November Blogger Bundle & Giveaway

Yes! A big secret I've held onto (see Dayna? I can...) for most of this year can finally be let out of ....
the bag!😝

Welcome to everyone, new readers and regular ones.

Many months ago Bernie of Needle & Foot emailed me asking if I'd like to be the November Blogger Bundle chooser-upper. Pinch me? I was and am excited and so honoured that she asked me! It's another one of those things I've seen other bloggers do; the first one was Alyssa at Pile o' Fabric, and I thought, wow, I want to be her one day...well, I guess that day is today!

Without further ado, here are the fabrics I put together. It was such a fun process.

Beauties, right?!

This last Blogger Bundle for Needle & Foot for 2018 is extra-special: Bernie, in her generosity and inclusive nature, had the idea to have two giveaways, and asked if I'd be willing to send a bundle to one of my Canadian readers, while she would hold a giveaway for American readers. Anyone who's hung around my blog for any length of time knows how much I value inclusiveness, so I absolutely love this aspect of this month's Blogger Bundle. Would you like to open up that bundle?

Of course you would!

Aren't they just wonderful?! If you'd like to get your hands on any or all of these, links are below to individual fabrics, as well as to the bundle itself.

From left to right, starting with the yellow print they are:
Boho Meadow by Bethan Janine for Dashwood Fabric
PBT Elements, Textured Plaid in Blue for P&B Textiles
Cinese Mystery from Virtuosa by bari j for Art Gallery Fabrics
Theatre Resonance from Virtuosa by bari j for Art Gallery Fabrics
Bear Essentials 3 in Violet for P&B Textiles
Textured Solid in Sand from Wonder by Carrie Bloomston for Windham Fabrics

The bundle is on sale Nov. 7-9 in Bernie's shop, Needle & Foot Fine Fabrics for 20% off the fat quarter or half yard bundle.

What I love about this bundle, and I hope you've noticed, is the flow; that pieces in each fabric connect to others. See the tiny hits of violet in the yellow? The hits of yellow in the centre one by bari j? (Love her designs btw, have several from previous collections.) The violet that appears in the diamonds and flows into the P&B Textiles print?

Okay on to my project. My first thought was I wanted to make a small sit-upon quilt for teaching yoga, but when the fabrics arrived, I realized my plan needed more than a fat quarter of background! (smacks head)
Not to worry; this is what I go through each month (and I love it) with Island Batik, is figuring out what to make, and trying to decide because I have so many ideas and 'wannamakes'!

Well, if you picked up the foreshadowing hint in my first sentence, you'll know I decided upon making a bag, reworking one I designed about 11 years ago after I made a 9x9" quilted lunchbag from Quilts 'n More 2006. I based this teacher book bag, 16x20".on that little lunch bag. As you can see from the photo below, I used it so much I wore nearly right through the hand handles. The shoulder strap is still going strong!

Since I retired from teaching, I've used this a few times for my yoga stuff when I teach.

That bag was made with a pack of 4" Moda charm squares. It was back when they'd just introduced pre-cuts and hadn't hit upon the 5" is the charm (pun intended) size.

Here's my re-created bag!

Yup, I changed it up a bit, bringing in some fun plus blocks and featuring my two favourite prints as side panels. I used the sand textured solid as the top band because I just 'saw' a flowing line of feathers there. I bought that button a couple of years ago at a quilt shop that had fancy and vintage buttons, and I'm so glad I could find it immediately because I knew it was perfect for this bag.

Here's the reverse side:

Surprise! So this bag has non-matching sides! You can carry it either way, really. I thought it gave it a whimsical element. (Aside: I'm so glad I got it done and photographed yesterday as today the winds are blowing at gale force, no lie.)

Here's the bag bottom:

That place where it's a definite darker section of fabric is not pieced! Isn't that just so cool? Not only does the plaid kind of change like that, but the colours fade in and out too. I used a Sulky 30 wt variegated blues and purples to quilt a straight line down the centre of the bottom, and then an undulating line on either side of it.

So quilting. Somewhere I saw a pantograph (sorry can't recall whose blog) that was a wiggly serpentine line that did huge spirals. I thought, 'I think I can FMQ that!' and decided to give it a whirl on this bag. I loaded the front and back panels onto Avril, using a leftover Warm 'n Natural piece and IKEA muslin. I had a dusty-mauve 28 wt Aurifil thread I was dying to try, and so loaded it. It quilted beautifully.

You can see from this photo that I followed some lines in the diamond fabric and emulated the diagonal non-parallel lines in the violet print. For the plaid plus I just did three straight lines through the centre of each 'bar' of the plus.

I used a variegated creams and greys Aurifil to quilt the feathers and to do the meander in the yellow side panel.

I had to do my signature (ha!) FMQ initials to show this is my bag!

Here are the threads I used with a better look at the snazzy handles:

I like to put a double layer of batting in the handles. Easier on the shoulder and longer-lasting.

Want a peek inside? I didn't have enough to make a lining unless I did a patchwork lining...but I had a half yard sitting in my Island Batik box from the Basics Bundle, and it was perfect!

And I didn't have enough of the batik to make pockets, so the violet P&B Textiles fabric worked out perfectly inside and ties everything together. In my teacher bag I made sections for three pens, so I thought one would be handy, as I plan to use this for travelling, or taking quilting stuff when I sew with friends, or to yoga classes I teach. You can see I remembered to insert my mmm! quilts label when I stitched the pocket to the lining.

One last look!

I started writing a pattern for it, so I'll let you know when I publish it. I'd hoped to have the Playtime Plus pattern release coincide with this post, but it didn't quite happen, (so close!).

Quilt Stats:
Pattern: Original design
Size: 16" x 20"
Fabric: November Blogger Bundle at Needle & Foot (see links above)
Batting: Warm 'n Natural scraps
Quilted: on Avril; 18 668 stitches
Threads: pieced on Bernina with Gütermann cotton 50 wt; quilted with Aurifil variegated 4060 50 wt; Aurifil 2525 28 wt; and Sulky Blendables 733-4022 30 wt.

Now some important details!

To read Bernie's blog post, and to enter for the giveaway she's is hosting, go here.

To purchase your own November Blogger Bundle, fat quarters or half yards, go here. Remember it's on sale beginning today and running through Friday, Nov. 9.

The Blogger Bundle giveaway I am hosting is for Canadian addresses only; you'll enter through the Rafflecopter widget below. Followers of mine get an extra entry. For a third entry, head over to Bernie's blog Needle & Foot, where you will find links to following her on Instagram, FaceBook or her blog! If you aren't familiar with Bernie, spend a little time checking out her blog; I promise you you won't be disappointed. She is a caring blogger, and it shows in the causes she has supported and taught us all about. One I supported this year is A Doll Like Me; another current cause is Mercy-ful Quilts. Any bit of compassion and care without boundaries is much-needed in our world.

Update: I got up this morning, re-read this, and thought, this isn't fair; I have lots of overseas readers, many of whom I count among dear friends, and hope to meet up with one day...so for you dear friends not in Canada, but perhaps in Ireland, England, France, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, where several of my dear friends do live, then please enter as well! Your prize will be my two most expensive patterns in my Craftsy shop, and another of your choosing, for a total of three!

The giveaway runs from Nov. 7 through midnight EST Nov. 10. Winners will be notified by email and announced here on the blog as well. Due to the high volume of comments during a giveaway, I won't be responding personally, but rest assured I will read each one!


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