Friday, December 22, 2017

a sew together bag for Emily

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I'm happy to share another finish with you today! I made this sew together bag (pattern here) for my friend Emily as part of a Christmas swap between some good friends.
Emily likes gray, aqua and hexagons, so I combined all of those things in this little bag. I have to admit that this took a lot longer to make than I was anticipating, but she loves it, so it was totally worth it. The hexagons were English Paper Pieced, which means they were basted and then stitched together...all by hand. I did enjoy making the EPP panel and then using it for a bag exterior. I did not enjoy cutting through the hand stitches when I had to trim the panel down. That was nerve wracking! Thankfully I measured right the first time.
This is the second time that I finished the binding by hand on a sew together bag and I'm sold on the neat and tidy results.
If you are attempting to sew this bag, I would highly recommend adding zipper tabs (see this post) as a modification to the pattern. It makes sewing up the sides so much easier. As you can see, I enjoyed selecting a lot of different fabrics for the interior. I have plenty of aqua in the stash to choose from. Hurray!
This is my 7th sew together bag that I've made to date! I have one more to make before I put this pattern on hold again for awhile. They sure do make great gifts!
As a little extra for the swap package, I made Emily this little coffee ornament. You can find the free pattern here. I used coffee beans for a filling, so it has a wonderful coffee aroma. I thought that was pretty fun.
 
Well, that's it for me today! Do you have a finish to share? If so, please link up. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
finish it up Friday, 12/22/17
1. Smiles from Kate  48. Małgorzata/From the deep of a forest :)  
2. Melissa Corry  49. Deadline finishes  
3. Mari @ The Academic Quilter  50. Anja @ Anja Quilts  
4. Bambi  51. Kathy @ AlliKat Quilts  
5. Smiles from Kate 2  52. Lisa @ Shinersview  
6. Alidiza  53. 100% Handpieced Quilt @ Sewn by Leila  
7. Deana at Dreamworthy Quilts  54. JulieBagamaryArt - Quilted Heart  
8. Craftartista: Mia  55. Hibiscus FMQ motif tutorial  
9. Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs  56. Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Flying Duck Orchid  
10. Luna Lovequilts - Three different pouches  57. Jen @ Stitchified  
11. Roseanne @ Home Sewn By Us  58. Winter Illusion Quilt - the lilac cat  
12. Quilting is more fun than Housework  59. Johnna @ Yellow Bird Stitches  
13. Coastal Christmas Lantern  60. charlotte@GrammieQ's  
14. The Inside Stori  61. viridian61  
15. Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty  62. Garden Snails Quilt @ Dresden Lane  
16. DonnaleeQ  63. Gail at the cozy quilter  
17. Em's Scrapbag  64. Heide D  
18. Ruth @ Stitching Impressions  65. DIY Hexie Christmas Tree Card  
19. Kat & Cat Quilts  66. Ali Phillips  
20. KatyQuilts  67. Slice of Pi Quilts: Paying It Forward - Again!  
21. unbeehaved-Free Pattern Friday  68. Brooke@SillyMamaQuilts  
22. Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts  69. New Star Rising pattern @ Huntspatch Quilts  
23. Mary @ Fleur de Lis Quilts  70. Patterns By Jen  
24. Christmas quilt from Elm Street Quilts  71. Tiina - Splendid Sampler finish  
25. Wendy’s Quilts and More  72. Giant Hexagons Quilt - Christine  
26. Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl  73. Kim@bittybitsandpieces  
27. Karen  74. Laura  
28. Judy @ Busy Hands Are Happy Hands  75. 🍼 Arabella's Quilt 🚼  
29. Erica @ Kitchen Table Quilting  76. Pomada  
30. Suzy Webster  77. Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion  
31. Wendy  78. Peekamoose Mountain Quilts  
32. AngelaA @ betterndogbiscuits oops  79. K Sorensen Fabric palette/collection advice  
33. Finished or Not Friday  80. JulieBagamaryArt-RustDyedChallenge  
34. Izzy @ Dizzy Quilts  81. Tula Pink Sampler D.O.N.E.  
35. Dizzy Quilts: Radiant Splendor  82. a maiden hair fern  
36. Debora @ Studio Dragonfly  83. Scrap vortex potholder and then some  
37. Kay Sorensen's fabric wall  84. Treadlestitches Christmas Scraps  
38. Quilting Gail  85. Janice@singreadsew  
39. My Imperfect Life  86. Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts  
40. something rosemade  87. Carol Quilts Sometimes - Boy Quilts  
41. Christmas Quilt Top @ Creatin' in the Sticks  88. Carol Quilts Sometimes - Christmas Quilt  
42. JanineMarie: Quilt for CA  89. Karen @runsewfun  
43. tubakk Norway  90. Tammy travelinsewl  
44. Ann @ FretNotYourself  91. Tracy @ pursuing joy  
45. Snowcatcher  92. steffishobbys  
46. Pack Rat With A Plan  93. Modern Mug Rugs  
47. ✂️ Staff Retreat ✂️  94. Colleen@piecemakerquilts  

