Messenger Bags

Spurred on by a Modern Quilt Guild Tote Bag Swap, I made a new product for my Etsy shop….Messenger Bags! (None of these are for my swap partner though, that reveal hasn’t happened yet, so I’m not posting that bag yet!)

I started with a simple, classic messenger bag design and made it my own with a modern, folded, hexagon appliqué. The design has been gaining popularity as I’ve seen it now in Stitch Magazine, Pillow Pop a book of modern pillow designs and on Pinterest! Not sure who started it, but I love the technique and the three dimensional quality of the hexagons with neatly folded little frames.

These bags are a great canvas for playing with (and practicing) free motion quilting designs!  I love doing that small little area (just 12″ x 16″) rather than a whole quilt, it gives me a chance to really make sure its perfect, but not get burnt out on a design. The edges are pretty tricky, so next time I may quilt the front and the back together before cutting them apart, but I don’t know yet!

Here are the front photos of the three I made so far. Click on the photo below or the Etsy Mini in the top right sidebar if you’re interested in purchasing one!