I decided that I will make this Enigma and then get back to the Hackneys I planned and cut out. I am making amazing progress.
Kabloom Enigma body
I have all of the pieces prepped, the bottom quilted, which you saw in the other post, and assembly is underway. The second time is almost always easier than the first.
I remembered to put on my label this time, though this one will probably be for me and I don’t really need a label. I am trying to make it part of the process so each bag I make gets a label. I have a few more hours to make it a habit.
Kabloom Enigma bottom before binding
As mentioned before, this bag design requires binding and Sara shows how to do it on the machine. I sewed the binding on by hand last time, but decided that I would do it by machine this time. I am pleased to tell you that it went well and it looks good.
The bag looks like the photo above and on the right when it is ready to be bound. I had to keep the sides out of the way when I got to the binding part.
Janome foot F
I changed feet and used the Janome foot F with the little red triangle and kept the left hand tip of the triangle right on the fold of the binding. My seam line looks pretty good. I didn’t really check the bottom because it doesn’t show when the bag is in use anyway.
Kabloom Enigma binding
After sewing, the inside of the bag looks like the photo on the right.
The hardest part to sew past is where the zipper stops. You have to zip the zipper a little to keep it out of the way of the machine foot while keeping the bottom of the bag flat. It was a lot easier the second time, though still not 100% easy.
A few more things to do, then I’ll be finished with this bag.
I can’t decide if this is a bag or a pouch. Sara said that Minikins Season 4 had only one true pouch and this one wasn’t it. Despite that I still tend to call this a pouch.
New Enigma – cut out
Despite the 5 million other projects on my list, I started another Enigma. I have to admit, in case you haven’t noticed, that I like to make bags more than once.
I know Sara used the Kabloom fabric for her model. I am truly not copying her; I just love those giant flowers. I have to admit that it was tough to get two pieces large enough out of the Kabloom fabric I have left. From making the pentagon pieces for La Pass Month 18, my yardage of Kabloom looks like Swiss cheese. I would have fussy cut more peonies if I had had a large enough piece.
One reason I started this one is I kept looking at that pink snowflake fabric and just had to use it. I have to say that the lining takes most of a half yard of fabric. After cutting out the pieces and cutting up the scraps into usable pieces, I don’t have any of it left beyond what is in my scrap bin.
Hooray! I finished and I had plenty of time to post it on the blog post to win a prize. I may not win, but hope springs eternal.
I like this pouch. It’s interesting, yet normal, so surprising. It packs a punch and isn’t difficult to sew. There are some tricky bits, but it would be a boring sew, if the whole thing was easy.
We’ll have to see. I have some scissors and a pincushion I was gifted that I could put inside as a start.
The bag opens flat, which makes for a nice tray that keeps items confined in the car. You can see the bottom piece in the picture I took after I cut all the pieces. This will give you and idea of why it is flat.
Finished: Enigma Bag – end view
The zipper, though, zips at a diagonal, which I think is part of the interesting bit of this bag. It also allows the bag to zip up small, be completely contained and then open out flat. Clever, isn’t it?
I was concerned that there would be a hole where the zipper meets the bottom of the bag, but there isn’t. WHEW!
I always wonder how Sara thinks up some of these bags. I am always curious about the designs, but then I wonder how she figures out the construction. I know enough to modify some bags, but I am not sure how I would figure out how to make a bag like this.
Finished: Enigma Bag – accordion pocket
As mentioned, there is one accordion pocket. It is fully contained like the Sew Together Bag and the Ultimate Carry All Bag. This type of pocket allows the user to put something under the pocket like a ruler or quilt block (hand piecing?).
This pocket went together really well and even though the zipper contrasts with the pocket, I think it looks nice. Yes, I added one of the charms I bought when we went shopping for the Retreat. I bought a tool afterwards that makes it really easy to open the jump rings and connect the charms to the lobster clips. The tool is called Split Ring Tweezers**. Total game changer!
