Inside-Outside Pouch

This month's finish is another bag -- actually the third I've made from this pattern and the one I'm keeping for myself.

The pattern is the Inside-Outside Pouch from bag/pouch/organizer designer extraordinaire Aneela Hoey. This pouch was on my list of sewing/quilting goals for 2021, so I pulled it out to make for my quilt guild's holiday gift swap. After finishing the first one, I decided to make one for my mom and one for myself, so I cut and sewed both at the same time, knowing that I wouldn't want to go back to the beginning and start all over again with each one.

There's a boxed bottom with a large center compartment, plus two narrower zipper compartments on either side with clear plastic so you can easily see what's inside. Construction was pretty easy to follow, but the very last step of hand binding around the side panels was the least pleasant. It was tricky to get into the corners, and the only curved needle I was able to find was too large to do the job. And that's why I just finished my last pouch this week after putting that binding step off for, oh, two months. :) Here it is out in the wild while I was waiting to pick up my mom at the airport:

Here are the other two -- the peach one for my mom and the hot pink/black/white one for my guild swap:

Laptop Bag

I've needed a bag for my laptop since I bought it a few years ago. Every time I would take my computer somewhere, I'd think, "Ugh I really need a bag for this." But then I'd forget until the next time. I considered buying one, but the well-padded ones aren't cheap, and I knew I could make one -- I even had a pattern that I'd used to make a bag for my mom 9 years ago! After traveling with my computer for the holidays this year and being frustrated with myself yet again, I decided it was finally time to get sewing.

The pattern I used is the Gadget Guard from Dog Under My Desk. I love the simplicity of the design, the snug fit and the fact that there's a picture for almost every step. For someone who only makes bags and pouches occasionally, this is very reassuring and helpful. Also, with more recent projects and especially bags, I've found that I get much less intimidated and frustrated if I spread the work out over a span of time. So this bag took me about a week of doing a few steps at a time and walking away when I made a mistake (sometimes repeatedly!) or got frustrated.

I chose two old-school Cotton + Steel (now Ruby Star Society) fabrics from my stash, paired with black zippers and a cool Alison Glass zipper pull that I found at my local quilt shop. I love how the bag turned out, and I feel good about finally tackling a project that I've been putting off for years. Not a bad way to start off the year!

Boxcar Tote

I can't remember when I started making this Boxcar Tote, but I do know that it was at a guild retreat and I didn't get very far before I ran out of batting to quilt the main body panels. Instead of using fusible interfacing on the main and interior pieces, I had decided to quilt the outside, giving it some texture and visual interest as well as softening up the structure a bit.

One of my goals this year (I've been referring to those a lot -- I'm really trying to get things done!) was to finally finish this tote. And I did! It took a while, but I worked on it in little bite-sized pieces over the course of a week or so. Also I'm really glad that I didn't use fusible interfacing on the whole thing because I had issues with my interfacing not fusing completely.

The fabrics are pretty bold. I bought them together with the intention of using them in this bag. My favorite print is the white with birds on the side panels. I hadn't planned to use that for the binding too, but when I got to that step, I couldn't decide what looked best. I like how the white continues from the side panels across the edge of the pockets and top of the bag. I used a light-colored fabric as the interior/lining so that I could easily find things and they didn't get lost in the deep, dark recesses.

One alteration I made was to extend the length of the straps a little bit (maybe 2 inches? I can't remember...) On the pattern and in photos I've seen of the bag made as instructed, the handles seem a little short to me -- good for holding but hard to get my hand through if I wanted to hang the bag from my wrist or forearm. I also divided the front pockets at the center seams, making 4 more-usable pockets instead of 2 large ones.