I am crazy over stripes, denim, blues, and blacks so when I came across this quilt top, I knew it had to come home with me. The price was right and I had no idea what I would do with it but it was going to have a good home.

The quilt top was pretty threadbare, I auditioned it for a curtain thinking I would be so Ralph Lauren circa 1980. I loved it but was outvoted on the charm factor I thought I had created.

A couple of weeks ago, Anna Dineen of A Wandering Path taught a class to make the Ultimate Travel Bag from By Annies Pattern Company.

I could not make up my mind what fabric to use, so there sat this lonely quilt top in all its beauty, wanting to be showcased and taken out on the town. The quilt top almost jumped off the shelf screaming pick me, pick me.

I used a knit fuse interfacing to protect the threadbare areas, sent it off to be quilted and it arrived back in time for our first bag class.

Bag making was new to me, mainly because it requires supplies I do not usually have on hand such as interfacing, zippers, mesh linings etc.

Most of the time I may dive into a project late at night and with quilting, I have all the fabric and supplies I could possibly need. I learned that I could actually do this and I loved it. and I also learned I needed to stock up on supplies for when the next late night bag making bug bite me.

I am not in the habit of cutting up a quilt top, but this one was in bad shape. Now I can carry it proudly as it has gained a new life as my patchworked travel bag!

Here is a video clip from Annie. If you are not a bag maker, dive in. It is lots of fun and Annie had all the supplies I need to make it happen. Enjoy!