QuiltCon bound

I am so excited to be going to my first ever Quilt Con!  In case you don't know what Quilt Con is, it is a conference held in Austin, TX by the Modern Quilt Guild. This is the 2nd year, and the first was in 2013.   Good news is that starting next year, they will be holding the conference every year, but it will switch between the East and West coasts.  Next year, it's in Pasadena, CA and in 2017 it's in Savannah, GA!  You can bet I'll be going to that!

So, I feel enormous pressure to travel handmade.  I mean, check out the #travelhandmade hashtag on IG.  You'll see what I'm talking about.  The stuff peeps make is outrageously awesome!  Serious talent out there.  

Because I don't have much handmade stuff, that means I needed to crank some shiz out! There is also a lot of (self imposed) pressure to do something awesome. Awesome to me means great fabrics and a great pattern.  So I decided to make the Trail Tote, by Anna Graham over at Noodlehead.  This FREE pattern comes in two sizes and I chose to make the larger size for toting all my junk around in Austin.  

I used some new Cotton + Steel (a Sarah Watts design - - lurve it) with some Echino airplanes.  I found some gray faux suede in my stash (forgot I had that) and used that for the straps and piping.  Speaking of piping, this was my first time sewing piping, let alone making it.  But it was easy and I think it turned out great.  You can make piping w/ a zipper foot!  But I think I'll invest in a cording/piping foot in the near future.

Back to the bag.  The pattern is easy to follow, though the instructions were a little vague on the strap pieces that are attached to the bag.  If you stumbled upon this post in regards to the Trail Tote, just know that the pieces need to face down into the bag!  Ha!  Makes sense, but she doesn't tell you that.  Ask me how I discovered it!  You know it!  Seam ripper time!

The large size is really a big ole bag!  I'm used to carrying a smaller bag, so I will be able to carry my Ipad in my bag for my trip.

I also decided I would need a more traditional tote bag, when I remembered I never sewed my Park applique pattern into the designed tote bag!  I took Carolyn Friedlander's class back in August 2014 (it's a good class, so if she's coming near you, take her class).  It is a part of the slow sewing movement and the pattern is in her Savor Each Stitch book.  It's a beautiful book and the Park project was really nice to work on.  Hand work allows me to be in the same room with my hubby so we get some time together instead of me being back in my sewing room.  Or the atelier.  That's a fancy French word for "workshop"!  It makes my basement, no window having, sewing corner sound much better than it is!! hehehe!

So, Carolyn has a tutorial on her blog about how to make the tote.  I used store bought piping (I'm now a master at sewing this stuff after the Trail Tote) and I had webbing on hand that I used for the handles.  Now I have me a spiffy tote to tote around Quilt Con.  The bag is a Lotta Jansdotter print, with Sweetwater Reunion for the design.  Oh, and I sewed the handles down skinnier after I snapped this pic, so it looks better!

Now I look like I've got some sewing skillz (even though I really don't . . . shhhhh) with my 2 awesome bags!!

I'll post from Quilt Con.  If you are going, look out for me.  I've got buttons to trade!

Linking up to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday!

Happy Sewing!
Nicole