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22 comments:

Melissa Corry said...

That sew together bag is so cute!!! I love it done in the Hexie's :) That is on my list of "to make someday"

Mari said...

Beautiful little bag! I love the aqua. Lucky Emily! Merry Christmas!

Brenda said...

I am always inspired by your Sew Together bags. All of those zippers and binding had me intimidated, but I made my first one last summer. I hand stitched the binding down, and I felt kind of bad because I couldn't stitch it neatly enough on the machine. Now I know that you have issues with it too, I feel better about it! Merry Christmas and I thanks for all the inspiration I get from your blog.

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Amanda,
That little bag is just fabulous! I am 100% sure that Emily will love it. All those zippers inside make it so handy for so many different situations. And that coffee-filled ornament is so cute, too. I'll bet it smells delicious hanging on the tree. I can imagine people sitting near it and thinking, hmm, I smell coffee . . . and they would never guess it was from an ornament. Merry Christmas to you and your family, and thanks for hosting us every Friday. ~smile~ Roseanne

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

cute bag - Merry Christmas thanks for the link up every Friday

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

What a beautiful gift and extra for Emily!

Di~ said...

LOVE it! really cute! how long does one of those take you now?
My quilt group made them, but of course I just didn't have the courage! :)

Kay said...

This is gorgeous, lucky Emily. I always hand stitch all my binding on anything, I just really like hand stitching. x

Julie Bagamary said...

GREAT bag!

The Joyful Quilter said...

I think this is my MOST FAVORITE bag of this type!! LOVE the color and those sweet little hexagons, too.

Pamela Arbour said...

I have made quite a few of those bags myself. I think you have sold me on the idea of finishing the binding by hand. I found that it doesn't take much longer to make 3 or 4 than it does one because each step still takes a little thought, so it's better to just make several. LOL They are one of the best bags. You did a good job. Thanks for sharing.

KaHolly said...

It’s ansolutely precious! I’ve made three...not sew sure I’d make another.

Lodi said...

Beautiful bag! The colors are so calming - perfect for hand sewing! Merry Christmas to you and your family:)

Kathleen said...

I am on my third one, and the zipper tabs are a good idea. I still have trouble getting those side pieces on evenly, and that might be a big help. I am determined to get them on smoothly. Its funny I am making 2, and one was much easier than the other...

Lorna McMahon said...

Emily will be so pleased to get this lovely bag and cute coffee ornament. They are both beautiful! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Pam said...

Love the see together bag!

Jenny said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family. And I love reading your blog and seeing what you create.
Reading your Finish it up Friday post is always a highlight of my week - and occasionally I have something to share on your linky too.
Best wishes from New eEaland.

Unknown said...

I have two of these under my belt now. They are lovely to have and to give. Any lucky recipient you pass one of these to with love you forever! I just checked out the zipper tab tutorial - it's absolutely BRILLIANT! This technique gives such a professional finished look especially for the little amount of "extra" time it takes to go the extra mile. Can't wait to make another one just to try out the zipper tab technique...Thanks for the info!!!

Mary Marcotte said...

That bag is beautiful. I love all the pockets and organization options. I just bought a couple of patterns that I want to try but this could be on the short list. Any zipper improvement is a good technique to know.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Melanie said...

Your sew together bag is once again a total pretty! I just love it.

Suzanne said...

This is a bag to treasure. It’s stunning.

FlourishingPalms said...

Thanks to you, I decided to make a Sew Together Bag for my friend, Karen. I customized hers with her initial. It turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. It was SO helpful to follow QuiltBarn's Sew Together Bag tutorials. The bag you made for your friend is adorable! Those hexies are perfectly trendy. You're a good friend to your friends.