Stawell Quilters held the Christmas Fat Quarter Swap*(explanation at end of post) again this year. The fabric in the paper bag I was given was this...
Mmmm, that is interesting and not at all what I'd have expected from the person I was making for. Coincidentally, just that week, I was in the local habby and she had a bundle of fat quarters that I really liked but couldn't justify and that bundle immediately sprung to mind as appropriate colours for this piece of fabric...what a shame I was forced to go and buy that bundle - he he he. And then when I was in the ACT I found the perfect perle cotton at Crafty Frog in Kambah - the shopping gods were smiling on me with this fabric which I had initially thought would be impossible to match.
Instead of a fat quarter the recipient had put in a half metre of her fabric so that was plenty to play with. I had the idea to make a bag that could be used for transporting knitting but couldn't find a pattern to fit the picture in my head so used a pattern for an all-purpose bag I have made before and found useful myself. I used a mix of the "True Friends Tote Bag" from Natalie Bird's book Red Home with a stitchery pattern from Anni Downs' book The Simple Life, then when being totally flummoxed about what fabric to use for handles I found resin handles that I felt matched perfectly. I had just enough of her fabric left to make the handle hinges. I hand quilted with big stitches in the variegated perle thread I'd bought home from the ACT.
Front
Back
Handles
Front up close
Stitchery detail
Interior
Quilting detail on back
I think I may have missed the mark with the person particularly liking it but hopefully she'll get some use out of it.
Happy Stitching...
*A fat quarter is put in a paper bag with your name on it and handed in to the Group. The paper bags are put into a basket and randomly distributed to the participants. You make something using the fat quarter in the paper bag you are given for the person whose fabric it is. The fabric the person puts in is the only guide the rest is up to the maker.
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