I just can't stop making bags!

It is still December and I have made one final bag for the year. I was shopping at Anthropolgie with my neighbor Kris, and I saw some vibrant, semi-quilted placemats. I folded one in half and could see that it had the potential to make a cheerful, colorful little bag. I bought it, brought it home, and tried to figure out the design and handle. It already had a perfect lining, so I just sewed up the sides, added corners to the bottom, and attached some plain wooden handles using yellow grosgrain ribbon. And here it is, just as cute as can be. I am not sure what to do with it (the perennial problem). I might take it with me to Mexico to use as a purse, unless I hear that someone has fallen in love with it and would like to claim it for their own!

The December Bag is ready to give away

Here is my cute little December tote bag. It is made from woven placemats I bought in Puerto Vallarta, last winter. The outer fabric is from two matching, multi-color place mats and the inside lining (see below) is made from two yellow placemats.

I took the multi colored place mats and pinned them to plain white flannel, then quilted them with a simple criss cross pattern. I used flannel, rather than batting, to keep the bag light weight.

After the bag was made, I decided to fill it with Mexican food items. It is now full of tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole mix, mole mix, refried beans, Spanish rice mix, and taco shells. I even added a bottle of hot sauce. I attached a card (hand stamped by my friend Carol) and it is ready to go.

Where is it going? To the Freedom in Wheelchairs program in Hopkins, for their holiday party and fundraiser. This is a non profit organization that supports people in wheelchairs. My friend Eileen told me about this group and she is donating two more filled bags to their fundraiser, which is next week.

So there it is, my last bag of the month. The project is complete. I feel good that each month I made and gave away at least one bag. It is not a big thing to do but it was my "giving" program of the year. Now I am thinking about a new program to begin next year, maybe with my husband Michael. We are heading to Mexico for a vacation and I will do some thinking and planning about our new project while we are there.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Four November bags are finished!

For November I made four bags to donate to Rebecca's nonprofit bookstore: In Other Words (in Portland, Oregon). They can sell these at the store and donate the money to the store (which always needs money!) These four bags are made from quilted place mats from Morocco. Each bag is made of two two matching, solid colored, quilted place mats. First I sewed pockets on them so there are big, roomy pockets on each outside surface of the tote. Then I sewed black cotton webbing on to secure the edges of the pockets and also become the handles. I found this pattern on the Internet, but it did not include a lining. I wanted to add a lining. So I made a fabric lining the same dimensions of the tote, and sewed it in as the final step. For the blue bag I used the same fabric for the lining and the outside pockets. But for the other three bags I had to use different fabrics for the pockets.

Here is the orange tote, showing the different fabric for the lining:

The bags were fun to make and fairly easy. But even so, each one has at least one big flaw so I am afraid that they will not bring in much money for the bookstore. I am also not sure if we will fill them with anything, because that would add to their cost and I think that might prevent them from being sold. I'll consult with Rebecca when I see her at Thanksgiving in a few weeks.

The placemats have a very tight quilting pattern (they came that way) and it makes for a nice looking bag. I tried out the blue one (which I made last month) and it worked very well as a tote for papers and a laptop at a meeting I attended in DC last month.

One of the nice things about this project is that it used up some very old pieces of fabric from my stash, which were used as lining an pockets. They came from a box of fabrics that Rebecca labeled "Browns and crap colors" when she sorted and organized fabrics for me three years ago. These fabrics were bought early in my career as a quilter and do look quite different from the colorful French and batik fabrics I tend to favor these days. But I must admit, they look very nice as linings and pickets of the quilted tote bags.

It pleases me to see the four bags hanging on my fabric board, and to know that they are finished except for cutting a few stray threads. I am eager to make my December bag or bags, which will be donated to a fundraiser for People in Wheelchairs. This was suggested by my quilting friend. I had bought some colorful woven placemats in Mexico last year, and I want to make these into tote bags. They are different from the placemats Iturned into the February bag. I will have fun figuring out how to turn those into attractive totes, and Eileen will fill at least one with products from Mexico for the silent auction.

The Farmers Market Bags have been given away!

I have just given away the second ill-fated farmers' market bag, along with a copy of Local Flavors cookbook by Deborah Madison, to my cousin Cheri. She was here this weekend helping to celebrate my son's wedding (held last June in NC). She admired the bag when visiting my quilt studio and exclaimed when she saw the cookbook, that she had been looking for a copy. So it seemed like she was the logical person to receive the farmers market bag and cookbook. Cheri offered to make a donation to our neighborhood fundraiser (since I had originally made the bag for that purpose) but I suggested she give a nice donation to the charity or nonprofit organization of her choice. She suggested In Other Words Bookstore, where Rebecca works, which was listed on Harlan and Paula's gift registry as a place to make a donation in honor of their wedding. So In Other Words will get a little boost to help it keep serving Portland (see Inotherwords.org).

