Coming up...

Hello all!

I am glad to be back to introduce what I am up to next.  I have set some lofty goals for getting sewing projects done in March, and by the grace of God, I have been able to finish a lot of them!  But hang on, cause I still have two more to go for this month--one of which I am writing about today:

Last week I went to my favorite fabric store (Joann's) in order to begin my preparations for the project I would sew after I finished my son's trousers (see here).  You see, I started out thinking I would sew a nice bag for a wonderful friend of mine that I met in ladies' bible study.  She will be moving to Texas sometime this summer, and I wanted to sew something special for her to take with her that could be a reminder of how greatly she is loved and appreciated.  I started out with an OOP Butterick pattern because I already owned it, but I quickly changed my mind when I could not figure out a pleasing way to arrange my fabric choices.

So I looked and looked, and found a perfect shopping bag that looks easy enough to sew.  It is Butterick's See and Sew 5635.

I will be sewing Bag B because it is a little bit bigger, and we all know that ladies require more room in our bags when we are shopping, right?  I also love the fact that this bag has an inside pocket with Velcro closure, for storing whatever little items you want to keep separated from the main bag area.

For the fabric, I am using a 100% cotton print that I have had in my stash for a while (I won it in a giveaway some time ago).  I kept thinking I would use it for something because it is so beautifully loud, but couldn't come up with anything.  I think I am finding that the more items I sew for myself, I would rather not use quilting cottons or the like because they never look right on me.  But for this bag, this fabric is a perfect choice.  It even has orange running through it, which is a color that my friend often wears.  I am "assuming" this bag will be a great complement for her.

Overall, I am not too nervous about putting this one together, except for sewing on the binding.  Since I am sewing to give, I want to make sure the end result is nice.  And considering my past experiences with binding application, this will be another area to brush up on.

So I hope to see you soon with a finished shopping bag and review.  And I also hope that your sewing projects are coming along now that we are officially into spring!

Stay sew-filled!