Designing the Virginia Woolf Bag

Here are the building blocks of my Virginia Woolf bag. I have the photo tranferred on fabric, and some lovely small print florals. I am thinking of putting a narrow lavender border around the photo, then putting that on a square (on point). I will then add traingles of the dark purple rectangle to form one side of the outside of the bag. I may use the green floral for the inner lining. I may also use a white with lavender print for a top border and the bottom fabric, and a pale floral for the straps.

I am eager to get started. This should be fun.

Starting to plan the May bag of the month

The bag for May is going to a Virginia Woolf bag. This is one of my favorite photos of Virginia. I spent a year reading her books in high school and especially loved Mrs. Dalloway. A few years ago when the book The Hours was published I loved it, becuase it included Viriginia and Mrs. Dalloway as characters. I am making a Virginia Woolf bag to give to Rebecca's bookstore for their annual fund raiser this summer.
Rebecca works at In Ohter Words (inotherwords.org), a non-profit feminist bookstore in Portland, Oregon.
I am thinking of using this photo on the outside of the bag, so I just printed it on cloth. I like to use Printed Treasures fabric sheets to transfer photos to cloth on my printer.

When Rebecca was home in March we picked out some delicate floarl fabrics to use in making this bag, but I hvaen't begun to plan a pattern yet. It will be floral, with a few coordinating fabrics. I already have plans of what to fill this bag with: some Virginia Woolf books (which Rebecca will donate), a teacup and some British tea, a journal and a pen. My neighbro Kirs already volunteered to make a journal to put in the bag!

I am thinking of putting a small border around the photo of Virginia, and then setting this in a patchwork design of sorts. I'll have to play with fabrics to see what pattern will look best. I'll probably make the front and back the same, and then use a simple floarl lining.
OK, stay tuned. I may try to work on this tomorrow.

My cousin Cheri

This vibrant and beatufiul woman is my cousin Cheri. I had just finished 8th grade when Cheri was born. I came to spend a week at my Aunt Carla and Uncle Earl's home, as I did each summer, and was thrilled to be able to hold, cuddle, and play with the adorable baby Cheri. Each year when I came back to visit, I delighted in spending time with the growing girl, as she grew from baby to toddler to preschooler. When Cheri was three, she was quite articulate and precocious. My cousin Beth and I used to dream up little plays to perfrom and bribe Cheri to take on speaking parts in them, along with her sister Wendy. When Beth was studying the famous Lady MacBeth monologue at her summer theater program, Cheri learned it by heart as well. We loved hearing her proclain in her solemn little voice, "Out, Out damn spot, Out I say." Cheri was like a little sister to me, and I adored her, becuase I had no little sister of my own, just annoying little brothers.

I remember taking Cheri to summer camp with her older sisters, talking with her about the frustrations of junior high school, and admiring her efforts to learn and play viola.

Many years later, when I was married, the mother of young twins, and living in our newly purchased house, Cheri came to visit. She was applyingfor summer law internships. She was an attractive and poised young woman, and I wondered when and how she had managed to grow up into this impressive young ault. In my mind, she was still the little cousin I loved to play with.

Now Cheri is a lawyer, a wife, and a mother. She wears many hats and is invovled in a variety of important activites, yet still finds time to do the creative hobbies that are important to her. In addition, she is running for her local school board, being willing to generouslyy give her time and talents to the important cause of improving public schools in Indianapolis. Over the past five years I have enjoyed several visits to Cheri's home, as we carted our daughter to and from college in nearby Richnond, Indiana. We have enjoyed some wonderful cousins gatherings and have comforted each other at family funerals. I feel that I have known Cheri all of her life, but I know I will get to know her on a deeper and more personal level when we travel to Paris together next month. I look forward to long walks in this beatiful city, long talks over cups of tea or coffee, or over evening glasses of wine at a sidewalk cafe. I know that the experience of living in Paris with Cheri will be a special one, and one that I will treasure forever.

The April in Paris bag is finished!

I really enjoyed making this bag and it went together smoothly. I cut rectangles of the outer fabric so that I had outer borders of sunflowers. I quilted the outer fabric to batting using diagonal wavy lines and some vertical lines along the yeelow stripes. I made a big sunflower pocket for the inside lining and sewed it to the contrasting print (see below).

I also used the stripes from the lining fabric to make handles, using a method I learned when making the March bag of the month. I cut 45 inch strips of cotton webbing, and a six inch wide piece of lining fabric. I folded the fabric in half, lengthwise, and ironed it. Then i folded each side into the center, slippig the webbing under one of the two side flaps. I folded the two sides together, and then stiched along each side of the strap. The result is a nice firm strap. After sewing the bag together, I added a bright yellow sunflower button to sue with a fabric loop to close the bag.

Next, it is time to fill the bag with goodies. You can see the things I selected in the photo below. First, I have chosen a bright read and orange

scarf I bought in a little shop on the Rue Mouffetrad in Paris two years ago, that matches the colors of this bag.

Next are two books about Paris: one is Postcards from Paris and the other is a Paris walking guide. I have enjoyed these books and and sending them on for Cheri to read. Next is a big travel laundry bag made from a fanciful Paris print fabric. I made one for me too, to use on our trip next month. There is a piece from the cooking memoir I am writing, called "Dreaming of Paris" that is about my love affair with Paris and has a few of my favorite recipes. I have included a bar of soap scented with Provencal flowers, a CD of Paris cafe music, a blank card I made with a photo I took out of my hotel in Paris, two years ago. Finally, there is a jar of candied violets, from France. I am putting all these things in the box and packing it up to send to Cheri. In my next post, I'll say more about Cheri and why she is so special to me. Also, I want to thank those of you who have been leaving comments on my blog, It is grea to hear from you and I am glad you like my bags!

TIme to start the April bag

April is rushing by and I have been pondering what bag to begin next. Since April is often linked with Paris, as in "April in Paris" I decded to begin a Paris celebration bag for my cousin Cheri. Cheri was conceived in Paris and has always loved that city. She spent time there during college and has been longing to go back. Last fall at a cousins gathering, Cheri responded to my plea to find someone to travel to Paris with me this May, I am so grateful she agreed to be my traveling companion, so I want to make her a quilted Paris bag. I am using Provencal fabrics purchased from a Paris quilt shop, Le Rouvray. Shari picked the colors and seleted these from my collection. I am going to use the deep orange and sunflower fabric for the outside of the bag and the yllow/orange fabric for the inside. I have some yellow cotton webbing I may use for the straps. I also have a big yellow flower button I can use to close the bag.

I am not going to piece this bag, just quilt it. I will quilt the outer fabric to batting. Then line it with the inner fabric. It will be a large squarish tote, big enough to carry a notebook to meetings (in the hopes Cheri is elected to her local school board, next month).

Even if she isn't elected,I am sure she will be able to find plenty of things to fill this bag.