Sewing Travel Kit

I have something to admit...I'm a bit of a binge sewer. Anyone else like me? I was reading a post where someone classified their sewing this way and it resonated with me. I've been on hiatus the past few weeks due to the crazy deadline I gave myself for the Madrona Road Challenge as well as a commissioned piece. I was burned out (it doesn't take much apparently!).

This past Friday I sat down determine to make something small. Something I could finish in one sitting. I miss these type of activities. In fact I hardly ever make a small project anymore and the satisfaction of completing a quilt is not the same as having something finished in a few hours after you set out to make it (well at least for me).

So what did I make you ask? Well, I was reviewing all of the bags and aprons popping up on blogs and twitter from everyone going to QuiltCon and wanted to make something too for the event. I knew it would be nothing that complex and I also needed to bring a sewing kit to Texas. Voila, a match made!

I only made one change to the pattern by Amy of Lots of Pink Here! She suggested you stitch in the ditch to attach the inside firmly to the exterior piece of fabric. But, by doing this your stitching would show on the outside - which I didn't want. So, I threw caution to the wind and I'm happy I did so. The reinforcement is a nice idea but not a necessary step in my opinion. (The seams I'm talking about are located under the thread and just to the right of the scissors in the picture below).

Minimal quilting won this round. I didn't have a concrete idea about what I wanted and was itching to have it done. You do the quilting in like the 3rd step and I already was wanting to be done!

Overall, I think this is a great pattern and easy to do. The areas I had trouble (along the ends of the straps - my feed dogs didn't want to catch 'em to pull through the machine) had nothing to do with how the pattern is written. I think these would make great gifts and hope to make a few more in the future! 

I also wanted to show you what I will be taking to QuiltCon. The only items missing are an apron and vegetables. Yes, vegetables. I'm taking a fabric dying class which requires a cardboard box, a respirator, and vegetables :)

I also needed to buy a few yards of PFD fabric. Which then led me to buy Architextures. Which then led to more fabric buying! (Hope to show you it soon!)

I've done a great job not buying fabric but there is just something about this line! It's so unique and the colors are great. And it's not just another variation of a flower or geometric print. I do like those but they don't get me excited. I bought a jelly roll since I wanted all the prints and now have to come up with a pattern for my first quilt from a JR!

I will be MIA for a week or so but if you check out my twitter page I hope to post pictures along the way of my journey at QuiltCon.