The instructions were pretty effortless to write.  I included illustrations that really made it easy to explain marking and pocket placements.  It is an Intermediate Pattern made EASY.
 CONFESSION TIME - I have about three or four ongoing projects right now.  Lately, I really want to add one more easy one.  The ongoing projects I have are a little difficult or they aren't in the right season.  I hate to sew dark fabrics in Spring/Summer time.  There two that I know I just want to store until I am really to dive back into it.  The two are Christmas projects I started this last November and didn't get very far on.  As you can see for me these storage boxes are going to help me sort things until I am ready to tackle.  I have just two and then I have things stashed/stacked in bags.  I really need to cut these empty ones open and start putting them to use.
DEEP THOUGHTS - I think that I am a bag connoisseur.  I have sewn up probably 20ish different bag/tote/storage patterns.  Some of them have been my own and others are fantastic designers!!  I mean really great!  There is nothing like a top notch bag pattern.  I was lucky because for this tote it has a fun mixture of elements that are pretty easy to execute but at the same time enhance the design.  ENTER: Drawstring top!  I have been inspired by these little drawstring pouch bags lately and thought it would be such a cute finish for a large tote.  Guess what!  It totally was and it is an easy thing to add.  So easy!  In the details, I had a little bit of twill tape that I have had in my collection.  It has the cutest Panda stamped on it.  It reminds me of our recent trip to Asia so just a little small touch that is darling (you might be able to pick it out in some of the pics).  
 ITS THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT - Speaking of little special elements, I especially love enamel pins added to projects.  I recently made a CATCH ALL CADDY by BYANNIE, I adorned it with enamel pins as well and they are just so darn cute!  I highly recommend absolutely any pattern written BYANNIE if you love to make bags.  She is amazing!!!!

 So the draw string is so cute and will be just darling draped when you are getting in and out of your tote.  Also the embellishments really are darling when added.  I could just stare at these pictures all day.  Make sure to add your own little special touch on your tote!  If you are able to share on social media use the tag #PackingLoveSewn because I would LOVE to see them!!  I think that is a nice part of social media is to get to enjoy each other's talents and which fabrics we all love.  It makes it so special.
FOAM!!!! - The tote's basic construction is using a quilted piece of foam.  This is by far my most favorite way to make any sort of bag/tote.  I really love how it gives the bag great shape.  I also love how it quilts up. When I pick a quilting pattern for these sorts of projects they just turn out so lovely.  I love seeing the quilting dimension and it alone is gorgeous so then to insert it into a project it is so awesome!  It brings the quilting to life.

When using quilted panels in an effort to show off the quilting on the inside the construction of the bag uses binding strips to encase what would be raw edges of the quilted panels.  I have worked with quite a few projects that finished in a similar way.  Even my first pattern the TRENDY DOLL DIAPER BAG uses binding to finish off elements of the bag and it is a really sharp way that makes a professional finish.
 STRAPS CARRYING THE LOAD - The straps are the perfect length to wrap up on your shoulder.  The bag just sits on the hip.  I prefer a wider strap because they keep their shape better with use.  It wraps around the bottom of the bag so that it is supporting the full weight of what is inside.  It will protect the integrity of the fabrics (trust me I have torn a handle a time or two and it is a sad moment).
 So before you know it each of these little boxes will have a darling project waiting to be sewn when the time is right!  And if that means heading over to a friend's house to do just that then out comes the bag and in goes the ruler.
HOPES - What is meant to be will always find a way.  I have hopes that I have filed away.  They aren't a bucket list... they are more like potential maybes.  I like the idea of being open to where life leads me.  But I still have them just filed up there in case the opportunity presents itself.  THE PEAR PLACE right there is a hope come true.  It is a little magic.  I will always believe in a little magic and be grateful when I get the chance to just enjoy.  I am going to remember this bag because it was a little magic itself.  I am tickled that I was able to sneak it onto the schedule when I probably could have been doing a million other things but I just wanted to create.  Creating is and expression of LOVE for me.  I hope you feel the Love that I put into this bag and Feel a little of the magic.  It was totally worth it!

Maybe next year I can make a few to keep in our house.  I made a pack with a friend to sew for Christmas Decorations for our home during this coming January but I seriously doubt that will come to fruition because by then we will be making cute things for Valentines or something.

The Caught Snowflake was fun to put together.  It worked out so nice with the WOF to set the block. I had very little waste when I was all finished.

You never really leave the place you love.  You take part of it with you and you leave part of you there.

Don't exchange you authenticity for approval.

Elegance isn't about being noticed it's about being remembered.

I am going to start out with Love Note's lap quilt because I just love it!!  I used Hoffman hand-dyed solids and they are just a dreamy with all the bright saturated colors.  This was beyond perfect for the XOXO quilt.  I sat the X's inside so they pop against the O's.  It is so fun to sew this baby up!  So fun!


I quilted this with Hearts and Swirls to match the Love theme.  Darling.  Just darling.


One thing that I don't do very often is that I mixed the top and bottom threads.  I used white on the top to blend in with the quilt and then I used black in the bobbin.  I had just a tiny bit peak through and I was very satisfied with the final result.  It isn't my favorite thing to do but I loved the backing so much and it was black with gold.  I just felt that the white wouldn't work on the back?


