Three Quilted Bags

These bags are my latest creation/obsession. I made the blue and orange one a few weeks ago for myself because I decided that I wanted a new purse - one that was both pretty and functional (i.e. has a pocket for my cell phone so I can answer it before it kicks over to voicemail!). After making it and using it for a while, I decided that I could make it better and set about writing directions for a quilted bag pattern that had dimensions I liked better. Specifically, I wanted it to hold a few more things and I wanted the straps long enough so that I could carry the purse on my shoulder.

There's another reason I kept making bags, totally unrelated to the fact that I wanted to improve the design of the purse itself. I have so many fabric scraps and love the idea of using them all. I keep thinking of fabulous color combinations that I can create and my fingers are just itching to make them happen. I want to make a bag that is mostly white with hints of pink, but that one will have to wait until various other projects are completed. I wish I had the idea for that one before I made this bright colored one. I love bright, rainbow colors and have lots of scraps as a result. I thought that making a purse out of them would be fabulous, but it's actually a little loud for my taste. I think I need to work on being subtle ;).

I'm entering these bags in the July Whiplash competition under the "skill" category. The craft I am particularly skilled at is quilting, and these bags certainly reflect that. For each bag, I first had to create a quilt before turning those quilts into bags. I pieced many different scraps together into one large piece of fabric, basted it onto some quilt batting, and then quilted a design on it with my sewing machine. Each bag has its own, unique quilting design.


I wanted to give the blue and orange bag a modern feel, so I quilted a series of circles and triangles onto it at uneven intervals. The green bag made me thing of spring, so I quilted a flower and leaf pattern on it. I had a really hard time coming up with an idea for the rainbow bag and finally settled on the sun, because you need the sun to make a rainbow.

I'm still using the blue and orange bag as my purse (when I'm not using a diaper bag!) - I always keep the first of anything I make. That way, I don't have to admit to my mistakes to anyone other than myself ;). My mother-in-law has already fallen in love with the green bag and offered to buy it from me. I, of course, can't take money from her so I guess it's going to be a gift. That leaves the rainbow bag as the only purse without a home. In the meantime, I think I'll hang it in my sewing room so I can admire it on a daily basis.