An Easter Bunny Tote Bag

A friend sent my daughter and me really cute wall hangings made from a towel and washcloth.

We wanted to make something for her and collaborated on a large tote bag.  My daughter did her great embroidery on an 8 inch center panel …

…and I used my favorite quilt block to frame a picture – 4-½ inch log cabin blocks (1-½ inch center and 1 inch strips).

I used the same pretty pink calico in the blocks and for the backing and lining.

Pale green check seems to go with pink so well and serves as an accent on the bag.

This is a roomy 16 x 20 inch tote and I hope will be used to transport a lot of good stuff.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

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An Easter Gift Bag from Scraps

I wanted to make up a small gift bag to hold Easter candy for the grandchildren and I’m always looking for ways to use up fabric scraps.  This little bag fit the bill in both cases and ties securely to keep all the treats from falling out.

This is how I made the bag:

I used 1/4 inch seams throughout.

For the bottom of the bag A:

• Cut two pieces of fabric 6 inches wide x 6-1/2 inches long.  I chose to use a cute vintage bunny print.  Notice the direction of the print before cutting so that you have the look you want on the front and back of the bag.
• Draw a 3/4 inch square at the two corners at the bottom of bag A.  This measurement will make the bag 2 inches deep.

• Cut out the squares

• Place the front and back of bag A right sides together and stitch along the sides and across the bottom.
• Spread the side of the bag and bring raw edges together at the corner, matching seams

• Stitch 1/4 inch straight across for corner

• Repeat with other corner.  Turn and press.

For top of bag – B

• Cut 2 pieces of contrasting fabric 6 inches wide x 6-1/2 inches long.  I wanted to use some blue and white scraps for this portion of the bag and cut 6 strips of white and 6 strips of blue, 1-1/2 x 6 inches.  Sew 6 strips, alternating colors, to form two 6×6-1/2 pieces for the top of the bag.

• Join front and back of B together and stitch down sides.
• At the top of B, turn down 1/4 inch and then another 1/4 inch and stitch for the hem.

Joining top and bottom – A and B

• Place the top of the bag over the bottom, matching raw edges at the top and side seams.  Stitch to join these pieces.

• Turn top A inside of bottom B and press.  Measure down 1/2 inch from seam and pin on an 11-1/2 piece of trim which has been joined with a 1/4 inch seam.

• Stitch through the center of the trim, catching all 3 layers of trim, bottom and top of bag.
• Press and assemble bag so that top portion comes out of bottom of bag.
• Fill with Easter treats and tie with a pretty ribbon.

Bag measures about 5 x 8-1/2 inches x 2 inches deep – just the right size for a stash of jellybeans.

I also made a larger version, using a 6-1/2 inch unfinished quilt block and added borders to make the piece 8-1/2 inches wide x 9-1/2 inches long for the front bottom of the bag.  I added 3 pieces of fabric the same size  for the top and back bottom pieces.  I cut 1-1/2 inch squares for the corners.  On this one, I sewed a piece of lace with eyelets near the top and threaded the ribbon through the eyelets.  You can adjust the fabric size to suit your purposes.  The blocks cut out for the corners gives the depth for the bag.  This bag measures 8 inches wide x 14 inches long x 3 inches deep.

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Quilted Shopping Bags

I made this shopping bag-size tote several years ago for the Warren County (Lebanon, Ohio) Fair.  It won a blue ribbon and I enjoyed doing the harness horse design.  I used a coloring book sketch transferred to white fabric, then embroidered the design with black floss.   I used crayons to color the picture and heat set it by placing a piece of white paper over the coloring and pressing it with a hot iron.

I used the same patchwork blocks to make the back of the bag, machine quilted it with low loft batting and made a lining and handle.

I found the large size of the bag to be extremely useful.  My oldest daughter recently mentioned that she would like to have one the same size and I started looking through my orphan blocks and scraps to see what I could put together.

The center block is a Morning Star block  I posted last year and the center with vintage-type fabric was appropriate for my daughter because she is interested and talented in any type of hand sewing.  I looked for scraps with shades of yellow and blue and cut 2-1/2 inch blocks to accentuate the focus block.

On the back, I put together 2-1/2 inch blocks with 2-1/2 inch strips to continue the color theme.  The front and back were machine quilted using low loft batting.  The sides  were left unquilted to cut down on bulk.  I made another bag of plain fabric for a lining and made the handle extra-long so my daughter can swing the bag over her shoulder if she wants.

The bag is large – 22 inches wide x 25 inches long and should accommodate a lot of stuff when my daughter comes for her weekend visits.

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Quilt, Tote Bag & Wallet for Cat Charities

I make small quilted items for my daughter, Shannon, to add to her donations to two of our favorite cat charities in the Cincinnati area, The Scratching Post and O’Bryonville Animal Rescue.  

The quilt is a small snuggle quilt for a child and is made in the quilt-as-you-go method from the Kaye Wood book, 6 Hour Quilt.  It is a simple method that joins strips, batting and backing at the same time and the quilt is reversible. 

I did some additional quilting, using decorative stitches on my Bernina. I made a small wallet and tote bag from leftover fabric.

  

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Quilted Items for Cat Charities

I enjoy making small projects for various animal charities in our area.  My daughter, Shannon, is a great supporter of these groups and makes beautiful cross-stich pieces to donate.  I pass all my projects on to her to distribute among the groups as she sees fit.  I found some great Funky Cat fabric at Fabric Shack in Waynesville, Ohio and used it to make three wall hangings and a tote bag for the benefit of the cats.   These items are offered for sale at various functions with the money going to the cat groups.

Two of our favorite cat rescue groups in the Cincinnati area are The Scratching Post and O’Bryonville Animal Rescue. 

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