The dress shirt quilts sewn at the start of the year are still among my most popular pieces of work, and a very dear experience for me as well. What miraculous inspiration came over me then I do not know, but those quilts really did come out well and I liked that work very much.
Not that I could say the opposite about any other piece; I always sew with joy and pleasure. But some work goes a little deeper into the heart than others.
Now, though, the squares left over from those quilts have started rustling in their box and wanting to go home. I took them out again and thought it over a little: what should I do with them? At the time there was talk with the children's mother that the children could do with a few bags. Something small and simple to go with a school bag, or a little bag for nursery.
Today the boys' bags were finished.
The light drawstring backpacks are of thick linen. On one I used a leftover pattern square from the quilt as decoration. For the others I combined decorations from the leftover strips of fabric and pockets. Every bag has a pocket on the back as well. In the bottom corners of the bags there are reflectors. The cords are fastened with metal eyelets.
For the first time I also tried sewing a slightly more complicated rucksack than before. This bag has a patchwork outer fabric, a waterproof lining and two inner pockets, one of them with a zip. The base of the bag, the handle, the straps, the edging and the flap are of leather. There is a pocket inside the flap too. All the fastenings are riveted, the cords have eyelets and the straps are adjustable.
A few pattern squares were left over from the blue quilt as well. From those I sewed everyone a pencil case, reinforced with wadding and quilted through. Pencil cases like that are roomy and light and can be washed in the machine.
I remember that when my children were at school there were never enough pencil cases. In one there had to be ordinary pencils and spare ink pens, in the second a good handful of coloured pencils and a sharpener, and in the third plenty of felt tips. Shop bought pencil cases often had one small flaw: they were too short for new pencils. I do not know how it is with the length of pencil cases today, but back then every new pencil first had to be sharpened a couple of centimetres shorter before it would fit into the case. That is when I sewed my first pencil cases myself.
And one more picture, with all the bags together.
The quilts and cushion covers, from which the fabrics mentioned above were waiting for new work, came out like this:
Among the sewing work, one large quilt is now waiting its turn, which I have been designing since the spring without reaching a decision about what or how. The idea for the pattern is there, but no definite design will come. I do not have the feeling that this is now right and best. The design has three colours: black, white and rose red. The pattern will be in the so called kaleidoscope style.
I wish you all a pleasant rest of the summer and every happiness in the new school year.
