When visiting Portland in April/May this year, I spotted the new Smokey Bear prints from Riley Blake and simply could not resist! However, I’ve been working hard at not buying fabric without a project in mind. I had to decide quickly and decided to make another bag with the same pattern I used for these.
How lucky was I that Smokey showed up to model it for me? SO LUCKY!
I had a great coordinating print in my stash for the liner! It’s got the orange and yellows, as well as a green and brown in it and reminds me of old National Park buildings.
The handles and the tabs on the side are from a vinyl I had in stash as well! Those handles were a booger to make with the vinyl sticking to the foot, because my Teflon foot wouldn’t let me get the needle over the vinyl because of the 3/8" cording inside. Then I got the idea to use Fabri-tac to glue them closed first which made it a lot easier to use the zipperfoot to sew. The stitching is… not great. Luckily, I wasn’t trying for contrast stitching! The vinyl is cork-backed and probably a little thicker and stiffer than would be ideal for these, too.
ADDENDUM: I am considering this a stash project! I prevented stash with the Smokey prints and the interfacing, thread, liner fabric, and vinyl were all stash.
He’s 80! But from what I saw today, you’d never guess it. I guess that’s probably why they licensed his image for quilting cotton - normally Smokey stuff is kind of ridiculously expensive, but Riley Blake quilting cotton I can feel good about!
Thanks everyone! I’m excited to take it out with me this morning with stuff to keep me entertained while waiting for my tires to be worked on. If that isn’t childlike adulting, I don’t know what is!
I’d consider it a stash project. Sometimes, you have to buy more to get rid of more. It happens.
Love this bag pattern, and the interior fabric was perfection.
This is such an entertaining post with a fabulous craft. I saw this fabric somewhere I was looking online recently and was really excited about it as well! I’m so glad someone here made an excellent project from it. It tickles me that you like to bring entertainment with you to tedious waits–so do I!
Seriously, the last thing I want to do is be stuck watching whatever the tire store in small town Montana has going on the TV or flipping through their type of magazines.
