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25 March 2015

and the winner is ...

its time for the drawing of The Betsy Travel Bag winner - yippee !!



thanks so much to everyone for leaving a comment with your fabric choices - there are so many fantastic fabrics out there it would be hard to go wrong :)

I hope you've been following along on The Betsy Travel Bag Blog Tour - there are some gorgeous bags being shown !  I've re-posted the details in case you want to check them out.

The  Betsy  Travel  Bag  Blog  Hop  Schedule  

March  17
pattern available for pre-­sale  through  RCM  shop

Blog  Hop  Day  1  posts

March  19
Blog  Hop  Day  2  posts
that's me !!

March  21
Blog  Hop  Day  3  posts

March  23
Blog  Hop  Day  4  posts
Don't Call Me Betsy

 March  25
Blog  Hop  Day  5  posts

March  27
Blog  Hop  Day  6  post

March  29
Blog  Hop  Day  7  post

March  31
Blog  Hop  Day  8  post
(photo  roundup)


So onto the winner winner chicken dinner !


Mr RNG picked number 3 who is Twins Squared !!!!  Congratulations, I've sent you off an email !

I look forward to everyone joining in the sew-along which starts next week and I can't wait to see all the awesome bags from that !!

happy sewing

19 March 2015

The Betsy Travel Bag blog tour


woohoo – its time for The Betsy Travel Bag blog tour so I can reveal my awesome Betsy bag !!!
The Betsy Bag

If you follow me on instagram you'll know that I've been pattern testing The Betsy Bag, designed by the gorgeous Kristi of Schnitzel and Boo, and its been such a fun learning experience !

free motion quilting The Betsy Bag

the hardest part was choosing the fabrics - I think I changed my mind a few times but when I saw a Melody Miller Ruby Shining Star panel for sale I snapped it up !! its a bit firmer than other quilting fabrics and is perfect for this bag !  It has some spots of hot pink and aqua so I added some hot pink spots, lime green flowers, Luna solid, and charcoal Sketch - its one bright bag that will be very easy to spot while travelling !!
The Betsy Bag

I followed the pattern exactly which was pretty easy to follow except I didn't read closely that all seams are 1/2" !! being a quilter I always think in quarter inches - once I got on board with that it went smoothly!
free motion quilting The Betsy Bag

I also did some silly things like sewing the separating zipper in upside down - that was fun to reverse sew (not!) but really the pattern is laid out well and even though I wasn't sure I understood about the strap, it came together perfectly !!

The Betsy Bag

I was really excited to use so many new to me techniques and all that hardware - I'm feeling pretty confident that I can make any kind of bag now - thanks so much Kristi for showing me how :)

The Betsy Bag

The pattern is rated for a confident beginner/intermediate sewer and I'd rate myself as the beginner - the only hardware I've used is a magnetic snap, I've never used a separating zipper which are sooo easy, and I've never used D rings or anything else that is in this fabulous bag !

The Betsy Bag

I had fun with the panel quilting - free motion loopy flowers (thanks Christina) on one side and hearts on the other - for the two ends I did straight stitching.

free motion quilting The Betsy Bag

I love the huge pocket on the inside too ! The  finished  bag measures  approximately  20"  wide  x 12.5" high  x  6.5" wide.

The Betsy Bag
 
As I said, I really had fun making the Betsy bag - its so great to learn new things and also end up with a fabulous bag!

make sure you check out all the other amazing Betsy bags on the rest of the tour - schedule below.

The digital Betsy Bag pattern is available for pre-order now from the Rebel Craft Media shop and will be launched on 1 April - the girls at Rebel Craft will also be hosting a sew along on their blog starting on 2 April - so if you want to make a fabulous bag to take with you when you travel then now is the time to join in :)

You can also get a kit with all the bag hardware from the Snuggly Monkey shop !

If you're in Australia you can get all the hardware you need for this bag from Handbag Hardware Oz - Kylie has great prices and wonderful service.

If you want to make a Betsy Travel bag and join in the sew along too, I have a copy of the pattern to give away - yay!! 

just leave me a comment telling me what fabrics you would use to make the bag and I'll have Mr RNG pick a name next Wednesday 25 March (8pm Australian EST) - should give you enough time to gather your supplies :)  make sure you leave an email if you don't have one linked to your profile !!


The  Betsy  Travel  Bag  Blog  Hop  Schedule  

March  17
pattern available for pre-­sale  through  RCM  shop

Blog  Hop  Day  1  posts

March  19
Blog  Hop  Day  2  posts
that's me !!

March  21
Blog  Hop  Day  3  posts

March  23
Blog  Hop  Day  4  posts
Don't Call Me Betsy

 March  25
Blog  Hop  Day  5  posts

March  27
Blog  Hop  Day  6  post

March  29
Blog  Hop  Day  7  post

March  31
Blog  Hop  Day  8  post
(photo  roundup)

05 March 2015

WIP Wednesday


I'm finally doing a Wednesday work in progress post, even though its Thursday in Australia  !!

When I was struggling to do posts for my poor neglected blog last year I always thought I could just do a WIP post and link up to Freshly Pieced but I have never managed to do one ... until today  !!

I have so many works in progress right now so maybe its just the right time :)

These are the projects I've been working on this week.

First up is The Starburst Quilt that I'm pattern testing for Jess at Elven Garden Quilts

The Starburst Quilt pink and green

its just fabulous - the blocks are huge, finishing at 32 inches...I'm doing four blocks to make a lap quilt.


The Starburst Quilt plum and yellow

they're really fun and surprisingly quick to put together.  I can't wait to see this top put together - yes, I'm not even considering the quilting yet - have you seen my 2015 wish list !!!


another WIP is my Hazel pillow - I joined in Angie's Hazel QAL a few weeks ago but as I had other commitments didn't get it finished in time to link-up !

Hazel Hedgehog

I also had a drama with a dirty iron - gggrrrr ! not quite sure what happened but my iron had marks on it when I pressed the glasses (I suspect its maybe glue from interfacing !) so those marks transferred to Hazel - I sprayed and soaked immediately but it didn't have any effect - so she is getting a bow after she has been quilted.

Hazel Hedgehog glasses


I'm also going to use pompoms around the edge of this pillow for an extra bit of fun - fingers crossed that I can find lime green pompoms !!

I also spent most of the last week working on The Betsy Travel Bag.

free motion quilting The Betsy Bag

I'm pattern testing this gorgeous bag for Kristi of Schnitzel and Boo and Rebel Media !

The Betsy Bag


The pattern will be published soon so I'll be able to show the finished bag then and I'll also be having a pattern giveaway to celebrate.  Kristi has plans for a Betsy Travel Bag QAL over on instagram which starts on 1 April.  I'll have more details soon.


WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced