My Patriotic Campfire Messenger Bag

Can you believe it? Two posts in two days! I finished up my third Campfire Messenger Bag this morning and I just had to post photos of it! I made it for a friend with a birthday on the 4th of July, therefore it is patriotic and glittery! I had a remnant of some red and blue paisley so I went to my 4th of July stash and found found accent fabric to go with it!

The front of the bag

View of the back of the bag with the back pocket

Inside of the flap. The little stars have glitter !

The recessed zipper with a zipper pull from Zipit

The inside with big glittery stars! Isn't this one of the most patriotic bags you have seen?

If you haven't heard of the Bag of the Month Club, here is the link telling you all about it. It is never too late to join in all the fun!

My Bird Tree Wiinner and other "Stuff"!!!

Sorry it took me so long to post my winner! I have notified her so all is good on that front! My winner was Mary from Quilting Through Rose Colored Trifocals(don't you just love that name?)! Here is what she told us about her weather!

"Wow, you've been busy!! Love the idea of using a birdy fabric for a tote -- I need to do that, too!! I'm in Northeast Ohio and we have my "favorite" weather combo, melting snow and mud, but it's in the low 40's and after the deep freeze of February, it's great!!"

 I had many questions about the Button Pins so I went back and added a link to Madam Samm's post about them. She tells how to make them plus has a great link for buttons. They are so much fun to make and are sooooo cute! Check out the link and you, too, will soon be making cute little button pins!

I have been working on two more Campfire Messenger bags from the Bag of the Month Club. If you join now, you will receive January, February and March patterns immediately and next Wednesday, the April pattern will make an appearance!!! I cannot wait. Here is my second Campfire Messenger Bag by Noodlehead . I love this pattern and I should have another one to share with you by the first of the week!

Front of my bag. I bought this fabric several years ago for some forgotten project but it was just perfect for the front flap! I truly love this fabric and am so glad I found a great use for it!

This is the inside of the flap; again it is from the same fabric family. Aren't the colors bright and cheery?

Here is my recessed zipper and a view of the lovely chevron fabric I found to match everything.

I want to thank everyone who dropped by to visit my Bird Tree post. I read each and every post and replied to everyone til the dreaded flu hit me and I just didn't have the "get up and go" to reply...sorry but I did read all! Reading about some of the weather in the northern states made me really cold! In Florida, 40 is "freezing" to us!

Tree Bird Blog Hop and a Giveaway!

I never thought I would look forward to Friday the 13th but I couldn't wait for it to get here this week!!! Yes, it is my day to show y'all my projects using the beautiful fabric by Tracy Lizotte of Elizabeth's Studios. This is another great Hop organized by Madam Samm! Our wonderful Head Cheerleader is Lana from It Seams To Be Sew who kept us under control and ready to go!!!!

I haven't participated in a Blog Hop in a long while but when I saw the fabric, I knew I had to join in because I had the perfect project in mind! I hurried off and ordered several pieces of the Beautiful Bird fabric and as soon as it arrived, I jumped right to it! I had been making totes using charm packs after watching Jenny from Missouri Star Quilt Company on You Tube  . Well, yes, this fabric wasn't a charm pack, but I could certainly make charms from it! I have adapted the pattern a bit, adding a magnetic snap, and using cotton webbing for straps but that is the fun of sewing, making it your own!(click on photos to enlarge!)

Front of bag. What better place to take a photo of birds than a tree?

 It was so much fun doing the straight line quilting on the bags. I used the coordinating leave fabric for the bottom of the bag as well as the lining.

Then I had to make a couple more! I used the birdhouse blocks and Hoo's Tree fabric by Tracy Lizotte . I love her fabric and waiting for her new pattern in May! The later does have other animals but birds are included so I hope it is all right to use for this hop!

Front of Bag

Back of Bag

See the cute little owls!

More owls and a finch!

After I finished the totes, I could not stop with bird fabric! I belong to the Bag of the Month club and my January and February bags are dedicated to birds...well, to owls anyway! I had so much fun picking out the fabric and making new bags! The January bag is a Companion Carpet bag designed by  Mrs. H at Sewing with Mrs. H. It had many new techniques for me but each was fun to learn.

This is the front...if you look closely you will see that there is a pocket trimmed with piping near the center of the bag.

This is a side view of the gingham gusset. I like what it adds to the overall look of the bag!

Next up was the February bag, The Hyacinth bag by Sara Lawson at Sew Sweetness. Again this was a learning experience. I used some gorgeous fabric by Michael Miller.The flap covers card holders and a zipper pocket. There is also a large open section in the middle and a zippered pocket on the back.

