When I first received the assignment to create a beautiful bag on my new BERNINA 830 my mind started to work overtime. So many techniques, so little time!!

Of course, I knew I wanted to add embroidery - that was a given - but what else? I set about to find fabric, as many times fabric will talk to me during a project (no, not real voices!). When I found the brown-striped home dec fabric I knew I had hit pay dirt. The striped pattern gave me a wonderful palette to work with. I had a great time using my trusty Bulky Overlock / Braiding Foot #12C to couch green and lavender chenille cording to create new fabric for one section.

I also wanted to try bobbinwork with my new 830, so I found some great OESD designs and set to playing with this wonderful technique. Because the 830 doesn't have a removable bobbin case, it was a snap to adjust the tension for bobbinwork. And, even better, it was a snap to put the tension back when I was done.

I also wanted to put that wonderful new BERNINA Dual Feed to work, so I added some flip-and-stitch quilting. All in all, the techniques I played with on this bag give it a great feeling, and I loved becoming friends with my new 830!

Note: The bag is made using Lazy Girl Designs' "Miranda Day Bag" pattern.

Last April I made the Lazy Girl "Miranda" bag (click HERE, HERE, and HERE), and a friend liked it so much that I made one for her birthday this week.

For the new bag I used some scrumptious Benartex Batiks that I bought at Bernina University in June - "Rainforest Triple-Dyed Balis" - so new that I can't find them on the Benartex website yet. I should have photographed them for you - they were all rolled up together in a cute package - but here are the fabrics that were included:

I made the bag following the included instructions - except: Instead of quilting the main fabrics I used free-motion bobbin work to hold the layers together.

First I hand-wound several bobbins with YLI Multis in a tan/olive colorway, and threaded the needle with regular cotton thread.

I used the Black Latch Bobbincase with my artista 630 - this is a special bobbin case on which I can easily loosen the tension without messing with my regular bobbin case.

I got out my Machingers for the free-motion work - these are rubber-covered fabric gloves that create a great "grip" on the fabric while still letting your hands "breathe."

I used Teardrop Embroidery Foot #26 for my stitching, but could also have used the BERNINA Stitch Regulator.

Here's what the fabric looked like when I was finished stitching. It's subtle, but pretty.

Another change I made was to use purchased handles, which I attached with Lazy Girl's Handy Tabs - little lengths of ribbon that are the perfect size for attaching handles. They'd also make great little labels.

I also used Lazy Girl's Bag-E-Bottom size D to stabilizer the bottom of the bag - it keeps everything nice and sturdy.

Here's the basic process for attaching the handles. Slip the Handy Tab through the loop at the end of the handle, then stitch it in place - upside down - where you want the handle to be. There's no need to finish the raw ends. Careful - keeping the handle out of the way can be a little tricky.

Turn the handle up, then topstitch the Handy Tab in place. Again, it can be a bit tricky keeping the handle out of the way - you might want to enlist the help of an assistant for these steps.

Just like on my previous Miranda bag, I couched some cord (more YLI Multis) around the flap/tab instead of topstitching it.

And here's the finished bag! It should get to the birthday girl sometime this week - can't wait to hear how she likes it!

Next: I just got some fabric to make the new Lazy Girl "Claire" pattern - but haven't decided yet what sort of embellishments I'm going to use. When I figure it out, watch for another Lazy Girl blog!

Jo's newly stitched Miranda Day Bag has completed her first set of airline adventures, flying through - in alphabetical order - Asheville, Atlanta, Cleveland, JFK, and Hartford. Here's a photo showing how handy all those pockets around the base of the bag are, and how roomy the interior is. The only thing I might add next time is a clear vinyl pocket with a flap on the inside of the tab - a place to keep my photo ID handy when going through security. Miranda is a great travel bag - she even got compliments from other travelers!

I learn something from nearly every sewing project, and this one was no exception. Why is the interfacing for the handles cut 1/4" narrower than the batting? I didn't figure it out until I did the edgestitching. The edges of the straps - where there's no stiff stabilizer - are soft and flexible, with the batting adding enough bulk to "fill" the edge. The center of the handle - with stabilizer - is stiff and sturdier than even additional layers of batting would have been. Stability without bulk :)

By now you probably recognize the foot in the photo - my favorite Edgestitch Foot #10, with the guide in the center. Here I've moved my needle about 1/8" to the left, just about even with the inside of the left toe. I'm using a stiletto to hold the edges together as they move under the foot. I could have pinned them together instead, but using the stiletto is faster and easier. This one has been my favorite for a few years - it's Nifty Notions' Brass Stiletto from Brewer Quilting & Sewing Supplies. The handle comes off to make a cover (or the cover comes off to extend the handle) so I can put it in my pocket without danger of stabbing myself, and there's a little ring on the end for attaching it to a chatelaine or a string around my neck.

After holding the tab up to the bag I decided it needed a little "oomph," so I pulled out some gorgeous hand-dyed gimpe I got a few weeks ago at a thread seminar by Jane Garrison, the "Thread Lady" from YLI. They have a new line of hand-dyed cords and threads and postcards and artists trading cards in scrumptious colorways, each named for a different artist. Take a peek by going to YLI's website, clicking on New Products, then selecting any of the first five items on the list. The mostly-brown variegated gimpe I used is named for Paul Klee, one of my favorite Expressionist painters. I cut three strands about 6" longer than I needed to go around the tab, then tied them together at one end to make them easier to load into Cording Foot #22. In the photo you can see a little black latch (over the rust-colored cord). After all three cords are in place in the grooves, the latch swings over them and holds them in place. This keeps them aligned and parallel, "combing" them as they move under the foot. This is a really fuzzy photo - sorry about that - but you can still see how it works. The cords are nearly the same size and color as the mini-piping between sections, and I like how the corded "box" echoes the shape of the bag :) Tip: Check to see how much bobbin thread you have left before you start couching. Not that I stitched three inches and then ran out or anything like that...

After that, all that was left was to attach the handles and tab to the bag. Just in case I change my mind about the handles I've also made the little tabs for attaching a store-bought set of handles, and I'm keeping a watch on the bags that come through my local Goodwill for a set of wooden handles to recycle.

Finished! My new Miranda bag makes her debut this evening at a get-together with some of my knitting friends, then flies to the Midwest and New England with me next week :)

After stitching the outside covers of my Miranda bag, the next step was to make the pockets for the inside. The instructions call for just one fabric, but since I have lots of little batik pieces that kind-of-sort-of coordinate, I pieced them together and used them instead. I followed the instructions for the main pocket stitching at the corners of the bag, but then also stitched-in-the-ditch at the patchwork seamlines using Edgestitch Foot #10. This will make it easy to tell which pocket is which...as long as I remember to always put my phone in the brown pocket, my inhaler in the blue one, my PDA in the purple one... I stitched a few extra pen/pencil pockets - they're just the right size for knitting needles - Miranda's going with me on my next trip, and knitting's a great way to pass the time while waiting for planes to arrive.

Edgestitch Foot #10 (left) is also great for attaching hook-and-loop tape; just align the edge of the tape with the guide and move the needle position a few steps to the left.  

I also like Piping Foot #38 (the same one I used for the mini-piping in the first Midanda post), especially for thick loop tape; there's lots of room for the bulky tape to move under the foot.

After stitching the lining to the covers, it's starting to look like a bag! To finish the faux-binding at the top edge (actually the lining peeking out over the top) I pulled out Edgestitch Foot #10 again, placing the guide in the well of the seam and sewing with the needle in the center position. 

Have you noticed that Edgestitch Foot #10 and Piping Foot #38 are two of my favorites?

Only the handles and tab left to go!