This bag is a thank you gift. Our older cat suddenly got sick and one of my cousins, who is a vet, took good care of her. She answered all of our questions, kept checking up on her and even went out of her way to pay a house call on her day off, bringing tasty food and medicine. Sadly, our cat did pass away. I remembered my cousin had liked the Hipster Cat quilt I made for my kitten a few months ago, so I thought I could make her something similar. I thought a bag might be fun, and I decided to go with the Market Bag. I thought it would work well with the cat appliqué.
For the cat, I used the leftover grey with white dots and white with grey patches that I used on the previous one. I used this bright orange print with gold flecks from Carolyn Friedlander's Botanics line. I love how the colour pops and how the print of the fabric looks when cut so small. I think those would be some stylish glasses in real life! A tiny yellow bowtie completed his ensemble. This is the sort of pattern I wish I'd created. He's just so cute!
I left the other side of the bag blank, thinking that you could easily wear that side out and you would never know the cat was on the other side. Originally I was looking for a navy for the outside of the bag, but I found with this awesome teal V & Co print instead. I was happy to have a reason to get it. There just may be a few scraps left for my stash.
This was my first time using Soft & Stable and I appreciate how sturdy it makes the bag. The straight line quilting over it gives a great texture as well. It was a little difficult sewing the curves of the base, but I think it'll go easier next time. I went ahead and picked extra up to make some of the other bags in the book.
My local shop still had some of the cat fabric that I used for the backing of the quilt and I thought it would make a good lining. The colours coordinate well with the outside fabric.
I think this is the easiest zippered pocket I've ever made. Only one piece of fabric, one zipper and a bit of bias tape needed. I can see myself using this method again!
I had Oliver do a pre-handle inspection. He approved.
And then curled up under his own cat quilt.
I've been pretty quiet here and on Instagram lately, with secret Christmas projects, then report cards and my biggest project yet - I bought a house! It was about time. I've got the dozen quilts, the refinished furniture and even the cat, I just needed the house to go with it. Ha. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited. I've got lots of plans. Painting is in progress and new flooring, windows, doors and trim will be in soon. It feels like I've been waiting forever and at the same time it's happening pretty fast. Time is strange like that. I'm looking forward to putting everything in place and seeing it the way I imagine it.
In the meantime, I do have a new quilt pattern in the works, though I'm unsure of a release date yet. I'm also working on a few home decor projects, and I've posted a bit on IG.
Stay tuned for updates and happy sewing!
