Bahamian Inspiration

My husband and I had the opportunity to go to the Bahamas for a short vacation a few weeks ago and as always, I took my sketching and painting supplies with me. Below are some sketches I did while I was relaxing.

In an obscure hallway at the resort, I happened upon this beautiful quilt that was framed and hanging on the wall. It is a wonderful example of applique and looked as if it was hand stitched. Too bad it was displayed in a place where not many would see it. There were no details with it as to who had made it and when.

Sketching Sling Bag Completed

When I read through the instructions to complete this sling bag, I knew it would be a big project and I almost put it back into my studio cupboard for another time. I hesitated because I was looking for a challenge and I had all the materials purchased and ready to go. After about three week's work, it is finally done and I love it! It is not as big as I thought it would be but I learned a lot about how these bags are constructed. I had to put four zippers into it!  I made a few small errors along the way but really enjoyed the process and I love my fabric choices. It is perfect to carry some small sketch books in and pencils, small paint kit and any other items I need for a sketching outing. It has 5 pockets so I can even bring snacks.

Front and back sections

Sewing on the bias fabric to the inside of the bag to hide the seam allowances.

Voila!

Front pocket with zippered interior pocket.

Two pockets in the interior of the bag.

A Slightly Out of the Ordinary New Project

This summer while I was wandering around a local quilt shop, I saw these really unique hand-made sling bags and backpacks. I'm not sure if it was the fabric that caught my eye or the construction but I really, really liked them. As I looked at how they were constructed, I knew this would not be a cheap endeavor or a quick project but I was interested in doing something different for a change and so I bought the pattern and the essential accessories. In order to keep the price down, I would use fabric that I already had at home.

It sat in my cupboard for a long time while I finished other projects and then I took it out and read through the instructions. It was becoming very apparent that I still had to purchase other materials that I didn't have on hand such as fusible fleece, fusible woven interfacing and something called "peltex" that I had never heard of before. There were also a few zippers I needed to get. Yes, this was becoming an expensive project. I did have the fabric at home I wanted to use and I was still excited about trying to put this thing together.

 This is what the sling bag looks like. The one in the store was much nicer but probably because the fabric used was nicer than on this photo. It has one adjustable strap that you can sling over your shoulder and has a lot of pockets. I think it would be great for carrying my sketching gear.

After reading through the instructions, I was a bit overwhelmed. There was a lot of cutting out of pieces and because I am using several different fabrics, I had to be sure I was using the right fabric for the right piece. I had to cut lining pieces for every section and so I thought I would use an off white cotton. After cutting several of the lining pieces, I realized I needed to use quilting weight cotton and of a complimentary fabric to the rest because it would be visible when you opened the bag. It took me a week to cut all the various pieces out before I could even begin to sew!

As I started to sew, I was really impressed with the accuracy and clarity of the instructions. Sewing was going much faster than the cutting did.

Sling strap completed.

Interior Pockets

Check back for photos of the completed bag.