Bags for Quiltcon Part 2

After making the Sew Together Bag by SewDemented, I knew I wanted one more bag to take with me to Quiltcon.  I needed a larger bag to help hold all my Quiltcon class supplies and purchases. I decided on the Sewing Circle Tote by Elizabeth Hartman.

This bag was a pretty big undertaking, but it was totally worth it. I found this tonal herringbone print at Joann's that I thought would be perfect for the exterior fabric. It turned out better than I hoped for.  The straps are a Denyse Schmidt print from Joann's  The exterior front and back pockets along with the interior elastic pocket linings are Anna Maria Horner's LouLou Thi Summer Totem Strudel print.  I've been hording this print in my stash for over a year now and decided it was about time for me to use it. I ended up using coordinating prints to create the exterior side pockets and the interior zipper pocket linings since I didn't have enough of the main print. I think adding addition fabric in these select places really compliments the feature fabric nicely.

I will go ahead and say that not just any machine can put this bag together.  My old Bernina wouldn't have stood up to the challenge, but my Juki did pretty well even with the three broken needles.

The finished product is wonderful. I don't think I could have picked a better bag to fit my needs.

  
There are so many pockets that I can't imagine using them all, considering I'll also have my Sew Together Bag inside this bag at Quiltcon. I might surprise myself in the end, so I'm not completely ruling them all out. 

If I ever make this bag again, there are two things I would change. The first is not to forget to put the lining fabric on one of the outside pockets.  I was totally in a groove and missed it. I didn't even realize it until it was way too late. It was one of those moments when you realize you have extra parts laying around and you shouldn't have. Oh, well...it's not noticeable.  The second thing would be to put the top handles a bit closer together where they attach on the bag. The instructions said to line them up with the shoulder straps, and I'm not completely convinced that it's the best placement. It works fine as instructed, and it's definitely not a deal breaker, but I would move them closer together if I could rewind and do it again.

So excited to be putting these bags to use very soon. I'll be showing them off at my upcoming guild meeting first.