Get Out of Town!

Are you ready for the Weekend?  This is the first weekend in a looong time that we'll be staying put so it seemed like a good time to finally take pictures of my patchwork version of Amy Butler's Weekender.

I started by fussy cutting my main panel pieces from the awesome Melody Miller Ruby Star Sparkle.  It's hard to see but following Oh, Fransson!'s fabulous Quilted Weekender tips I did FMQ around the stars and quilted along the argyle lines.  I cut the straps at 5" wide to make them a little easier on the shoulders.

I went crazy on the pockets pulling lots of my favorite fabrics from my scrap pile and trying out different quilting designs on each section.

The lining is Garden linen by Ellen Luckett Baker.  For this one I decided to add a gathered pocket.  I cut the pocket using the Large Pocket template but then kept the sides straight rather than angling in.  I find the pocket very useful but it pulls the sides of the bag in a bit.  If I try this again I'll use a longer piece of elastic.

For those of you keeping count this is my 3rd (and possibly last) Weekender.  I've already shared lessons learned from my Where in the World Weekender and Nauti Weekender but here are a few more that pertain specifically to the patchwork version.

• Quilt, quilt, quilt!  Because you're not using Peltex this bag is going to be slouchier than the original version.  The denser the quilting the more structure your bag will have.  
• Make copies of your pattern pieces and either tape two together or trace them on to a bigger piece so you have a full-sized versions of the main panel and pocket pieces to use when trimming down your patchwork.  
• Once you've cut your quilted pieces to size zig zag around the edges to hold everything in place while you're assembling the bag.
• This is one of the best examples of crowd sourcing in the quilting world.  So many people have shared their tips and modifications for making this bag.  If you're thinking of making one you owe it to yourself to read up on Pinterest or Flickr.  Warning, if you weren't planning to make one you'll feel compelled to once you see all the awesome ones out there.

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.