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 :)

No, not the last quilt I'll ever make, but the last quilt I finished. I have at least four quilts-in-progress - all of them full- or queen-size - that need blocks joined and borders added before I can quilt them. Plus sets of blocks I've purchased at flea markets - I'm not the only one that doesn't get quilts finished!

Foundation piecing, based on a quilt in Valori Well's Stitch 'n Flip Quilts book. (I think the border is a Valori Wells batik from years ago, but I'm not sure.) I started it about 4 years ago in a class at my local quilt shop, made all the blocks, then finished a year or so later it at a weekend retreat with my quilt guild. What a great way to sew! 50 women, 50 tables, 50 machines, nearly two full days of sewing, no distractions, dozens of opinons...

I had fun playing with the free-motion quilting on this one. The BERNINA Stitch Regulator hadn't been introduced yet, so all of the quilting was done using Freehand Quilting Foot #29. I like the wide, clear sole of this foot for quilting - I can see where I'm going, and use the edges of the foot to judge how far I am from previous lines of stitching. I couldn't decide which threads to use, so I used them all - variegated threads from YLI, Superior Threads, Mettler, Sulky - all of the pink/orange/yellow and green spools in my stash. This kind of quilt is great for practicing free-motion techniques - since none of the blocks match, the quilting doesn't have to look the same either. No worries about staying inside the lines, having equally-sized loops, putting squiggles in the same places - just move the fabric and "draw" shapes.

I finished another quilt the same weekend - a group quilt made with seven children ages 7-13. It's one of my favorites, but I'll share it with you another time.