I Think I Might Be Obsessed With Tula

As I look around the room, I see her everywhere. Well, not HER, but you know what I mean. 

Between the quilt on the design wall

The one hanging on the wall

the secret gifts I'm working on...

What the heck is this? Any guesses?

...that I can't show you the completed versions of just yet

and the two purses hanging out on the sewing table, waiting for me to transfer the contents from one to the other

I think I might be obsessed.

We won't mention the piles of her fabrics on the shelves that I haven't even touched yet. And these aren't even all of the projects I've made with her stuff! Just off the top of my head and I can think of three other quilts. 

Yeah, I just might be a fangirl.

The point of today's post was actually to show off my new bag. I finished it late Tuesday night and am IN LOVE!

It all started with The Scoop Tote by Green Bee Patterns

I loved the Mabel Bag that I originally made but it was still just lacking a few things that I needed in a bag. The Scoop Tote almost fit the bill. I really loved it's design and figured I could add to it the few things that I was missing.

So, with The Bag Making Bible in hand, I set to work.

I needed more pockets

and a zipper to close it

I swapped the inside pocket for a zippered one so I could hide stuff from the kids

Who am I kidding? You can't hide anything from them.

I wish I had measured the outside pockets and my phone before sewing it together. The phone is a really tight fit and doesn't come out easily. I would have adjusted the size of the pattern to accommodate it. Oh well. I'm sure these pockets will still come in handy!

This was a great pattern, really easy to follow, and produced a great looking bag. I did add fusible fleece to it to make it a bit heavier. The pattern only calls for Decor Bond. I also added a piece of peltex in the bottom to help it keep it's shape. I'm not great at figuring out what fusibles to use, but I know this was the combination I used in the Amy Butler Sweet Harmony bag and I really liked how it kept it's shape. 

I did have a few issues with the additions I made because of the pleats in the bag, but I think I overcame them pretty well. It was hard to pleat the fabric with the fleece attached to it. And the pockets on the outside stick out a little bit further than I'd like. I'm not sure if it's because the pleats caused the shape of the bag to change to where the pockets were harder to match up, or because the bag is so wide that the pockets need to be taller. I think they'll work out just fine though and I can always put a tack in the middle or something to hold them closer to the bag. We'll play it by ear I think. 

This bag and that Prince Charming quilt up at the top of the post are TWO of my Just Three goals for August! Bonus!!