Well, I think it's time to get back to good old quilting, knitting and sewing! And I want to start off with a project I finished just in time for last week's trip to Washington DC- the Mini Mail Sack by Kathy at Pink Chalk Studio. I love this pattern! Kathy knows all about little details in sewing and her patterns are so well written and easy to use. I also made the Note Taker a couple of years ago. I did learn my lesson from the Note Taker about using a topstitching needle and that made all the difference on this project. You really do need one!
The yoke and handle are made with linen backed with fusible interfacing, so it's nice and sturdy. The green print is from Echino and is one of my very favorites. It's a heavier weight than quilting cottons, though perhaps not as sturdy as a home decorator weight fabric. It's really great for this project because of the various motifs available in one yard of fabric. I just love the spider!
When I was done with the bag it needed a zipper pouch. The larger size Mail Sack has a built in zipper pocket, but the mini does not (both sizes are in the one pattern). I used this simple zipper pouch tutorial to make this with some of the leftover Echino print.
And, here's the inside- complete with pockets made from another section of that yard of Echino. I'm so pleased with this bag. It worked beautifully in DC while touring all the museums and on the plane too. I made the handle pattern piece about 3 inches longer, though could have done 4-5 inches perhaps. I can wear it cross-wise like on the front of the pattern, but I can also just sling it over one shoulder when I need to. I'm thinking about making the larger size now!