Finished: Enigma Bag: zipper end
I love the directions for the zipper tabs in this pattern. I really think my zipper tabs came out better than they ever have. In turn, this made my zipper look really good.
As mentioned, this bag is part of Minikins Season 4. Minikins patterns are only sold in bundles. This bundle has 12. There are at least two other projects I plan to make really soon.
Now I am worried that I won’t want to finish the Hackney pouches from Minikins Season 3 I have cut out. 😉
You can see the other finished Enigma Bags on the blog post.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
Well, I couldn’t just make one. I cut out a second Enigma on Saturday. It’s a second one with fabrics I like even though I don’t know what I will do with either.
Part of the reason is that I kept looking at that pink snowflake/spiderweb fabric all week and knew it would be a perfect lining.
I also chose the Tula Pink Kabloom fabric, because I love those flowers. I forgot that Sara also used that fabric for one of her Enigma bags. I feel a bit like a copycat, but I didn’t choose it consciously because she did.
This time I am going to remember to put in a label. I hope to find the perfect spot.
So, I know this Enigma process must seem interminable. It seems like it is taking me forever to finish it and I have to keep reminding myself that working all week prevents me from sewing much during the week. Today I have time off and I will use it for sewing.
As an aside, I enjoyed my trip, but I am frothing with excitement thinking about actual sewing. AND, then, being able to actually sew.
Enigma inside binding – detail
The photo above shows the inside of the pouch. The intersection of the bottom and the side panels has a binding. This is a challenging method of finishing a bag. Sara doesn’t use it very often. When she does, I know there was no other way. The video shows Sara easily sewing the binding by machine. I took the coward’s way out and sewed it by hand. The part by the zipper was really hard. Zipper tape is no joke to sew through.
Enigma inside pocket – detail
I have only a step or two left to do and I hope to finish today so I can still post it on the sew-a-long and possibly win a prize.
Next, I will sew the inside pocket.
I used the video more for this bag than other bags. I didn’t try to understand directions that were confusing. I just went straight to the video. I kind of feel like I cheated, but I also don’t care that much.
I was only able to sew a little during the week, but I made some progress. A few minutes here and there do add up. The Enigma bag is almost done. I have a few more steps before I can use it.
It might be good for some of my bagmaking tools like the KamSnap. We’ll see.
At the moment it is still inside out and I have not yet installed the pocket in the center. I am eager to finish it and start another! I know I have a million projects on the go and another million on my to do list, but I’d like to get this right.
The other day when I wrote about this project, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have time to finish it before the Retreat. Despite some unsewing, I had no problem finishing it.
I realized while making this bag that one reason I enjoy making bags is that I still have a lot to learn. This bag is pretty good work and I am not ashamed to give it to someone at the Retreat, but the work could be better. It isn’t that my workmanship wasn’t good; it was that I wrestled with the 3D-ness of the bag while top stitching. I just need more practice.
Amethyst Project Bag: inside pockets
I think the bag is more useful with the vinyl inside pockets. I talked about using the directions from the A Place for Everything v.2 bag as guidelines in a recent post.
You can see that I added a D-ring, as usual. I wanted to make an I Spy pouch to clip on to it, but didn’t have time. I also am not sure I have any more of the two fabrics. Maybe later.
Amethyst Project Bag: bottom inside
The bottom section is where I installed the elastic. The dimensions of this bag are 14.5 x 13.5 inches, which is large enough for most quilt blocks. The elastic and parachute clip keep them inside. I think this could be used for rulers as well.
Amethyst Project Bag: inside
In general, and overall, the inside is very useful, I think. The lady bug fabric (from the Tula Pink Tiny Beasts line) looks really fun. There is a bit of movement in the fabric as well.
All of the Tula Pink fabrics are designed to coordinate, so I think the outside (Ka-Bloom) and the ladybugs go together. I suppose ladybugs crawl on flowers sometimes….
