Rhonda Bracey: At Random

My friend Sue in San Diego said she liked my other colourful laptop bag, but there was too much blue and green in it for her, and could I make a pink one. Well, I needed to test the laptop pattern I’ve written a final time (I will be selling it in my Etsy store soon…), so I figured I may as well hunt out some pink fabric from my stash and see what I could do.

I cut it out and got started at yesterday’s craft afternoon, and finished it today after getting the power brick and mouse dimensions from Sue. It’s hard to see in this photo, but there’s lots of wavy pink quilting over the main fabric, and the cross-hatch quilting on the contrast fabric. It’s pink!

Very pink laptop bag

If Sue doesn’t want it, I’ll be selling it in my store. No surprises! Sue *loved* it, so it will be winging it’s way across the Pacific Ocean tomorrow sometime.

My friend Char wanted a gift for her good friend MaryEllen, so she asked if I had any frog fabric and if I could make a tote bag for MaryEllen (who loves frogs). I found some musical frogs at one of the local fabric stores — and Char loved it! She said MaryEllen was into music too, and the fabric was just perfect.

MaryEllen's froggie tote bag --- with bonus luggage tag

I was going to make a tote bag using my laptop bag pattern, but then realised that a better tote bag for MaryEllen’s would be one with a base and with inside pockets. So I found a free pattern on the internet and proceeded to adapt and modify it.

The frog bag ended up having inside pockets on both front and back (the original pattern only had pockets on one side), and a wider base, and different handles, and… well, lots of other modifications!

Tote bag: Inside pockets and base; velcro closures

I had fun making it and adapting the pattern, even though I stuffed up the free motion quilting at one point and had to unpick a big section. I added a bonus luggage tag in the same fabrics (which Char wasn’t expecting) and mailed it off to the US. It arrived yesterday, and both Char and MaryEllen love it. A perfect ‘Thank you’ gift for Char’s good friend MaryEllen!

Close-up of fabric and free motion quilting

When I get some free time, I’ll consider writing up the modified pattern in full and making it available on my Etsy store. But not this week!