Hexagon Bag

Completed! Horray! Another bag to throw on the pile of project bags. This is the front. I am not sure about the air mail block, but otherwise I love it.


Behold! The back! Pretty similar to the front really.

So upon review...

The pattern is easy to follow but I don't think the template matches up with the number of Hexes. I would make them 4" next time. I also ballsed up the lining but that's my own fault.


I quilted the lining to the front so I just sewed it all together and bias binded the seams rather than making a separate lining and stitching it in. I don't mind how I did it. I quite like seeing the stitching. The whole bag feels a bit flimsy though. It collapses when you put it down into a quilted blob. I wish I had added a bit of interfacing.


I also added a bigger pocket. I just wanted something I could slip my iphone into and my wallet. In all honesty, without a zip or fastening, the bag isn't really that useful as a handbag as I think someone could easily slip their hand in that gaping side hole. Plus I sewed the pocket in by hand which I don't think is great from a wear and tear factor. But as a project bag/day trip bag it works perfectly.


The handles are also different and I had to make up how to attach them. I made material bits to secure the wooden handles which were the same width as the hexes so it would look neat. They came out a little long though. They do flop nicely over the top though which pleases me.
So all in all, a successful project.


Time to delve back into the project notebook and see what's next on the cards. Another bag? there is a more secure one I would like to try. Or some shorts for Penelope or some harem trousers to make her look like she eats lentils and quinoa rather than chicken dippers and smiley faces. Or a card holder for my credit cards or something else! These small projects are working out perfectly.

And the ongoing bigger idea is to make something for myself. It's difficult though as it requires more fabric so more money and I worry I will basically make some kind of sack. I ordered some swatches from the cheap Fabric Mill up north. I was thinking maybe a winter flannel Tova dress. That's why the check is in there. Can I wear that much check? As Rachel pointed out, we are too young to wear that much linen. We need to have lumpy feet and sandals for that, so the linen swatches are out. The flowers are not as soft and dainty as they looked so they are out. And the cream stripe is lovely, but am I a cream person? I wish I could just see a fabric and go 'YES!' I did see some lovely fabric in RayStitch so I might go back there and see if the price is prohibitive.

Hexagon bag

So Rachel and I decided to make the same bag from a book she had: Suzuko Koseki's Natural Patchwork. We were inspired by this lovely version we found on Pinterest by Leila from Where Orchids Grow and decided to make one using the original hexagons but use the round handles.



I wasn't really sure about my combination of fabrics. I have a real problem working out what goes together which is why I often just follow something I have seen. I can't really see if something doesn't work until it is finished which is rather late in the game. I wanted the range of colours to be different enough but also to go together. I am not sure that they do. Sigh.


My picture of the pattern was a bit blurry so I think I got the measurements wrong for my hexagons. They aren't tall enough for the template I drew. So I've trimmed the pattern and my bag will end up being a bit small... and potentially useless. I thought of adding more squares but I decided to just plough onwards and see what happens. I can always make another, bigger one next time... with squares like Leila's.

Construction continues...

Hopefully we will have matching bags in time for the Royal Festival of Quilts so we can fill them with fabric.

Cushion at last!

I promised my other half that I would make him a cushion about, oh, two years a go. So here we are! Well sort of. I thought I would make two kinds. One out of normal quilting cotton and one out of thicker deco fabric. So here is the quilting fabric version. I didn't make my casing too tight as I get annoyed by over plump pillows. Is it just me? I like to squish myself into a cushion. I feel it might be a tad over baggy. I have a bigger form I can squash into it if need be though.


I was going to do a zippered edge but zips cost money so I opted for the flap form. I might unpick an old zip for the next one and see which I prefer. I added a slightly different fabric on the back because I couldn't resist. I really like it.


I had to add the standard useless tags of course. I really like the black against the yellow.


And another.


I think I might keep this one on the poor brown sofa I hate so much. This was the emergency pregnancy sofa purchase. It was interest free, it was big enough to lie on at 40 weeks and quite frankly, I just wanted to sit down and eat an eclair as soon as we got to the showroom, so we ended up with the brown monster which is to see us through the dirty years so we can buy a really nice one when Penelope has stopped smearing. Ten years? Sigh. I was so offended by the brown tartan cushions that I threw them in the cellar. I might unpick the zips and cast my mind to creating some nice ones to replace them. I can't decide whether to make them all the same, all yellow or a mismatch of colours.