It's just a few more days before I head out to Salt Lake City for Sewing Summit 2012, and I'm super excited. I'm checking stuff off my To Do list left and right and trying my best to stay focused and get everything ready.


I finished up my Sidekick tote this weekend, and I absolutely adore it. I just love this pattern, by the fabulous Anna of Noodlehead, and I'm so proud that I've officially installed my first recessed zipper. This bag feels like such a "real" bag - like my Weekender, it's the kind of bag that feels professional, like a bag you'd find in a store. I used some fabrics that I really love - Madrona Road Memoir in White for the lining, Quilter's Linen in Gray for the exterior, with Madrona Road Sprout in Straw and Madrona Road Broken Herringbone in Blue for the pocket, with some random bias tape I had in my stash to line the raw edges of the pocket.


Hindsight being 20/20, there's a few things I'd do differently with this bag. I think I'd like for the body of the bag to have a little bit more heft to it, so I'd probably choose to use a home dec weight fabric, instead of a quilting cotton. I'd probably also add some Pellon SF101 (Shape Flex) to the interior fabric as well, for just a little bit of extra body. I did use some Pellon Fusible Fleece for the strap, which I think was a good idea, but rather than interfacing the whole strap, I'd insert a skinny piece of fleece the final width of the strap. I love the adjustable strap, but with all the extra fleece I've got on the strap, it's a wee bit stiff. Aside from those minor changes, I really love the shape of this bag, and I'm definitely planning on making one or two of these bags for Christmas gifts this year.


I also made some bunting for the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild Mixer at Sewing Summit. Amy had this fantastic idea to decorate the bar with boatloads of bunting, and lots of attendees are bringing bunting to help with this. The best part is that it's been turned into a swap as well - bring one bunting, come home with another! For my bunting, I used a package of double-fold bias binding as well as a ton of Anna Maria Horner string scraps that I pieced into triangles. I really love how my bunting turned out, and I'm really excited to bring it out to Salt Lake!

What are you up to this Monday morning? Next on my To Do list is to tackle my inbox...but first I need some coffee! I'm going to try out a recipe for my current favorite Starbucks treat, a Salted Caramel Mocha, wish me luck :)