"B"

I was lying in bed one night last week, and these fabrics popped into my head, along with this T-shirt that I had planned to recycle. The next morning I started figuring out how to use these to make a bag.

I got this far and was stumped. How to embellish it? A monogram? But whose? Surely not mine. I don't need this bag. I just need to make it. (Need.) 

"C" for Caelyn? No, she has a fabulous bag that I covet. 

"G" for Gabriela? No, I just made her a bag recently. 

"M" for Morgan? She doesn't carry a purse. 

Hmmm... 

"B"? It seemed so random, but perhaps it was triggered by this. I walked away and awaited inspiration. As I left the room, I checked my Facebook notifications and saw that a friend had sent a request for a reversible bag for her granddaughter whose name is...

Bryce!

I've had SO much fun playing with the embroidery attachment lately. I found a little butterfly in the machine's pre-programmed stitches, so I fiddled with the "flip-flop" option and made it face two directions. Then I added some little "b" lines to this, as with the bees on a previous bag.

On the back, I just played around with this cute swirly design. 

I must say that T-shirt fabric is treacherous. In fact, when I put the straps together, I was having such a difficult time keeping them lined up that I became discouraged and again walked away from it all. 

Later, it occurred to me that I should make bias tape, which I made from this tutorial (never having done it the right way before).

Kudos to the genius who discovered the wonder of bias tape!

Secretly hoping that Bryce will one day grow up to be a passionate coffee drinker, I'm relying on the power of suggestion to work through this fabric that I chose for the inside pocket.

I didn't always find just what I wanted while living in Moçambique -- which is a gross understatement -- but I was delighted to find this butterfly fabric at a store in Maputo. I thought it would be perfect for the reverse side of this bag, rather than the very cute blue hummingbird fabric in the first photo.

I hope that Bryce will enjoy her bag!

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Before I close, I must share the adorable package that came in the mail from a dear neighbor in Alabama:

Dani is such an interesting lady. Born in Italy, she grew up in Switzerland and has taught French, but now lives in Alabama! 

I love "stalking" her Facebook wall to see her correspondence with friends and family who speak various languages.

She has been sewing for years, and each item is such an expression of her artistic gift. 

This cute little bag arrived in the mail a few days ago, and I was so pleased to use it yesterday on our trip to Costco.

The clear plastic "window" pocket that Dani added to the back is perfect for showing my membership card at the entrance. 

This way, I was able to carry my list, coupons, and cards without having a heavy purse slung over my shoulder.

Thanks, Dani!