Amethyst Project Bag labelled
Finally, I used another one of the Advent labels. If I make one of these again, I’ll put it on the side. I am still trying to find the best place to attach labels.
This is not a Sew Sweetness Minikins pattern, but it is one that I have had for awhile. I am glad to finally be trying it out.
I have made good progress on this bag and am in the last stages of putting it together. I am amazed since I really didn’t think I would have time to work on it when I last talked about it.
Amethyst Bag – happy accident
First, this ‘fussy cutting’ came out pretty well. I didn’t really fussy cut it, I just took the opportunity to put it together in a way that looked like I had fussy cut. It’s a happy accident.
You can also see how this bag is starting to shape up. I have the front cover and inside pocket assembled and the gusset installed.
So far, the bag goes together in a fairly straightforward manner. The prep of all the various parts is making the assembly go relatively quickly.
I know this should come as no surprise, but I am always surprised. Perhaps I have come to terms with making handles and sewing bits and bobs together before the actual bag assembly? Who knows.
Amethyst in progress -inside out
In this photo, you can really see the dimension of the bag. The picture shows the exterior top and the exterior gusset. The top is pushed down and not the way it will end up when finished. It was like that for top stitching.
The elastic I bought that came the other day looks really good with the Tula fabric.
I used a blue zipper instead of green, because I only had one 40″ zipper and that was it. I think it looks pretty good, though a green would have been better.
Amethyst – inside front cover + gusset
The other side of the piece in the photo (right, above) looks better than I expected. It is the inside front cover. I thought it would be a bit wonky, but it isn’t. Hooray!
The vinyl isn’t difficult to work with, but it does add layers. Thickness can be difficult to work with.
I put in a new needle and held my breath. Everything was fine.
I am waiting on a parachute buckle to finish. I didn’t want to use a black one, so I got one off Etsy and I think it is coming from Siberia or somewhere. That wasn’t my intention, but sometimes I miss the location from where things ship. 🙁
I tend to make Carrie and Sue the same pouches with slight differences. They are good friends and I think that they were great students.
Color Wheel Hackney – Sue – interior
So, as I made a Hackney for Carrie, so I made a Hackney for Sue. In this case, the exterior fabric is the same, but cut a little different and the interior fabric, zippers and other detail parts are different. I made the interiors different, but still relating to being creative. I am excited about the interior. I also fussy cut it and am pleased with the fussy cutting. It is super fun.
Color Wheel Hackney – end (Sue)
This one also has a handle. As I said before, they are useful.
I wasn’t sure if I liked the way the handle and front panel interacted – the way the fabric motifs overlapped and interfered with each other, but I think fussy cutting the top draws the viewer’s attention to that space and you don’t see the mashup of motifs where the handle is attached.
The front of the front panel (which is a gusset) looks really good, I think. That little piece of color wheel is appealing.
Color Wheel Hackney – Sue
As I said with Carrie’s Hackney, Sue’s also goes with her Boxy Clear Pouch. You know I love to make sets of bags.
A long time ago, I promised Alison a bag to give away as a prize at the retreat. I thought I would finish the Brocade Peony Ultimate Carry All Bag and give that to her, but I ended up not doing that.
Amethyst Case – process – top
Finally, I decided to make an Amethyst Project Bag. This is a bag you can put pieces of a project into and keep them all together. It isn’t huge, so you can’t put yards and yards of fabric in there, but templates, most rulers and cut pieces would fit very well.
It is not a Minikins project, but it is a Sew Sweetness pattern.
Cutting bags at Sew Day
This is one of the projects I talked about cutting out at Sew Day. It is pretty amazing, to me, at least, that a project can move from a pile of cut pieces to something that is starting to look like a bag in a few hours.
Amethyst Case – in process – bottom
I haven’t finished. In fact, I have only made a start. I hope that I will have enough time to finish it before the retreat. Yes, I waited until the last minute, but I have had deadline after deadline I have been trying to meet. I know they are self imposed deadlines, but they are still deadlines for bags I wanted to give as gifts.
