Positive Reinforcement for the Quilting-Averse

I have a pile of WIPs—all quilt tops—that I must work through. It’s really an issue of my sanity. I cannot start another big quilt project until I’ve made a dent in that pile.

So I’ve established a system: I work on a quilt, I make a bag, I work on a quilt, I make a bag. It’s like when you reward your dog with a treat for sitting/staying/rolling over. (In that scenario, I am a dog, and my quilt is made of things like corn and chicken byproducts.) This may sound ridiculous, but it’s working!

I don’t have a finished quilt to share—yet. I do, however, have a bag. It’s a full-size Miranda Bag from Lazy Girl Designs. It resembles the Mini Miranda Bags I’ve made in the past (see here and here); it’s just bigger.

This is a gift for a new friend who’s been sick. She may know that I sew, I can’t remember. Getting random handmade goods is a hazard of being friends with me, though, as she’ll soon discover.

I used two of the generous one-yard cuts my sister got me for Christmas. My sister puts such thought into presents for me—perhaps more than anyone else I know—and the idea that she entered a quilt shop for me is to her credit. (She may need positive reinforcement for the crafting-averse.) I paired the green print from Bonnie and Camille’s April Showers line with the floral from Lily Ashbury’s High Street line for the exterior. The interior and faux binding use Kona Steel.

My favorite aspect of this project is the handles. I used plastic handles with my Mini Mirandas, but this bigger version is more tote-like, less purse-like, so I made fabric handles, using the construction details from Noodlehead’s Cargo Duffle (which, by the way, will be my next bag project after I make headway on those quilt tops). I am over the moon for these handles. They will definitely appear on other bags I make.

Alas, my bag tangent is over. It’s time to get back to quilting. But first, a public service announcement: I am also active on Instagram (@frombolttobeauty), and all the cool kids follow From Bolt to Beauty over there, too. It’s where I highlight WIPs, fabric purchases, fabric-y gifts I’ve received—noteworthy stuff that doesn’t merit a full blog post.

Sometimes, dear reader, I have IG-only giveaways, like the one I held back in February. Jo, over at Riddle and Whimsy, won this sweet fat-quarter bundle of Amy Butler’s Violette line. I’m closing in on 300 IG followers and getting the itch to hold another giveaway. Consider yourself informed.

Hmmm ... do you have a vote for what my next giveaway should be? A pattern? Fabric? Thread? A handmade item? I suspect you like winning things just as much as I like giving them away!

Linking up to Sew Cute Tuesday, Let’s Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, TGIFF, and Finish It Up Friday ...