Recently, I bought a fat quarter pack of Color Me Retro to
give as a gift, as well as one for myself. As a gift of fabric warranted a fabric
gift bag, I grabbed two fat quarters from my stack of Color Me Retro and set to
work. By omitting the accent fabric and gussets of Jeni’s Lined Drawstring Bag pattern, I managed to whip up this bag in about an hour. I still prefer the
full pattern version, but this fit the bill this weekend, when my time and
energy were limited.
One of the hallmarks of a good
pattern is adaptability. Jeni’s Lined Drawstring Bag is an excellent example
of this. I can’t seem to stop making these bags! For these two, I eliminated the
accent fabric as I felt that the Star
Wars fabric was strong enough to stand on its own. The idea for Star Wars bags came from my sweet
husband, who spotted the fabric while waiting patiently for me at a quilt
store. I actually started these bags last year intending to wrap Christmas
presents in them, but they languished half-finished until last week, when I
received a boost of sewing mojo from starting and finishing my Triple-Zip Pouch
in an afternoon. That inspired me to break out my new black Aurifil thread and
finish them. Now to keep that momentum going!
Update: Linking up with Finish It Up Friday at crazy mom quilts.
I do love little bags and
pouches. However, I have shied away from making any with zippers until now. You
see, Debbie at A Quilter’s Table is hosting a Triple-Zip Sew Along based on her
tutorial. I confessed to her that I wanted to sew along, but was afraid of
zippers. She offered to give me a one-on-one lesson, which I gladly accepted. I
really do have the bestest mom!
In less than four hours (frequently
interrupted by a little girl who insisted on “sewing” too), we each started and
completed a Triple-Zip Pouch. I made mine out of a treasured Happy Mochi Yum Yum fat quarter, coordinating scraps, and Pam Kitty Love Coral Hearts for the
linings. My mom generously provided the matching zippers, as well as the moral
support I needed to overcome my fear of zippers. The end was a little tricky (I
used Marci’s alternate ending), but I am ever so happy with my finished pouch.
I might even (gasp!) make another one some time.
