Quilted Bags

Our quilting group at the church recently had a quilting workshop, and Colleen taught those who were interested how to make a quilted bag.  Other quilters worked on whatever project they wished.  It was a fabulous day of quilting and visiting.

The outsides of the bag were made with pieced strips, in a quilt as you go fashion.

Here's a progress shot of some of the work done that day, by the ladies participating.

 I was busy that day, assisting with other quilters and facilitating lunch (which was very very good--I just set the table, other quilters made the food), so didn't make a bag then. 

I made my bag later. I had the parts of 2 blocks left over from making Lug Nuts, the pattern suggests you can piece them into the backing, but I had a wide back and wasn't needing to piece it at all, so I still had the blocks, and thought to use them in this bag.   I finished piecing the blocks in a quilt as you go fashion, and framed them out to make the hexagons rectangular, again in a quilt as you go fashion.  Between the fusible fleece and the seams sewn, there was enough stitching to hold everything in place--but where's the fun in that for a quilter? and so I loaded the panels on my longarm and quilted them.

and then I assembled my bag.  It was a bit of a challenge (to myself) to use only scraps from my Lug Nuts quilt, and I used scraps from another project as my bag lining.  Consequently, the pockets are pieced, and the straps are pieced, but I succeeded in only using my own scraps. (Colleen had offered some of hers, but there was no challenge in using those :P )

  I think the sides turned out looking alright, because I had the matching fabric to the opposite hexagon to square off the hexies....I feel like that sentence doesn't make any sense, but hopefully you get my meaning.