I managed to ignore a good portion of the housework this week in favor of some fun sewing projects. I've started a new quilt for our bed.  I've had a fabric stack set aside to make a bear paw quilt for our bed for over a year now.

Then Dana from Old Red Barn started up a little scrappy bear paw quilt along over on instagram.  It was just the kickstart I needed.

I'm planning to do one special accent paw in each block so I spent some time this week working on some of those.

Lulu's friend has a birthday coming up so she chose the fabric and I did the stitching on this very dear deer.  The pattern is from Issue 2 of Love Patchwork and Quilting.  (one of the cutest quilting and stitching magazines around)

I was also lucky enough to get a request from Anna of Noodlehead to try out her new road trip case pattern.  I'm already thinking about what fabrics I will use on my next one.

I love the button and loop closure.

There are two pocket options.  I chose the four pocket version with flaps.

I'm filling mine with some of my hand piecing supplies.

It was my first time working with vinyl.  I was nervous because I have heard so much over the years about how it can get stuck on presser feet while you are stitching, but I used my walking foot and it was a breeze!  I have to admit, I did get over confident and think that I could machine finish the binding.  A skill I've never been able to master and managed to get some stitches on the vinyl.  In the end, I couldn't take the sloppy stitching lines so I picked them out and finished it by hand.  I was left with some tiny holes in the vinyl, but I think they are less distracting than the line of stitching so I'm happy.

Thankfully this one wasn't a gift so I was able to accept my mistake and stitch on.  Well, again I have to admit first I ate a handful of chocolate covered almonds and then I stitched on.  I think those tiny holes might be a little reminder of how important it is to slow down and finish a project the right way.

Sometimes stubbornness just gets in the way doesn't it?

The uber clever Sara Lawson from Sew Sweetness has put together a collection of some of the cutest bags ever in her brand spanking new book, Big-City Bags, Sew Handbags with Style, Sass, and Sophistication.

(photo from Big-City Bags by Sara Lawson, Martingale, 2013; used by permission. Photo by Brent Kane. All rights reserved)

I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester for her Fireside Bowl Bag.

I was excited to try it because the pattern uses some techniques I hadn't tried before.  So I jumped in and learned lots about fusible fleece and using different hardware like swivel clips and D rings.  Sara's step by step directions made the pattern a breeze.  So when it was all stitched up I felt pretty much like I could conquer any bag.  Plus her book has directions on zippers, locks, feet, leather handles and more.  I think I may try the miss independent bag next.

(photo from Big-City Bags by Sara Lawson, Martingale, 2013; used by permission. Photo by Brent Kane. All rights reserved)

Cute right?!

You can order your own copy of Big-City Bags, or if you are feeling lucky, some of Sara's sponsors are hosting Big-City Bags ebook giveaways and if I were you, I would definitely get myself entered to win a copy of this one.

October 28 - Craft Buds October 29 - Sew Mama Sew October 30 - Aurifil October 31 - Fat Quarterly November 1 - Craft Gossip

November 4 - Fat Quarter Shop November 5 - Pellon November 6 - Craftsy November 7 - Pat Sloan Gen Q Magazine November 8 - Sew Can She Martingale

We took a little trip last week.

Cj's favorite part of any hotel stay is having snacks in bed while watching tv.

ahhh the simple pleasures (this was taken about 4 o'clock in the afternoon)

Lulu and I did our best to travel handmade.

Here she is in the elevator with her weekender.

Here's my weekender.

I love it.

Lily of the valley and purple are some of my favorite things, so I was thrilled to find enough of this fabric. (hooray superbuzzy) It's the weekender pattern from Amy Butler.  (I love that link because I could access it with my phone and get the pattern requirements while I was in the fabric store, before the pattern arrived at my house.) I tend to have good luck with her patterns.  Although there was one point around step 11 where I finally had to stop and slowly read out loud the same step a couple of times because I just couldn't figure out what she was talking about.  Once I figured it out it was smooth sailing.  For me, the biggest help was to stitch slowly, pin the corners with several pins, and also not stitch too closely when making the piping.

You can see my zipper pouch made from tape measures that a friend gifted me, along with the tiniest bit of the edge of an embroidery hoop sticking out of the pocket.  I had the best of intentions to get some stitching done, but was too tired by the end of each day.

I also finished a simple drawstring laundry bag from a fat quarter of the dwarves' laundry print from Heather Ross.