The Gilliano Bag.

I got the top of the baby quilt finished yesterday.

Here it is hanging on the line.

It measures about 60 inches by 50 inches.

Now all I have to do is motivate myself to sandwich it and quilt it.

Oh the weather is too lovely outside. 

There is a female blackbird sun bathing on the lawn and there is a pair of blue tits in and out of a nest box on the shed.

Other strange things have happened in the shed over the weekend.

Charlie cut the grass yesterday and simultaneously the hens went AWOL.

We discovered them in the shed roosting on the front wheel of one of the bikes.

Don't think they liked the lawnmower too much.

I had to 'man up' and rescue them.

I don't usually go more than a step into the shed because we have a spider the size of a mouse in there.

As well as completing the quilt top, I made a bag for my friend Gillian in work. 

Here's a very quick run down on how it was made....

4 yummy batiks.

cut into 2.5 inch strips by the width of the fabric 45 inches, then pieced together.

2.5 inch strips cut across the fabric and joined to form one long strip.

then another strip added to the other side.

This is about 30 by 12.

place it on some light wadding and quilt.

I quilted wavy lines in a variegated thread.

turn right sides together and sew up each side, then box the corners.

I sewed two inches in from the corner on each side.

It looked gigantic, too long and skinny,

compared with my wee bag which is a perfect size for my lunch for work.

So I cut a few inches off the top.

Made a lining to exactly the same dimensions as the bag.

Made two handles 20 inches long.

Everyone makes handles in a different way and I probably make them in a different way each time.

I pieced together two 2.5 inch strips then tucked a 1.25 inch piece of wadding right up to the seam.

Then folded the fabric around it making sure all raw edges are well inside.

I sewed down the centre to secure and then a quarter of an inch from each edge.

The handles were placed 4 inches apart on each side as above and pinned in place.

Have a slight overlap at the top as shown.

Then turn the lining inside out so the raw edges are to the outside.

Place the bag right sides out (and handles down as pinned ) into the lining so right sides are together.

Pin so that the edge seams of the bag meet the edge seams of the lining.

Sew about a quarter inch in, around the top of the bag.

You need to leave a gap in this seam of about 3.5 - 4 inches.

This is so the bag can be pulled right side out.

I left a gap between the two handles and back stitched a few times at either end so it didn't rip out when I was turning it out.

So the whole bag appears from this little gap with a little bit of pulling and prodding.

Reach in at this stage and take the pins out of the 4 handles.

Then pull the bag out.

Then sew about an eighth of an inch from the top all the way round. This secures the gap in the stitching and also keeps the lining to the inside.

I sewed an eighth of an inch seam and then a quarter inch seam too.

Phew!

The Gilliano Bag.