The Parisville Bowl Bag!

You know when a really valuable fabric comes into your hands and you're stuck wondering what to do with it?


Well, that was my problem with the length of Tula Pink's Parisville Cameo that I bought in the last year. Yes, it was ridiculously expensive. Yes, I bought it anyway, because I liked the pattern. The colour wasn't quite right, though. A little too clashy for me to match with anything I had. So when one of those instagram quilty pay-it-forward kind of things turned up in late 2016, I asked if anyone was willing to swap me another colourway of the Parisville Cameo.

Enter myfabricobsession on Instagram, who was willing to swap her Cameo in Mist for mine in Pomegranate. ALL GOOD. And she was even willing to send me a little more than I had! (THANK YOU!)

And then I stashed it. (Because that's what you do with a fabric that you really like but which you're not entirely sure you have a plan to use just yet.)

I finally decided what to do with it - make a Fireside Bowl Bag (from the book 'Big City Bags' by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness) with the contrast of some beautiful royal blue leather. And as it turned out, she's running a bag making competition during April! What luck!

It took a while to complete - about two weeks on and off - but it's finally done!


There were complications - mostly in the form of cutting angst (measuring twice, cutting once), the grim terror of sewing expensive leather that you really don't want to mess up, adding external and internal pockets (because I don't need a billion pockets, but I do like a few inside and out), and the terror of pattern adjustments required when you cut a piece of 'gusset' a little too short and have to 'make up' the length...or else cut down the outer pattern.


I also added feet, so it wouldn't have to sit on the ground. Sadly, cafes in Sydney are not yet quite so sensible as to have a hook under the table for women to hang their handbags off so they don't have to sit on the floor, or else hang off the back of the chair and be in the way of the waiters.


I like at least one external pocket, suitable for stashing a phone, or a transport pass, so I don't have to fish around inside my bag for it. Unfortunately, the Fireside Bowl Bag pattern doesn't have any pockets, internal or external. So I just designed a external pocket and a couple of internal ones to suit my needs.

The external pocket doesn't work quite as perfectly as I hoped - the strap pulls the pocket open rather more than I like. But it's a pocket and I figure more people won't notice.


For the lining of the bag I used Bats In The Belfry and Tudor Windows from the Elizabeth collection since I started with just Bats and then realised I didn't have enough for all the lining and the pockets.

I made one zipper pocket and one internal slip pocket, utilising the pocket-making skills I learned while making the Shiloh Mermaids Bag. The 'slip pocket' is supposed to be large enough for my purse and my phone to sit there, but it will probably end up being my purse and my glasses case.


Yes, I know it says "This Quilt Was Made By Sel C" but I have dozens of these labels and a need to use them!

The strap gave me a great deal of trouble, because the bag instructions were for a cloth strap, not leather. And I discovered that doubling, then quadrupling the leather that you're sewing through is a sure-fire way to give even your industrial strength Juki TL-99P a headache! So instead I made the strap half-leather and half-fabric. And I figured I should use the selvage while I'm at it... I tend to throw the selvages out half the time - or sell them.


All in all, I'm actually pretty happy with the form on this bag - usually I find myself a little dissatisfied with the way everything fits together, but this one has a good shape and a good form. For the record, I used a very stiff, felt-like bag-making material which is pretty spectacular at holding its shape - but I don't know the name of it! I don't even remember where I bought it!

The last Fireside Bowl Bag I made was with Cotton+Steel and it was a lot more squishy than this one - and I like a solid, firm, keeping-it-shape bag.


As bags go, this one is sharp, stylish, and definitely a keeper!

Intulawoven - all done!

Got it bound a couple of weekends ago, photographed, and ready to show!

Literally ready to show, since I entered it in to the Sydney Quilt Show. Now to see if they accept it!

Pic of the front:


Pic of the back:


Pic with house:


I think I'm keeping this one. It's just too pretty to give away. (I could be wrong. I was going to keep 'Swarm', too.)

The post about making this top is here.

Linking up to the 2016 Finish-Along!

WIP Wednesday: the one with Tula Charms

Trying to keep up with everything in January is a lot of effort!

My garden is growing, my social life is humming, my work is an effort, and my writing is laboured. Plus, I'm having small and niggling health issues that are taking up a lot of time and energy.

Quilting is way down the queue right now.

On the plus side, Swarm made it to the QuiltCon offices and the dodgy points and the machine-sewn binding couldn't defeat the visual power of the design! (At least they haven't said "your points are rubbish and we're not going to hang this", so I'm guessing it's okay?

I'm so positive! :D


My big WIP this week is The Aussie Tula Charm-Along. The original charm swap was organised by Ms Midge, and involved (I think) 112 charms. Ish?


And they're being sewn into HSTs:


That's a lot of HSTs that need cutting and ruling and sewing and cutting and pressing and trimming...


Did I mention lot of HSTs?


But they're sewn and trimmed and sorted!


And now it just requires sewing into blocks, and thenceforth into a quilt.

The problem is that it's due - finished - on the 27th, and while I could make it at a sprint, I find I don't have the time/energy to sprint. It's a hard knock life! Especially when my garden is growing so well!


Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced, as I always do.