We are taking a break today from your regularly scheduled end of the year/holiday extravaganza that is the blog,. I want to show you that quilted things are not just pretty. They can also be useful.
Remember my Half Moon Modern Chubby Charmer? This is a bag I worked on for a long time, mostly, because the fabric was so precious I couldn’t think of a ‘good enough’ project for it.
Fortunately, I still like the fabric and still use this bag.
In fact, this bag does double duty as present transport during the holidays. To do that I have to clean it out. I actually use the large pockets for my collection of pie servers and knives. You might think dishing up pie is easy, but with 40 people who want to try everything, 7 desserts and two gluten free diets that will make people sick if wheat wafts past them, I need multiple implements and a strategy. That strategy includes knives (BIG knives) for cutting recalcitrant crust and pie servers since you don’t serve with a knife.
One of the attractions of the Chubby Charmer is that it is big. Big enough to bring a quilt to show and tell. And big enough to bring my pie implements, a mixer, a metal bowl, plastic bag with whipping cream (unwhipped) and 25 small gifts to the Christmas Eve celebration and some back home again.
In order to use this bag for a non quiltmaking purpose, I had to clear it out. All the large items went on the floor, but I needed the pockets, too. All the small things went on my desk. Later when I had a few minutes to look at them, I was sort of amazed and shocked at the variety and non-variety.
What I was most interested in were the multiples of things:
- in that cool aqua pouch is a selection of pens. More than one.
- 3-4 nametags?! I guess I can share with a friend or really want people to know my name.
- Two chocolate bars: emergency and backup emergency, I guess.
- 3 ATCs, because you never know when you are going to need a random ATC.
- Out of date meeting and exhibit flyers. Good for nostalgia, I guess.
- Multiple post-it notes. You can never have too many pens or post-it notes.
I put most of the stuff back in, if it wasn’t out of date or spoiled. I did spread out the nametags among other various bags. Better to have one than none.
What’s in your guild bag and do you use your bags for other, non-quiltmaking purposes?