Thank God It's Tuesday?

Thanking God this morning that I had such a good weekend (and a long weekend to boot) and that starting the work week on a Tuesday makes for a nice short work week.

We had a good time at the 500th win of the school's basketball team under our current coach on Friday night. Saturday I spent the day in fellowship hall with a half dozen good friends, sewing away! I got a lot done and had a delightful time.

I turned my Coffee and Cream Churn Dash top over to a new machine quilter that several of the crowd has been using. She does things differently than I'm used to. She uses bobbin thread to quilt; her goal is for the quilting to show but not actually the thread. She had some samples and I could understand what she was saying. I wasn't totally convinced that I liked this look, but there is pretty much going on on my CCCD quilt, so I decided to let her have it and see when it comes back whether I like this style well enough to use her again. Her work is lovely and she is willing to pick up and deliver and apparently her turn-around time is short and her prices are competitive. So, we shall see. I like the idea of a local resource for my non-custom, meander, and panto quilts.

This is the bag that was the big craze during the summer of 2007, Amy Butler's Frenchy Bag. I first saw it on Nicole's blog, and after my dear friend Kathy surprised me with the patternthe bag, I made pretty many of them, some for myself, and some to give away. I attempted to sell some at the school store, but that didn't work out.

So I was way ahead for holiday gifts. Joe made a trip to Texas at one point and two of the bags became hostess gifts for his sister and niece who housed him.

I liked the Frenchy bag a lot. And Amy writes the best directions. But I never was able to get the top flap to show the stiffness that is its characteristic. I tried various different types and quantitites of interfacing, but it just wasn't to be for me.

Enamoured with the idea of making bags, I picked up a couple of other bag patterns last summer, but it really didn't take off as I had other things in the works.

I don't know were I first saw this Flea Market Bag by Grand Revival, but it was sometime in the last week or two. I predict it will be the bag to make and to carry this summer.

I bought my pattern on line already and it is just calling to me! Doesn't it look gorgeous made up in that fabric that looks so much like your grandmother's bedroom wallpaper? I can picture it in one of the slightly more sedate Kaffe Fassett fabrics, too, with another of them used as the lining. There are two styles -- messenger and tie shoulder -- and two sizes -- large and small, d'uh -- and I just can't wait to get started on one.

Stay tuned. It won't be long!

And now, friends, look what Amy's up to! This pattern could be brand new or it could be an old one. I saw it this weekend in Keepsake's catalog and was immediately smitten. I've always enjoyed hats and last summer took a straw one with a nice black ribbon all over Greece with me. Can't wait to make one, perhaps to match my first Flea Market Bag, doncha think?

This hat would also make a nice gift -- who could resist?