The bag is not exactly square. It is 14.5 x 13.5 x 3.5 (depth). I could only orient those giant peonies in two ways. I chose the other main panel for the top because one of the peonies was close to the center.
Amethyst Case – in process – inside pocket
I wanted to make a bag that would be appealing to the guild members. I hope this Tula Pink fabric appeals to many of them. I had planned to put some piping around the edge, but decided I needed to make one first before I started really messing around with the design.
Speaking of messing around with the design, I did make this inside front pocket instead of the short mesh pocket and the two pouches called for in the pattern. I like to see what is in my pockets. I am not sure this came out 100% perfectly, but I think it will work. I used the directions for the pages from the A Place for Everything v.2 bag as guidelines for this pocket.
I normally like to make the bag at least once first, but I don’t have the time.
I finished my most recent class with my fabulous students, Sue and Carrie. I had planned to make them each a Hackney for Christmas with this great Carrie Bloomston fabric, but moved the gifts up to be ready for our end of class lunch last Sunday.
Color Wheel Hackney – Carrie
One of the reasons I chose this fabric is that it matches another pouch, the Boxy Clear Pouch, I made for them. the fabric is fun and cheerful despite the dark background. Because I can’t stop teaching, I also wanted a reminder to them to use their color wheel. 😉 Finally, this is great fabric. Doesn’t it look like an explosion of color?
Color Wheel Hackney – end (Carrie)
This Hackney is like all the others. I have added a handle to this one and think that is a standard addition I will make to all the others I make. Having a handle is useful. I am not sure why Sara didn’t include one in the original directions. Perhaps the pattern is intended to go into a suitcase or something? Regardless, I think a handle is useful.
Color Wheel Hackney – interior (Carrie)
I am particularly pleased with the fussy cutting I did on the inside bottom. Don’t those pencils look great? I measured very carefully to get the whole pencil on the bottom and am thrilled with how successful I was.
I am still not 100% happy with the mesh pocket. I think it is useful, that is not in dispute, but the construction doesn’t appeal. The zipper tabs end up being too thick. I made a vinyl pocket on the Sugar Skull Hackney. I think it came out ok, but I wasn’t concerned about the final topstitching. My next test will be making pencil loops on the top. I’ll see how those come out.
Color Wheel Hackney – filled interior (Carrie)
I have put a few things in the bag including some Adagio tea.
As soon as I finished the two Color Wheel Hackneys, I started another. I have decided to make a number of these as gifts. I have to say that this one went a lot quicker than the others. It is a clear indication that practice does make perfect.
I am pretty pleased with how the coneflowers look. I picked the zipper color to go with the yellow coneflower, but also because I wasn’t sure when I would use a yellow handbag zipper otherwise. I think it looks good so far.
Coneflower Hackney interior- in process
I talked about the Hackney lining hack a bit ago. It is for this one. The lining is a little saggy so far, which I have to figure out. Otherwise, I think the piece is looking good.
This project started off so well and wasn’t difficult. There was one crucial line missing from the directions that threw me off.
That line was “Remember, this needs to open like a book”.
It is perfectly usable. It would work very well for someone who was left handed. As you can see the opening is on the left. If the directions had said “Remember, this needs to open like a book”, I think I would have been able to better picture the directions in my mind. Instead there were a lot of words describing flipping the exterior in different ways, which was confusing.
2-in-1 Case #1 interior
Also, I used a snap instead of the magnetic clasp called for, which I know had an effect.
I also added a piece of foam in addition to the fusible batting. I like the heft. I might try two layers of fusible batting next time. Yes, there will be a next time. I think this is a useful pouch/booklet, but also not difficult, so it is a good item for a door prize.
Despite the problems, I found this a fairly easy project. It also gave me practice in using my Snap Setter. I always wonder what my DH thinks I am doing when he hears me pounding away. I am always amazed that the tool doesn’t break.
