Here it is! The weekender travel bag, by Amy Butler. I really wanted to try my hand on this. I love sewing quilts and have made a few small zippered bags but I've never tried a project like this. And when I say 'like this", I mean piping (which I've never done) and zippers (which I've done but always find challenging). So I searched and searched and read a lot of blog posts about this bag! I found this post to be the most helpful.
I think I read the instructions a hundred times before I began this project! And then I probably read them another hundred while making it!
I didn't use any heavy duty interfacing. Like the blog post above suggested, I used heavy cotton duck to cut the outer pieces of the pattern and the "quilt as you go" method with one layer of batting, cut 1/2" smaller all the way around. When I completed the quilting, I stitched all the around the pieces, 1/8" from the edge to keep them from unraveling.
Some of the seams did get bulky, especially around the corners, but my machine handled them quite well. The patterns says, "Go Slow" and that is absolutely key around those corners! I used a Jeans needle as well and I didn't break a single one! I also followed everyone's advice and made the straps a little longer so I can carry it on my shoulder.
Fabric is Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee and I used a solid gray for the lining and piping. I love this bag and I have impressed myself with how well it came out! I'm thinking Christmas gifts for some of the "hard to buy for" women in my life!
Cheers!
