Sidetracked Again

So yesterday while I was sorting through things in the never-ending job of organizing my sewing/guest room I came across this fabric that I bought a few years ago with good intentions to make a quick quilt for our elderly neighbor lady. 

Life was busy and I didn't get the quilt made. Sadly, she has since passed away. 

This panel, with coordinating fabrics, is Henry Glass Holiday Homecoming. There are more fabrics in the collection that are really nice. The light gray on the bottom of the pile is flannel and will be used on the back.

I remembered a pattern for a Christmas tree skirt I had seen when I was thinking about using the other fabric. I thought it would work well with the panel squares. The black snowflake print and the red/black check will be the star points. The squares are smaller than the pattern calls for but borders can be added to them to make them the right size. I have ordered a gray snowflake print to use for that. Hopefully this will be a quick project that I can finish before Christmas.

Then I kept thinking about the bag that was shown at the quilt shop. Many states/cities are starting to tax disposable bags. It might be a good idea to have some reusable bags to keep in my purse and car. This bag is made with French seams and has a partial lining at the top. All raw edges are encased so there will be no fraying seams. This bag is meant to be used and washed.

I found the YouTube video, a yard of fabric and got busy making a bag. The pattern can be found at Shabby Fabrics. Scroll down to the very bottom of the home page to Free Downloads. You might want to look around here. You may see another project you like. You can also find the Video Tutorials buttons here. After clicking the Free Downloads button scroll a little more than halfway down to Reusable Grocery Bag. You can print the pattern from there. Go to YouTube to watch the video. There are no written instructions for this pattern, but the video is good. Jennifer does a nice job of showing and explaining the steps and why the pattern is made the way it is.

The bag is just the right size, in my opinion. It will hold as much as a regular plastic shopping bag and is sturdier. Since it is made from fabric is is washable.The video shows how the bag can be folded, rolled up and secured with an optional elastic band that is sewn into the bottom seam. This makes it into a small bundle that can be carried in your purse without taking up much room. I think I need to make some more!