Palm Canyon Bag

About a year ago, Violet Craft released her Palm Canyon fabric line. I Have you seen the fabric? I received a half jelly roll of it in a Sew Sampler box awhile ago. It has some yummy colors, soft yellows and turquoise.

To be honest, I wasn’t all that excited about the fabrics when I saw them all rolled up, which is probably why it sat on my shelf so long. The colors are so soft, they don’t really shine well in a roll. I was much happier when I unrolled it and found this little guy.

Who can resist a cute little fella like that?! I’ve always wanted to see a roadrunner in real life. Maybe someday when I visit Arizona again.

Anyway, as I closed my eyes for a few winks the other day, I started thinking about this little half jelly roll. I suddenly knew what I wanted to make with it, a tablerunner!

So off I went, pulled out the jelly roll, picked out a few strips, cut them to 16-1/2″ and started to sew them together.

Short runners, eh? Well, about halfway through the sewing of the strips, I decided that the runner was going to be too wide. I pondered cutting it narrower. Then I thought about making a pillow instead. No, wait — how about a bag? Did I have a piece of fabric for the lining? Yes, I found a grey polka dot by Kaffe Fassett in my stash. Did I have a batting stiff enough for a bag? Yes, I had just enough Soft & Stable left over from the Jolly Braid Tote Bag I made in October of last year. I love it when that happens.

So the photo above is the strips sewn together and basted to the Soft and Stable. Each piece measures approximately 15″ x 17″. I wasn’t using a pattern, just going from memory.

Now, drum roll, please . . . I actually did some free motion on these two pieces! I used Aurifil thread #3910, Lemon Ice (such a lovely color!). I’m just a little proud of myself. I did a simple meander in wobbly, kindergarten-type stitches, but I did it. Haha!

The Soft and Stable is foam-like, so it really shows off the quilting.  It also makes it look better than it is.

The one other item leftover from the Jelly Braid tote bag was the strap material, but I have no idea where I stashed it.  I did have some white cotton webbing, so I cut two pieces 30″ each. However, they just needed a little something. I took two jelly roll strips, one for each strap. Folding one strip in half, right sides together, I stitched down the side to make a tube. Once I had the tube turned, I pressed the seam to the center. I centered the jelly roll strip on the webbing and stitched along each side, trimmed off the excess jelly roll strip, and basted each strap to the bag.  I like how it turned out.

For the lining, I used a piece of Kaffe Fassett grey polka dot that I had in my stash, and cut it to the same measurements as the bag pieces.  Once I had the lining bag made, I snugged the outer bag into the lining bag so they were right sides together. I sewed around the bag, leaving a gap for turning. Once turned, I tucked the lining to the inside of the bag.

I stitched around the top of the bag, catching the gap and sewing it closed. Voila! A finished bag. The bag measures approximately 13″ x 16″.

With a few 9″ – 10″ strips left over, I thought it would be fun to make a matching zippy pouch for the bag. I even found a matching zipper! This time I used fusible fleece to stabilize the bag, and did straight line quilting with my walking foot. I used the beautiful Aurifil Lemon Ice (#3910) again. It blends so well with the yellow strips it was difficult to see while I stitched, but I love it.

And I had enough of the Kaffe Fassett grey polka dot left over for the lining.

Here’s the duo, sitting pretty on my patio table.

BigJ and I are going to take some day trips this weekend, and I think I’ll take this bag and pouch along. Just think of how much fabric that bag will hold, should we happen to come across a quilt shop . . .

And with that, my friends, this post is in the bag!

Linking up today with

• Midweek Makers with Susan at Quilt Fabrication
• Let’s Bee Social with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts
• Wednesday Wait Loss with Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter
• Needle and Thread Thursday with Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation

Do you like to make bags? What is your favorite pattern?

Wendy