Well, I just got back from the most awesome-est quilt retreat EVER. I loved every minute of it! The retreat was held in a HUGE, luxurious cabin/house - that even had a slide in it! It was located in the back of scenic Hobble Creek Canyon, UT (a short 45 minute drive from my house). It was hosted by the amazingly talented and wonderfully witty Emily Herrick of Crazy Old Ladies quilt patterns. There were about 30 of us sewing till the wee hours of the morning. The food was delish. Just the right amount of games and make 'n takes. Swag galore. New friends and a beautiful snowy setting surrounded us. And guess what! I took absolutely NO pictures! I'm sorry! I've been hunting around blog land for some and haven't come across any yet. But I shared a sewing table and a bedroom with Heather from Quilt Story and Amy from Diary of a Quilter so I'm hoping they'll pull through for me! Also at our table was Kathleen from Quilt My Phone who hooked me up with an awesome new quilty phone case! Thanks Kathleen! I LOVE it!
So before I left I worked frantically on making this weekend traveler bag. I had the pattern for a long time and thought it was the perfect excuse to actually make it. It came down to the day before the retreat and I hadn't started making it. But, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. I was able to get it done and I LOVE how it turned out!!!
The pattern is called My Paris Traveler's Bag by Fig Tree Quilts.
It was the perfect size for a three day trip. I felt like Mary Poppins when I was packing because of how much stuff I was able to fit in there!
I hope I'll be able to use it again soon.
Like maybe at a Cabin Fever 2 retreat?!?
It was a fun and productive weekend and I got two quilt tops done.
Stay tuned. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share soon.
~ Amber
What a great bag/tote/weekender! What memories you must have!!
ReplyDeleteI love your version of this bag! I have this bag and I think I've made it maybe 4 times now...all for gifts and never for myself, yet. It does finish at a really nice size.
ReplyDeleteSounds fabulous!
ReplyDeleteSounds like pure heaven! I don't blame you for not taking pics. Sometimes there isn't time! This bag is darling! Love the fabric and beautiful sewing!
ReplyDeleteThe bag is gorgeous
ReplyDeleteWasn't that just the best?! And the rest of us were mesmerized by your trunk show. Hey - if you find Jennifer at Facebook, she's got a lot of pictures up. :) If you can't find her, throw me an email and I'll pass the link over where it's not so public.
ReplyDeleteHi Amber! Check out "Quilt Story", that's how I found you! She has a photo of you and your gorgeous quilt at the retreat! Glad I found your blog :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a perfect weekend! Your bag is adorable!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed that your trip. I too have made that bag and it is amazing what fits in there. BTW never put your fabric scraps in there to sort later. The next thing you know all the room turns into a whole bunch of fabric that may take over an hour to sort. Oh yeah and your bag looks amazing. I like the fabric you picked for it.
ReplyDeleteI am in LOVE with this bag! Way cute Amber!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love that bag!! Not sure I am ready to take on a bag though. Especially since I have taken on another project that includes more quilts for others instead of my family.
ReplyDeleteYour bag looks gorgeous! I love red, it's my favourite colour, and the fabrics you've used just suit the pattern so well.
ReplyDeleteI made this pattern a few years ago and hated the directions, I found them not very clear. I hated it so much it ended up in my recycling bin! I found that the bag gets too heavy if you fill it up, maybe the key is just to use it for a weekend and not a week's worth of items.
ReplyDeleteMarianne,
ReplyDeleteYes, I was confused many times during this pattern. But then again, I am not a "bag person" so I would probably be confused during any kind of bag making :) And I agree, the bag could definitely get too heavy. It's nice (since it's fabric and has some give) that it can hold a lot but I could see how it could get too heavy if you put too much in there. I do think it's cute though and now that it's done (and I survived the instructions) I love it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Amber