Library bag

This year I participated in a book club. It gave me a monthly break from being a full time parent and gave my mind some necessary exercise. The December meeting always includes a gift swap so I made this gorgeous bag entirely out of fabric from my stash.

I had seen a similar bag somewhere, though I can’t find it now (probably pinterest.) It was basically made with long vertical strips of different prints and background fabric and then they are sewn together long the long edges to look like books. The leaning on was a challenge and there was probably a less wasteful way of doing it but I made a large rectangle lopped off a corner so the seam allowance would line up to make it look as if they were touching and then I trimmed the edges so it would make a large rectangle with the others. Then I added a top and bottom border.

 

As much as I like the front the back is what I’m most proud of. It is just a large rectangle of the background fabric with the borders cut to the same dimensions as the front.

 

I know it doesn’t look like much from a distance but let me zoom in for you

I dropped the feed dogs and put on the darning foot and then wrote all the books that we read this year. Each row is a different month of books and if the month I filled in the space with the word read.

I’m happy to report that the bag ended up with someone who truly deserved it. She has been in the group almost since the beginning. I have a feeling it will get plenty of love. Though I have to say I did consider trying to snag it myself.