finishing Things

I am not sure what year I started either of these quilts. The topa spent a long time languishing in my sewing room waiting to be quilted and I finally sent it off to be quilted.

It sat for a long. long time, then went off to the quilter and came back and went into be my to be bound pile as it was summer in Alaska and I was off on a road trip and not sewing, or at least not able to use a machine, as I had handwork with me on the trip.

I came home and jumped back into subbing and it sat in the pile, along with several others. Then in December 2015 I fell on the ice and broke my wrist and was unable to sew at all for a couple months and then no hand sewing until March or April, during which time I was also dealing with family health issues and made two trips to Tennessee.

Summer came again and the world turned upside down for us and we were off to Tennessee again for most of the summer.  We came back in the fall just before school started and I have been busy subbing full time and keeping busy to help me deal with grief and sitting and doing handwork just left me too much time to think.  After our cruise through the Panama Canal over the Christmas holidays I was ready to get back to my handwork. I have finished five projects two of which included binding quilts.

I can only show you two of them as two are gifts and the recipient has not yet received them, the quilt needs a label and I am working on that now.  Another is my project for the Ugly Fabric Challenge and we are not revealing that until March 31st, so I have to wait a couple more weeks before I can post it.

But here are the two quilts that I have finished this year, that I am able to post. One was finished February 10 and it is a star quilt with a piano key boarder. This was a kit that I bought from a store that was called Needle Crafters and has since been bought, moved locations and renamed The Quilt Tree.

Undercover in Houston II

The other was started when Debbie Caffrey still lived in Anchorage, Alaska as I took the class from her.  It is called Undercover in Houston II.