Sewing Machine (c'est moi)

As I said, I've barely been away from my machines for weeks. Aside from the chorus costumes (several tops and a pair of pants), I've been making some cute bags for my Baritones. (Despite the cancellation of our annual Regional Competition, the chorus will still get together soon to celebrate our accomplishments and hard work of this past year, and give gifts of appreciation to our sections and our leaders.)

It took 3 iterations, but I finally got all the dimensions figured out for this Strawberry Bag:

The first bag I made, using the dimensions listed by ikat in her instructions, was far too big to stuff into the corner pocket (that prototype now resides in the back of the car for my own use). So I increased the polka-dot square to 6".

Still way too small!

The third and final attempt used a 7" polka-dot square, two 14" squares each of fabric and rip-stop nylon (instead of 14"x16"), and 22" of cording. The green rectangles were expanded to roughly an inch less than whatever the hypotenuse of a 7" square is, plus 1/2" to allow for the hems on each end. I also narrowed the straps by half. My object was to make the tote big enough to fill the corner (to make that cute strawberry), but small enough to easily stuff into the corner. It wouldn't make sense to create something that was so difficult to contain that it would never become a strawberry again, once released!

The outer fabric was a GoodWill/OpShop purchase from years ago. I had scads of it! It's been sitting in my file cabinet (where I keep lengths of a yard or more) waiting for a job as quilt backing, for.e.ver. It was perfect for this project, and there's still enough left to back a large quilt. Scads, I tell you!

The polka-dot fabric was a gift from a chorus member who was clearing out all her little-girl fabrics (she has granddaughters) before she moved. As soon as I saw it, I knew what project it would be part of.

Another addition to ikat's instruction was the button. It keeps the cord stop from accidentally being pulled completely off the cord itself. The fact that I happened to have 5 of these cute cicada buttons was another stroke of luck/kismet.

Of course, none of this would be possible without my constant sewing companion and helper, Zoe.

A typical pose, but she can do better.

Why limit yourself to the boundaries of the cutting table? Fill the frame!

But honestly, how can I stay exasperated when I get this pose?

Despite all the help, I finally harvested this crop

and then went on to finish up my Secret Sister's Cabana Tote Bag:

It's a good thing she owns cats herself; I know she won't have an allergic reaction to Zoe's Seat of Approval.