Working The "Bugs" Out...

My daughter requested a pouch for a single diaper plus a small, travel sized, pack of baby wipes. I found a pattern on the Internet and came up with this model. I'm going to rework it, get the "bugs" out, so to speak. Think of me as your pattern exterminator. You can see from the photo on the left that my corners (at the flap) look a little... ahem... "bunchy". I'm going to make another one right away, I plan to pink the seam allowances close to the stitching line to alleviate the excess bulk that appears after turning it right side out. I am also going to make the angle of the flap more gradual so that there is an even (not tapered) edge at the fold-over. Stay tuned for modifications; the pattern's dimensions are perfect, no changes to be made there. I made this one from cotton duck fabric and added a layer of DecorBond between the front and the lining (quilting weight cotton) to beef-up the pouch and make it more substantial for accepting the machine embroidery. This trial model will serve the purpose for my daughter's immediate needs.(Mason can use this later on after toilet-training, too, it would be perfect to carry a small tablet and colored pencils.) I found the empty plastic wipes case at Babies 'R Us. for $2.99. I was thinking, too, what a cute gift this would make for a new mommy with one of these plastic cases plus a personalized burp cloth tucked inside! Good thing I have a few new mommies on whom to practice my ideas.

On the piecing front... the basket quilt has finally coalesced on the design wall and is slowly being stitched together, row by row. Why slowly? I want to make certain that each and every basket is heading in the right direction (ask me how easy it is to flip or rotate one!) before the row is complete. Extra time spent orienting (with pins, stickers, arrows... don't laugh, I use them all) now, will be time saved ripping later.

Life is Good!