I am picky about the purse I carry. It has to have an inside zippered pocket and I like little pockets on the outside for my keys, phone, cords and it has to have a shoulder strap! That's a must. It also needs to be large enough to carry all the stuff I need and my tablet. However, I don't want it so large that I load it down and make it too heavy for me to carry -which happens a lot! So, needless to say, when I find a purse I like, I carry it for awhile. I am not one of those that changes purses with every outfit I wear. I have one purse and that is it. My blue purse has served me well for the last year, but the hook that holds the strap to the purse has been coming undone for the last 3 months. Not alot at first, but lately, ding, and it just falls off my shoulder. So, it's time to get a new one. (did I also say that most of my purses come from Target? I am cheap that way) So, off to Target to find a new one. I go through the racks and nothing catches my eye. I fix the hook and on to another day. week. Well, no more. I have to have a new one. I trudge back to Target and . . . pick up a fairly cute purse, put it on my shoulder, no, not that one. Next. No. Next. There. A cute natural linen with raspberry faux lizard straps and trim. However, it doesn't have any outside pockets. That is not good. It's the only one that catches my eye and I have to have a new one NOW!! So, home it goes. (well, of course, it first goes into the basket and then I pay for it before I take it home, duh) I transfer all my stuff and there isn't a pocket for the keys or for all the cords that go with the phones, tablet and i-pod. I knew that, but I didn't want the ugly boxy purse and I know I can make what I want if I just would do it.
After using it for a couple of days I decide that I have to have a little bag for the cords because every time I take something out of my purse, a cord is attached to it and comes out, too. Sometimes with other items attached to the other end. To the drawing board. After making the first bag too tall and skinny, I made this little bag. It currently has the cord for my traveling docker that I take with me quilting. It's a cute bag, but not as cute as the little black and white and hot pink bag in my purse. (sorry no picture at this time). I think this is going to work - maybe - those ribbon ties might drive me crazy, too. I will let you know.
At our workday Saturday with my Bee Friends group I worked on my chicken quilt. I got the fabric made for the top border and then added some red fabric to set it. Now I can't decide what else to add. I don't think it's finished, yet. I love him even though his right wing is flipped upside down. I have thought about going in and fixing it, but it's not square and if I take it out I will create another problem. The bottom is behind the ironing board. Sorry you guys get to see the boxes on the top and the mess on the ironing board. However, I have rigged a wonderful place to hang a top I am working on. You really can't see it very well, but I have a red yard stick that I have bulldog clipped my quilt top to and then I have set it on the top shelf of my storage shelves. The top hangs down and covers up all the other boxes and I am able to figure out what else I need to add. I do have a flannel wall, but it has a quilt top on it that I can't move yet. So, this is my improvisation. OOPS! it's thundering here so I don't know how much longer before Taegan - my scardy dog - will hold out before I have to go downstairs and lay on the couch with him. I guess I will type faster.
I know I whined about making a table runner, thanks for listening by the way, but I have made the top part of one. I know!! I was totally shocked myself. My friend, Gerrie, made one of those jelly roll quilts where you stitch the strips all together. Then she put on some applique flowers and stems. Gorgeous! Then, at BEE, Saturday, my friend, Kathy, had some Moda candy bars she won and was asking about putting them together in that same fashion to make her table runner. I think it's a great idea, but that isn't what I want to do for my table runner. I don't know exactly what I am going to make, but not that. Well, today, I was putting away some of the items I cleared off the cutting table yesterday morning in my attempt to avoid deciding what to work on at BEE - another story - and came across a piece that I made with the intention of cutting it up and creating blocks out of it for another quilt. I looked at it and decided it needed a black border. Then it needed some flowers. I really like how this turned out so far - not quilted yet - and I may have to keep it for myself. I just attached it on top of the chicken quilt so I could take a quick picture. I can't wait to quilt it.
Alright, I know this has been a bit long, but I really worked on several items fast and furious this weekend so I wanted to share with you one last thing. We have a door prize each month at our BEE. If you win the prize for that month, it is your job to supply the prize for the next month. We have been doing this for the last 3 or 4 years now. We have also had the tradition - a bad one, in my opinion - to keep the same gift sack for the entire year. Whoever wins in December, changes out the gift sack with a new one for the next year. I don't know who started this or even why we do it, but we have done it this way for at least 3 years. Well, this year, we have kept the same sack as last year. We have had this sack for a year and a half!!!!! It is time to retire the sack. So, since I won this month, I told them that I was going to make a bag/sack that could be part of the gift or it could be passed around (over and over) The deal will be, if you decide to keep the bag, you will have to make another bag to replace it. If you don't want to make a bag, then this bag - or the bag your gift came in - has to move on to the next person. I measured the current gift bag and this new one is the exact same size as the one we have been passing around for a year and a half. Below are two pictures of the new bag.
I really like it. I have a few adjustments to make if I am going to make it again, but it works for my first try. Okay, the dogs are all barking - even though I don't hear any more thundering. gotta go sleep on the couch!!
