The Long Weekend

If you "like" my page on Facebook, you may have seen the pic I posted today showing the towering stacks of fabric, skeins of yarn, and general messiness on my sewing desk.  I have several projects going right now- the Cathedral Window Quilt-Along has 2 blocks left for me to make, I have a quilt to finish for my daughter, a quilt to start for myself, plus lots of random smaller projects for my Etsy shop. I definitely don't need to add anything to that list right now.

But then I came across the Long Weekend blog hop, in which a whole bunch of people are going to attempt Amy Butler's Weekender Bag pattern all at the same time.  I have been eyeing this pattern for about a year.  But I have been afraid to try it, because there is a ton of information out there in blogland about how difficult it can be.  And expensive to make.  I figured now is as good a time as any to give it a go.  So I ordered the pattern and bought all of the materials (which, indeed, were not cheap...at all...sheesh).  I'll post updates as I work on it.  I hear the cutting the pattern pieces out takes the longest. Guess I'll start that on Monday!

I chose cotton twills from Oh Deer! by MoMo for Moda.  The green is the body and the dots are for trim and lining.

The materials: sew-in and iron-on interfacing, cording for piping (eek!), a huge zipper (I got two colors because I didn't have my fabric picked out when I bought them), and template plastic.