Nearly bit off more than I could chew

Boy, I've been gone awhile, haven't I? I apologize. Summers are tough for blogging (not that I would really know; this is my first summer with a blog)...so far I haven't had a whole lot of time for myself. But that's okay, I've been enjoying a change in the routine. Today we went to a beach on a nearby lake. We packed a pinic, brought sand toys, etc. Now I'm home all showered with dry clothes. And moisturizer. Love that feeling!

Anyway, I had seen this purse in the summer issue of Quilts and More and thought it would be fun to make. See it there on the upper right?

That's actually the back of the bag. The front is appliqued, which was definitely the most fun part. I have never machine appliqued before. It was really cool and easy. Much quicker than hand applique. I used mostly Fig Tree Whimsy fabrics. A jelly roll is really handy for the patchwork part. Here's mine all finished...

And here's a better look at the applique....

Note to self: read through pattern before deciding whether to make something or not! There was a LOT involved, more than I expected. It took me several days to make. It's a pretty good size tote bag, so some of the pieces were large, larger than my cutting mat. Then there were a few "specialty" items I had to buy...cotton webbing for the handles, heavyweight fusible interfacing, and eyelets. Plus it took a lot of fabric.  Here are some detail shots. First, the button closure...

The pockets...

The side eyelets and ties...

And the back...

Those eyelets were kind of cool to put in. You have to hammer them in on concrete, really hard...my kids thought I was nuts!

Now that that's done I can move onto my next project! Hmmm, what will it be??

♥ Jen