Getting There!

I think getting there really is not just half the fun, but a whole lot of it.  I've been working on my "bagets" over the past few days, here and there, when I have time.  Now that I've started and have more or less of a plan, it's really relaxing!

The "bagets" have been multiplying.  Here are some outside panels for 11 3/4" ones:



My construction method is sort of like the one at this link.  I'm sure I followed a tutorial somewhere along the way to get started, but it's so inscribed in my head how to do this now that I just wing it.  But if you're curious about how I actually make them, check that link or let me know in the comments.  I would be happy to post a tute if anyone is interested.

Here's a freshly completed "baget":



Note the topstitching along the top.  It holds everything together nicely.  See the bag in the background?  I had been pinning before sewing the top, but wow, that's a lot to pin through.  Since I often use clothespins when I'm sewing leashes or collars, I thought I'd try that:



They held everything together nicely, but caught on my table and machine too much.  I switched over to the clips I use when I sew my bindings on quilts:



Much better!

You may have noticed I switched fabric themes for the "bagets".  Each "baget" has its own theme, but  I'm going multi-themed overall now.

Part of my problem with the old baskets I had my scraps in was not knowing which basket had which-sized strips in them.  Since I have a selection of bread ties that I used to mark quilt rows (see this link), I thought they might serve a useful purpose here, too.

No pins required!

Perfect.

I actually used up all of the interfacing I'd been using.  I'm very pleased about that.  It was either medium weight or heavy weight; I have no idea which.  I needed more "bagets", though, so I took another look into the closet to see what else I had.

I found some small pieces of something heavy, stiff, and sort of padded.  I figured I'd give it a go.

The biggest size I could get two cuts of (for front and back) was 8", so I went with that.



I found a fab for the lining and cut that to size.  Since I had reduced to 8", I reduced the corner cuts to 2".



It seemed right.

The bag came out very cute and is a nice size.  What I realized after piecing the outside panels though, was that there would be NO turning that baby right-side out through a small hole in the lining.  Normally, I leave a small gap along the bottom edge of the lining when I sew it. I turn that right-side out, put it in the outer bag which is still inside-out, sew along the top edge, then carefully pull the outside of the bag through that gap/hole in the lining, making everything all set.  This ... whatever I used ... was so stiff there was no way I'd be able to do that.  I sewed both the lining and the outside all the way, boxed the corners, then turned the outside right-side out.  I pushed the lining inside and realized I could fold the lining over about 1/4 of an inch twice, bringing it over the top of the outside of the bag, and it would be fine.  I did that, and carefully topstitched it down.

A classic "I meant to do that" moment

It looks sort of cute that way.

Do you like that black and white strip on the mini baget?  After I had pieced one of the panels, I realized there was a really goofy face on one of the fab strips that looked totally strange.  I decided to sew the black and white strip on to cover it.  I'm funny like that.

Here's how the line-up is looking:



I think the remodelers are leaving early today, so I should be able to get down to my Studio for a bit to continue to march on these.

Before I go, here's a helpful tip I don't think I've shared before.  If you have rolls of interfacing or other materials, and you don't want to stick a pin in to secure the end, use one of those thingies they put around fruit:



That's a long one; I can't remember what was in it.  Very handy, though!  I have short ones, too, that I put around webbing to keep it tidy.  I'll shoot a pic later.

Have a great day - and as always, thank you for reading!