I am so glad that the two Farmers' Market bags have found good recipients, and now I will focus my efforts on the remaining months. I had planned to make a bag for the fundraiser for the American School in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, that is run by Michael's cousin Jerry. That will most likely be my December bag. For November, I have a few choices for non profit groups here in town. I have made one "place mat" bag (photos still to come) and have a few more lined up to make in different colors and fabrics. But I am so busy for the next two weeks it may not happen until life calms down again in November.

October Bag Giveaway

I am very happy to have found a recipient for one of the September farmers market bags I made, originally for the Fulton Neighborhood festival. I gave it to my cooking teacher and guru (for over a decade), Robin Asbell. I first met Robin when I enrolled in her Vegetarian Thanksgiving cooking class at my neighborhood over 10 years ago. My children were vegetarians at that time. I learned how to make vegetarian entrees, a terrific cranberry chutney, and a creamy tofu pumpkin pie. I went on to take several more classes from Robin at various locations: community centers, cooking schools, and Whole Foods. I took many vegetarian classes (Chines, Indian, Thai, Italian) as well as classes that feature regional cooking (Tuscany) or foods from our local farmer's market. Robin is so wise and knowledgeable about food and cooking. Every time I take a class from her I walk away with a better understanding of cooking, ingredients, and cultures of the world. Last year Robin's first cookbook was published" The Mew Whole Grains Cookbook" (see her website at robinasbell.com). It is a gorgeous cookbook, beautiful color and photos, but best of all, fans tic recipes. I have given copies to just about everyone I care about who cares about good food. She is publishing a new vegetarian cookbook next year and I can't wait to get my copy. I love the recipes Robin creates because they are healthy, feature whole grain and whole foods, and offer unique combinations of ingredients. For example, her African mock chicken stew combines peanut butter, yams, and millet, as well as many other ingredients. Her squash tart is topped with aged Gouda and toasted hazelnuts. These are just a few of the recipes she has created that I have made again and again receiving rave reviews.

Yesterday Robin came over for for tea and we had a wonderful afternoon together. She was giving me advice about my food writing and cooking memoir and we managed to talk about many things revolving around food. Since she is a passionate patron of the St. Paul Farmer's Market, I decided to give her one of the farmer's market bags. I gave her the one with the orange pumpkins on it and she said it matches her hair (see photo above). I also gave her the copy of Local Flavors, the Deborah Madison cookbook which she did not already have.

That night at my quilt guild I received information about two non profit organizations that have silent auction fundraisers. So I should be back on track with the next bags I make.

Bags to giveaway

October is here and I still haven't given away the two September Farmers' Market bags. I have my monthly quilt guild meeting this week and I will bring them for show and tell and see if anyone knows of a fund raiser I can give them to. I have roasted and pureed the two pumpkins, cooked and eaten the squash, and used the two jars of honey. So all that is left to fill them with are the two Local Flavors cookbooks.

I haven't made another bag since the quilted placmat bag last month, and now it it is already mid October. If I can't come up with another person or place to give it to, I guess I will see if my daughter Rebecca will take it back to sell at her bookstore and keep the money as a donation. This is a busy month with my kids coming home, my son's in-laws visiting us, a post-wedding party for my son and daughter-in-law (see first January post), and then a workshop in DC.
But I hope to make at least one more quit led bag this month!

Nearing the end of the project

It is hard to believe that I have only three months to go of this Bag of the Month project. I have so many ideas and materials still waiting to be made into bags to give away! I finally tried out a pattern for a bag made from two quilted place mats. I had bought the place mats online: 4 pairs, each pair a different color, and very tightly quilted. They are made in Morocco and promised to make lovely bags. I made the first one with the dark blue place mats, using my own blue and black floral print for two outer pockets and lining, and using black cotton webbing for the handles. It came out very nice (Photo to come in my next post). I have plans to make three more bags with the remaining 3 pairs of different colored place mats. I am thinking of giving them to Rebecca to sell at her bookstore (In Other Words) to raise money since they are always in the red. I wonder if anyone would buy these quilted totes. I'll see what Rebecca says when she comes to visit next month. Then there is November and December and I don't have any ideas for projects to give away. Plus, I have the two farmers' market bags from September still sitting here after I rescued them from the flooded silent auction.