I love how the thread combinations worked with the backing.  It was worth it.


Another thing that is interesting about this pattern is that I made it twice.  I was asked by Quilt It to film a few segments with them about quilting a Quilt Sampler.  It is funny because I have thought through why I like to design samplers a lot before and it is nice to explain from a quilting point of view as well.  I will link the quilting segment here as soon as it is up on the site.  It should be sometime this month (September 2015).

So I decided to make the quilt twice in two different styles (screen-printed fabric and contemporary batiks).  It was a little overwhelming to pick fabrics for each block twice.  But once I got the hang of it the quilts just came together quick.

(Screen-Printed version with XOXO quilt)

(Contemporary Batik version with XOXO quilt)

This cute quilt got it's name from the mailbox that is sending love.  These blocks in the quilt were pretty fun to design out.  In the picture below it shows the heart flutters block.  and the mailbox quilting where I used our house number for just a little personal touch.


The block just below is a heart beat.  Umm.... CUTE!  and then of course we have a love note ready to be dropped in the mail and a love bird.  Lots of LOVE.


The batik version was so pretty.  I love the teal batik.  It was just the perfect shade for me.  And I really love the grass in the batik too.  It was so vivid.  If you want to check out how I approach the quilting be sure to check out the segments because it was fun to share that on video.


Here is a close-up of my cowboy feather quilting technique.  Also, you can see the string art embroidery up close too.  I have to share kind of a funny part of filming.  The host isn't a quilter/piecer.  So when she was pulling the machine over to quilt it caught on the LOVE embroidery and I almost died when it rips the strings because each letter took FOREVER to embroider and I had to do it twice for the two quilts.  My heart fluttered.  But it recovered.  LOL.  It actually looks just fine with the few strings missing.  So no big deal.


I really love the heart beat fabric on the screen-printed quilt.  It is just darling.


So here is the Love embroidery on the screen-printed one.  This one has imperfections too and it wasn't the one that the strings broke, so even if there aren't missing strings it still isn't perfect!  So the batik version looks just fine too.  I snuck the black batik fabric in the screen-printed version in the stop border and it was perfect.  Pretty much it all turned out perfect enough for me.  I love these two quilts.

Now I have a matching sleeping bag of my very own.  I bound the bag in the matching polka dot, which is the same as my Duffle bag (Duffle pattern by www.ByAnnie.com).  They compliments each other so well!!  You will have to make a bag too if you haven't.  Speaking of ByAnnie, she offers the zippers by the yard and colorful interchangeable zipper heads.  I used a gray zipper track and a yellow zipper head.  What is so much fun is that the zipper track is camouflaged by the binding because it is so close in color.  It is fantastic that she offers so many colors to work into your projects.!.


I quilted this with my Statler Stitcher.  I mentioned before that it was my first project that I was going to quilt.  I had to flip the design because it was directional and of COURSE I loaded it upside down, quilted one row, then expressed "oh crap!".  I solved the problem though and was able to flip the design every other row to camouflage that.  This experience made for some intermediate quilting skills that I had to fast develop.  I learned A LOT.


The large ties look so dang cute but they are super functional.  I made them large in the child version for little fingers to knot easily.  They look so cute when all rolled up.  AND here is my little yellow zipper head -


Here are the straps that hold the sleeping bag all rolled up tight -


So here we are:  Coordinating bag and sleeping bag -


Little matching zippers -


I used tricot as the lining for my sleeping bag.  In the children's version I used flannel but I am such a heater myself that I prefer a silky smooth inside to my sleeping bags.  I pretty much just love tricot anyway.  I have a couple of my Great Granmother's tricot quilts and I really love that textile.  It is fantastically soft.  It is now on my sewing bucket list to make a whole cloth tricot quilt.  One day.  I haven't crawled inside or spent a night in this bag yet but I will get to that eventually.  I know we have some sewing retreats in the planning stages right now so before I know it, it will happen.  I might have to join the kids in a living room sleepover until then.


Another advantage of tricot is that it shows off the quilting so wonderfully -



Please let me know what you think of the quick tutorial.  I did it in a bit of a hurry and hopefully I will be able to add to it over the next little bit.  I just couldn't post pictures without something to offer in case one is interested.  Well I better go to sleep now.  Mixi Sleeps.


The little girl just could not sleep because her thoughts were way too deep her mind had gone out for a stroll and fallen down a rabbit hole.

Sleep is the best meditation.

Let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains.

And tonight I fall asleep with you in my heart.

The book is offered through your local quilt shop and online.  Although, if you would like an autographed copy I have a few available in my Etsy shop.


The project that I included was inspired by Katie, my sweet friend.  The project is a bike bag.  What is  neat about this material is that it stands up to the elements more than a cotton fabric would.  So I thought it would be a perfect bike bag.


Here is the project inside.  It has a small pocket and key fob.  The outside uses some simple embroidery.  It is a small project that you can create in a day and would make a wonderful gift or a special item you can create for yourself.


So I was kinda speechless when I checked the book out.  All the projects look so fun.  Plus I had to pinch myself that I am officially published in a book.  I can't tell you how special that is for me.  This is definitely something that I am going to treasure.  So if you are out and about check this little treasure out.