The top portion fabric is called Flight in Black and the lower section fabric is Bridgetown in white.

You would think I was finished but I decided to try one more new thing...a Dresden plate pincushion. I had never done a dresden plate so this was really fun! It is a really large pincushion but I really like it because I can get so many pins in it. While I was doing the pincushion I decided to finally make some "fancy" pins like Madam Samm showed us! What fun!

I decided to center the blue jay and a few of his friends in the center of the pincushion!

I made a smaller round pincushion just for the heck of it!!! Aren't they the cutest animals?

If you have made it this far, I think you deserve a giveaway! For this hop, I am giving away a panel of the beautiful bird fabric and a package of "make your own labels"!

To win this all you have to do is make a comment telling me where you are visiting from and how your weather is! This winter has really been strange so this could be fun! Right now, it is hot, hot, hot here in FL! Mid 80's today! Be sure that  I have a way to get in touch with you if your comment is chosen by the Random Number Generator. I will draw the winner Tuesday  March 24th and email the winner.

ADDED LATE FRIDAY MORNING:

Oops, I see I forgot one tote and it is my very favorite one! This is from a pattern by Erin at Dog Under My Desk and is called the Outta Time Tote! I used my very favorite owl material(and let me tell you I have loads of owl fabric!). I added piping to her pattern and I just love it! It has a red lining and a zip pocket on the interior also. Aren't those the cutest owls?

Don't forget to visit all the other folks who have made wonder things from bird fabric! Here is the list:

Friday, March 13 It Seams To Be Sew   Life in the Scrapatch Amy Stitches Lakeshore Stitches Needled Mom Quilt in a not - Shell Suebee's World Thank you so much for visiting! Sure hope you enjoyed my projects!

MARCH BAG OF THE MONTH--CAMPFIRE MESSENGER BAG

I am so proud of myself! It is only March 9th and I have finished my March bag! I am usually so far behind in making the bags it isn't funny! The March bag is the Campfire Messenger Bag by Noodlehead, Anna Graham. I love it from the moment I saw it and knew I had just the right fabric. I bought the fabric ages ago and was saving it for just the right time! I must admit that the bag had a few challenging techniques for me but Anna explained everything so well, that I really had no big problems, just slowed down and read carefully!

The front of the bag is a bright array of flowers on the flap with coordinating yellow tabs for the snaps. I had "fun" putting the snaps on but after a few tries, I got pretty good at it!

The back of the bag has a full width pocket that is trimmed in the bright yellow fabric again. BTW, the colors in the photos of the front and the back exteriors is pretty close to the true color. Even though the photos were taken at the same time and the same place, the colors are sure different in the next photo!

Here are the cargo pockets and the exterior zipper  pocket. It really looks wrinkled in the photo but in real life, not so wrinkled!

This the interior of the flap. I love the gray, black and yellow together! The straps are made with a coordinating fabric that I found in my black and white stash. It matches almost exactly with the stripe in the flap interior. Just dumb luck, I guess!

A peek at  the interior of the bag with the same black and white check fabric for the inner slip pocket. It is quite roomy!

This is the view of  the top recessed zipper which gave me a bit of trouble until I slowed down, read carefully and followed Anna's directions. I even managed to match the stripes.I added leather ties on the zipper ends for that final touch!

By the way, it isn't too late for you to join the Bag of the Month Club! It continues on into June. If you join now, you will receive the first three patterns and  then get one the beginning of each month through June. Check out all the info at Sew Sweetness with Sara Lawson.

My Outta Time Totes....

Well, so much for my posting weekly...I guess I am though, just very weakly! I have been working on bags recently and here are some of them. I bought Dog Under My Desk Erin's Outta Time Tote and I love it. I have finished two and have several more cut out and ready to go! It is such fun to sew and you know everyone loves a new tote! At least I hope so, since I am giving everyone I know their own tote!!! Hope you enjoy them.

The first one I made, I used some Heidi Grace fabric I found on sale. I am not much of a purple fan but this was so cute and so inexpensive on sale that I couldn't resist and luckily I  found a matching stripe to go with it. I made it for a friend who loves, loves, loves purple so I hope she loves this!

Here is the overall bag

A close-up of the front zipper

The second one I made was in "my colors", blue and green. I made this for my hairdresser for her birthday. She, too, is a blue and green lover! I added the lime piping on the front for some pizzazz and I think it worked well. I used a lime zipper on the outside with the blue fabric and the blue inside with the lime. I love contrasts!

Front of bag

Close-up of front zipper and piping!

These are such fun totes to make! Be sure to check out Erin's blog for the rest of her patterns!