Monday, January 28, 2013

A Rainbow of Flying Geese

i've been so impatient to post this!


frankly, i'm surprised that i waited a week, but i'll explain that with the fact that the previous week disappeared - what? it's monday again? wtf?


i mentioned in last weekend's felicities post that i'd done a swap with Holly, and i LOVE what i made her - if i hadn't known that she'd love it as much as i do, i probably wouldn't have been able to give it up!


one of the things on my xmas list this year was a fq bundle of Lizzy House's fabric line Pearl Bracelets. Pearl Bracelets is a print that she's included in previous fabric lines, and they've been incredibly popular, so Andover released a line of 26 colours of the print.


@lizzyhouse Constellations and Pearl Bracelets. I might have a problem.... don't they look tidy, all snug in the bin?
don't they look yummy, all neatly folded up along with Lizzy House's other new line, Constellations? (i used a previous line, Outfoxed, for my Improv is Foxy quilt. i'm kind of a fan)



anyone who knows Holly knows that she loves rainbows, and i happen to know that she's a fan of Pearl Bracelets as well, so OF COURSE i had to use part of my Pearl Bracelet bundle to make her a rainbow!

flying geese


for the patchwork, i decided to use a paperpiecing pattern that lends itself well to rainbows, A Circle of Geese by Piece By Number. (Christina, The Sometimes Crafter, has a great tutorial for this block, if you're interested) the VMQG actually used this as a challenge block way back in April 2011, but i never got around to making it then.

hollys tote


Holly particularly likes the combination of rainbows and natural linen, so choosing my main fabric was a no-brainer. i made the tote in one piece and quilted it with straight lines echoing around the geese (so obsessed with echo quilting!). I continued the quilting down the entire 36" piece, so when i sewed it together, the back had a neat geometric quilting design.

back quilting


i really really wanted to wash this, just to see the linen crinkle up, but i didn't entirely trust the Pearl Bracelets fabric not to run - the dye quality isn't quite as fabulous with this line as it has been with other lines, and it made me nervous!

side


i just did a simple boxed corner to create some depth to the tote, and added natural cotton straps that are nice and wide, perfect for carrying Holly's notebooks at QuiltCon (because i know she'll be taking lots of notes!).

pocket and loop


and i lined it with a cheerful print by Benartex that i picked up at Spool of Thread, including a zipper pocket and a little loop for her to hang her keys or a coin purse on. (it's best if we don't look too closely at the zipper, okay? i shouldn't have used a contrasting thread for topstitching...)


i didn't use any interfacing in the bag, but i did use quilt batting. that means it's easy to pack, but still sturdy! i'm super happy with how it turned out, and i think Holly is too.





i'm going to link up with a few linky parties this week, since i haven't done that in awhile.
Better Off Thread
Fresh Poppy Design

11 comments:

The domestic Groove said...

OMG I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! I just found you from a linky party and I am going to sign up to be a follower right now. I don't even need to look at the rest of your blog right now, cuz I know I am going to love following you! Beautiful work!
thedomesticgroove.blogspot.com

rachael {imagine gnats} said...

gorgeous bag!! have you ever used those color catchers? i think from shout. they're great for washing quilts, etc. for the first time.

Karin AKA Smooth said...

How Wonderful to stumble onto your blog and I love this as well as many other things I have seen you are very inspiring. Thanks.

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Really lovely pressie xxx

Chez Roo said...

Beautiful! Holly is a lucky lady :)

Poppyprint said...

You two definitely had a fantastic swap!!! Love this tote, Amy and it is beyond perfect for Holly.

Jo said...

It's totally beautiful Amy! I am a sucker for rainbows.. Love your quilting design too!!

Carla said...

You did a great job. Circle of geese is on my must do list.

Janice @ Better off Thread said...

It's a gorgeous tote bag! I love the rainbow and linen and I've always wanted to make that block. I bet your swap partner was excited! Thanks for linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday:)

Sunshine said...

What a beautiful bundle of fabrics from Andover. Gorgeous bag, looking up the pattern now :)

Sparky said...

Ohh I all over your flying geese and dots..how could you possibly go wrong

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