I know I swore I would never make this bag again, but I have a short memory when it comes to painful crafts. (See: felting.) My mom had always admired my Weekender Bag, and I got this crazy idea last fall that this would be a perfect birthday gift. I started a week before her birthday. Nine months of thinking about it and then I actually sit down to make it. I need to work on that.

I'm happy to say that this time was much, much easier than the first.

I  found the fabric at Pink Chalk Studios many, many months ago, and made a separate order for the lining and binding. It's home dec fabric, so not as stiff and thick as the canvas I used to make mine, so it was a little easier to sew through.

Like I said, the whole process was a lot easier this time. I had absolutely no problem with the piping - it's a snap to make. I think they key was not pinning anything. Just sew slowly and line up your edges as you go. You'll be a lot happier that way. I did the same thing when I added the piping to the bag - no pins. Nothing bunched up or ended up getting pushed out of place.

I did make a few little modifications. I lengthed the straps by 2" each, to make it easier to slip over your shoulder, and I widened them by 1" (which, when folded over like in the pattern, only widens the strap by 1/2"). I sewed the entire strap to the front panel instead of just securing it with two little lines of stitches like the pattern says. In fact, one of the straps on my bag came off as soon as we reached my parents' house. It was apparently jealous.

So it turned out well. I managed to finish it with a day to spare, and I think she really liked it. It'll be good for traveling with her girlfriends and her next trip to Italy.

Of course, it won't be nearly as much fun without these two idiots along for the ride:

My best friend got married last weekend.

She's the pretty one.I've been looking forward to this day for so long. Not because I wanted her to get hitched, but because I'd been stealthily working on their wedding present for months. I can finally, FINALLY show it to you.

Ta da!

That is one big quilt. I'm not sure of the final measurements, but it completely covers the top of a Queen-sized bed and goes just a little over the sides. It's a monster, my biggest quilt to-date.

There are more than 35 different fabrics in this, and I don't think I made the same block twice. It seemed like I was piecing forever. The pattern is Square Dance from Bright Quilts from Down Under, but I did make a few adjustments. My squares are a little smaller and I didn't keep sister squares together (basically, you have pairs of squares that are reverse images of each other). I originally wanted to quilt circles of all sizes, but I ended up going with diagonal lines through each square. I'm really happy I decided to do that. I'm facing the fact that my little machine is just too small for more intricate designs and honestly, I'm okay with that. The colors are more important to me than the quilting.

The back is Kona Cotton in Papaya, and the binding is Kona Cotton in Hibiscus. I love both of these colors, and for some reason I bought way too much of the Papaya, so you'll be seeing that again, I think.

One of my favorite parts of this quilt is the label (shown here without writing on it yet). I had some extra blocks, so I sewed four together and then cut out a circle. Easy-peasy. Next time, I will use double-sided interfacing to attach it to the back - the stitching kept fraying and I think I sewed it on there three different times.

I'm very happy to say that the bride and groom loved it. I miss it already, but I'll just have to go and visit it as much as possible.

I'm a quilter, right? I mean, I make quilts. I like fabric, I like looking at other people's quilts, I like napping under quilts. Amy is hosting a virtual quilt festival - so many fun things to look at! My entry is the quilt that challenged everything I knew about sewing - which, admittedly, not much. It's also the quilt that I loved making the most.

I had such a good time making this wall hanging for my mom's birthday last year. I spent weeks cutting teeny-tiny pieces and fusing them together (the original post, which details how I did it, is here). And I enjoyed it so much that I plan on making one for myself.

The little naked fairies are my favorite part. It's hard to see the stitching that deliniates their body parts, but trust me, they're pretty well-endowed.  My mom has been working hard on her fairy gardens this year, and I like to think the girls leave their fabric garden at night and snooze in the clay fairy houses by the pond.

The backing fabric is pretty awesome - I may make some coasters or something with the leftovers.

I learned a lot on this quilt, most notably that, when hanging, you can tell that it's crooked. Like, really crooked. I was pretty horrified at first, but my mom didn't seem to care. She's good like that. This quilt also ended my long-standing fear of my sewing machine. We're pretty good pals now.

I am a champion sleeper. I can sleep anytime, anyplace, usually for many hours at a time. I consider myself devoted to the napping cause and I defy you to find anyone who can sleep through a Sonic Youth concert. I can and I did.

I had the opportunity to make a sweet pillowcase last week. Not for me, but you can bet your bippy I will rectify that situation right quick.

I used the tutorial over at Film in the Fridge and the case came together very quickly. Well, it should have been quick, but I clearly don't know how to read or follow directions. The French seams would have been a lot easier if I was paying attention when I read the direction. (WRONG sides together, WRONG sides).

What's a French seam? Okay, so you know when you sew something (without a serger - we're not fancy here) and the seam on the inside of the project is all frayed and there are little strings everywhere? A French seam hides those little strings and makes everything pretty:

That's the inside of the pillowcase. Inside! All nice and neat!

The purpose of the pillowcase was actually to use the blue owl fabric (the little strip). I spent quite awhile at Harper's auditioning fabrics for the bulk of the pillowcase, and thankfully these little dots jumped out at me right when I was about to give up. I'm glad I bought a little extra for myself.

So: more pillowcases to come, maybe for everyone I've ever met, and this time I won't swear as much.