Getting stuck

I have oodles of sewing projects going on - more than I would normally have - but somehow I seem to get stuck not knowing which one to carry on with and so end up doing none of them.

Being a bit of a flibbertygibbet (sp?), I flit easily from one thing to another, especially if I hit a boring bit of a project, like borders or sorting out my backing.  So I established my "no more starting new things until you have finished an ongoing project" rule.  This rule worked quite well until I came home from the Retreat with 3 unfinished items ...

 e.g. Union Jack quilt - 1/4 done at Retreat, 3/4 done at home, red bits quilted, need to quilt the green bits...

....along with a real hankering to try new stuff.

One of my hankerings is for bags.  Bags bags bags.  I have seen so many cool bags on blogs, and making the frame purse has made me believe that I can do it.  In particular I found that Christine, who I met in the first EPP class at the Retreat and also is a member of the London Modern Quilting Guild, has expertly made a number of fabulous bags like this:

Photo courtesy of Christine at thebluebellbird.blogspot.co.uk

Cue spending spree - these things hit the credit card a month later and so I expect my husband might be asking some questions in the next couple of weeks.

This is Christine's gorgeous Echino version of the Nikki Tote by Michelle at Paisley Pear Quilts.  This alone was enough to make me buy the pdf pattern from Michelle's etsy shop.  And as Michelle was doing a deal on patterns, I purchased the Pretty Pleats reversible tote at the same time, because you guessed it, Christine has done one of those too - see her funky froggy version here (I can't add the photo because it keeps coming out sideways!).

Christine has been very helpful to me in her advice as to interfacing and fusible fleece, which I know very little about but which seems very important for bag-making.  So last night I put in an order with U-Handbag for the various accoutrements that I need to make the bag behave like a bag.

My only problem with this is that it is yet another project when I haven't finished the others on my list!  I have an unusually social few days coming up, which is no bad thing for the soul, but a very bad thing for my sewing output.  Hopefully I will have time to make some real progress on my endless WIPs before school breaks up for the summer holidays.

Gertie xxx