Denise Clason Studios~Sewing & Quilting author

I just made three little totes, as a thank you, for some girls at church. They helped me out one evening with some babysitting, while I taught a class. The were the sweetest 13 years olds and they were cousins! Here are the bags I made for them:

Aren’t these the cutest little bags, I used a 7″ zipper, so that gives you approximately the size of the bag. If you look closely, you’ll see the beads attached to the zipper pulls. The first one is green with a variegated thread used for quilting, the second one is stitched to follow the black design and the one on the right is stitched in a multitude of little square patterns. The girls loved them! It made me very happy to see such smiling faces, I even got some hugs out of it! They totally earned them…they watched 16 kids!

I decided to make a diaper bag for my daughter when she realized she needed one for her new baby boy, Ryan.

  isn’t our grandson a handsome boy!!!

She got a “petunia pickle-bottom” bag from a good friend and she decided it wasn’t going to work for her. So, she and I looked in my fabric stash and picked out some very cute prints and got to work.

I used a “morphed” version of The Messenger Bag from my “Quilted Bags and Totes” Book. Instead of having a flap we made a pocket on the outside with a zipper. The use of the antique ribbon strategically placed, really makes the bag. We added bottle pockets on the sides and several pockets inside. One of the pockets was made short, with a zipper, so that Erin could put small things in them and still find them.

Here we are, looking at the front of the bag, it is a show stopper! Erin helped me pick out the fabric pieces and I really think they turned out great! What a vibrant bag it turned out to be…and it is beautiful on the shoulder! Who says she has to keep it as a diaper bag, the bottle pockets are big enough to hold water bottles! Even her cell phone and keys!!!

This is the back of the bag. I made it one large pocket, so that she could put magazines, books, changing pad, etc. inside of it without any effort.

I put a lot of pockets inside, so that Erin could put her wipes, diapers, etc. in them. The green/brown polka-dot pocket is only half the height, so that little things don’t get lost…thus the zipper! This bag has had a lot of use! I almost wish it were a little wider, but Erin said she loves it and that after Ryan is a little bigger, she won’t have to carry so many extra clothes! I will agree with that one!!!

The bag stands up straight, because of the way I bound the edges, (inside out) and I also used a covered board for the bottom of the bag. I used the back of a legal pad! Never throw anything away! Vera Bradley’s bags use the same type of board.

Have you ever heard the saying “when Mom’s happy, everyone is happy?” Well—this bag makes my daughter, (Mom) happy!

Boy, I can’t believe how time flies! While time has flown, so did the baby stork…he brought us our first grandson! See our cutie:

He was born on May 14th at 11:30am. The same time that Erin was born. They are both doing well, as well as the grandparents! haha

So our life has been busy with this little one! Today, I am going to the Pediatrician with Erin to be checked for his 1 month check and his first shots!!! Yikes! wish us well!