"John" wrote in message
...
On Aug 22, 10:21 am, IMS wrote:
On Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:46:11 -0700 (PDT), John



wrote:
As promised; The second of probably many of the girly bag series of
totes/bags/ carryalls/ and mystery bags, that I am doing for one of my
wife's fundraisers. This one has a greater emphasis on the colors of
the 9 patch pattern and less on the dividing sashing of peachy pink,
which tended to dominate the first bag of the series. I like this
combination better than the first one, but each one has it's own
appeal, I guess, even though they all will be using the same colors;
just in different amounts. The noteworthy item on the open bag is one
of the best things you can do if you are making bags or purses, the
"Key Ring Lanyard". I use brass thumb release hooks so you can get the
keys off and use them off the bag, but there are plastic ones
available from the key making stand at any Home Depot/Lowes center. I
came up with this idea while watching my wife go dumpster diving for
her keys in a bag she was using, at the time. I thought that if you
had the keys attached to a lanyard of some sort, it would be an
advantage and so in every bag I have made for her, (and that is many),
I have included one and she tells me she is forever grateful. I am
sure I am not the first person to think of this, but a number of her
friends had never seen one and were very impressed. And so it goes. 2
views. No waiting. Enjoy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ljtaylor...erest#55079932...

Beautiful, John! Are you using a pattern(s) for these bags? If so
could you share which ones? They're really beautiful.

-Irene

Not really. I tend to create on the fly, so to speak. I have made
about 20 different bags of varying patterns. One of the things I have
found is that the style of the bag is dependent on the quilt pattern.
I did some with a hexagon shaped quilted pattern, and that caused me
to do a different assembly method,( I had to use a liner), than one
with a square shaped quilted pattern like the 9 patch. The square
shaped pattern is the easiest to sew, as the inside pockets, don't
require a liner, as the same sewing that does the quilting can be used
for the creation of the pockets. One of the Tricks I did use, is an
oval serving platter as a template for the bottoms of those that I
wanted as an oval shape. It makes for a bag that sits closer to the
body than a round one. Trial and error is one of the best design
methods for me. The lessons learned by mistakes, are the ones that
stay with you as knowledge. Someone said to me that the sign of a good
carpenter is one that you can't see his
mistakes. It probably holds true with people who sew. Everybody makes
boo-boo's. but if you can incorporate them so that they don't show, I
am ahead of the game. Maybe I should write a how to book on sewing
bags. Oh Great. Just what I need. Another project.

John
Wonderful bags, John!! I would buy the book! ;-)

Nana