The Halifax Bag!

That's what I'm calling the hand bag I made for my friend, Bonnie.  Pictured below is the bag I bought last year and which Bonnie admired when we were traveling through the Canadian Maritimes last June.  I bought the fabrics in Halifax on our last day of the trip, intending to use them for Bonnie's purse.

I have to preface all of this by saying that I NEVER! make anything without a pattern! I have friends who say patterns are only suggestions, but not me!  So to recreate this bag was a terrific challenge for me--way outside my comfort zone.

On Thursday, I made a pattern by tracing the bag I had and hoping the new one would be similar in size and shape, and began the quilting. Overnight, I gave this project a great deal of thought as to the best way to construct it, and on Friday, I felt well prepared to finish the project. 

And I did!  I'm so pleased with myself! I really wasn't very confident that I would be able to do this, but look at the finished product:  

Amazingly, it's even the same size and shape as the original!

Here you can see the inside with the TWO zippers I had to put in--another challenge which I met head on!

This is a view of the inside pocket with all the slots for plastic cards.  (Excuse the shot of my pilly fleece bathrobe. It was early morning and I'd not had enough coffee.)  I left 2 of the slots unstitched in the middle so there's room for paper money and other long items, 

and on one of the long compartments, I added velcro so it can be closed up to securely hold coins, passport, and other things you don't want floating around in your bag. This is the major change I made to the original design--my  bag has no coin compartment so they just rattle around in the bag.  I should make a little zipper bag (now that I'm so good at putting in zippers!) and just keep it in my bag.  Another entry on my to-do list!

Today looks like it's going to be a great time in the sewing room. Instead of making the last 2 pillowcases (why do today what you can avoid put off for another week or so!)  I realized that I have to finish up the two little flannel blankets Johanna asked me to make for her, and she needs them pretty soon, I think.  

So, I'll be cutting and sewing 4 1/2" squares of flannel and getting that project done, I hope.  Maybe I'll just make some headway, okay?

Looking ahead, Tuesday can't come soon enough for me.  I get the cast removed from my hand on Tuesday, and I'm so looking forward to having my paw operational again.  In the meantime, I'll continue to do the best that I can, in spite of a plaster of Paris thumb.  I hope all your thumbs and fingers are working for you and  allowing you to continue to create your beautiful quilts.