One of the things I love about sewing is sewing up gifts for people, especially people who will appreciate such gifts. Before I left for Market, I had an uncontrollable urge to sew up a Super Tote, and in Instagramming the process, a quilty mentor of mine asked me to make her one. Of course I said yes!


Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studios was one of the first modern quilt bloggers I ever followed. Her quilts have always been such an inspiration to me, encouraging me to set aside my Type A personality and try improv piecing and to continually try new things. She's one of those quilters whose style is instantly recognizable - you just know when you see one of Jacquie's quilts, and I really admire how clear her style is. She's such an engaging person, she really motivates you and makes you want to tell a story with your quilts. If you haven't seen her amazing book with Katie Pedersen, Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts, you really need to check it out. It's a fantastic resource for modern techniques as well as lots of quilty eye candy - it's definitely one of the most well-worn and loved quilting books on my bookshelf.


Jacquie's favorite color is orange, so while I was in Portland, I picked up a great Comma asterisk print for her Super Tote as well as a great dark wash denim to use for the main body of the bag. I thought the denim would be a good all-around fabric to use, and would contrast nicely with the Comma print.

Sewing this bag up the second time around definitely was faster than the first time, since I had a measurable amount of confidence that I knew what I was doing, although the first time didn't take too long either. I changed up the strap again, creating a long cross-body strap, and I also changed the interior pockets to a smaller pocket on both sides of the bag, just the right size for a cell phone or wallet. This bag is definitely large, so I've found that smaller pockets make it easier to find things. I used a fun aqua zipper for a pop of color against the Hope Valley lining. I hope Jacquie enjoys it - I've found that my Super Tote has become my favorite everyday bag!

I'm sending off this lovely bag today, and have just one more Pay It Forward project to finish up this week to wrap up this project. I've really enjoyed this process and will definitely do it again.