DIFFERENT APPROACH

Okay, since folding the doubled fusible in half, making four thicknesses, didn't work for me or my machine, I decided to go with just the doubled thickness.  

It won't look like the bag in the pattern, but it will be close.

My machine can do this, and the needle isn't gumming up and the thread isn't breaking.

Life is good.

I got the outside of the bag made, got binding on it and starting to attach the bottom.

Looking good!

I woke up thinking about a different way to make the bag that looks like the pattern, but without all that thickness.  I'll have to try it next time.

I NEED A BIGGER BAG

I decided I needed a bigger bag - one that would hold a quilt, so I could take it with me and work on the binding and such.

I ordered a pattern.  I went to Jo-Ann's and bought fusibles.  I hate fusibles, they are so unquilt-like.  Stiff and artificial, not soft, warm and comforting as quilts should be.

But this is not going to be a quilt.

I got out my batiks and starting sorting through them.

I cut everything out and started to sew...

Here's the pattern with the beautiful bags on the cover.

First step, fusing the fabric to fusible batting.

Next step was to fold them in half and sew into tube-like strips.  Here's where the problems started.  This is four battings thick.  My machine didn't want to sew that.  It started skipping stitches.  It broke the thread and did all kinds of horrible things.  I changed needles, I used the biggest needle I had, I changed threads.  I gave up.

Things did not go well, I eventually decided to give up.  I would have to go buy more needles and thread, or something.

I've already spent too much money on fusibles, some of which I think are the wrong thing.  I sent away on Amazon for the brand names mentioned in the pattern.  I'll wait for them to get here and re-assess.

SOLSTICE BLOCKS

Here are the next two Solstice Quilt Blocks:

Gramma Anna's Basket 

Crosswalk

SEVEN ROWS DONE

I've been sewing the hexagon blocks for my Cincinnati quilt together when I'm watching TV.  I've got seven out of eleven rows done so far.

I can see the end in sight!

Part of me doesn't want to see this end - at least the sewing by hand part.  I'm enjoying having something constructive to do while relaxing.  I think I'll pull out my old red, white and black hexagon quilt I started years and years ago and finish it!

QUILTING DONE ON CAT QUILT

I finished the machine quilting and took out all the pins today!

Then I squared it up and even made the binding and sewed it on.  All that's left is to sew the binding down on the back.  

BLOCK OF THE MONTH, WEEK, ETC

I'm working on my Solstice Quilt, made two more blocks out of the plaid flannel:

 Week 3 - Tidal Pools

Week 4 - Cobblestones

And started Pat Sloan's "Children's Library" quilt, too.  I'm using the "Alice Through the Looking Glass" fabrics I purchased years ago, plus some go-withs.   I need to find some better greens - uh, oh - that means a trip to the fabric store!   The 'background' fabric', which is white and has little card-men standing on it, has a definite up and down.  I'll have to think about each piece and orient it properly.  

BORING QUILTING

I couldn't come up with any quilting ideas that I could execute on my machine for this quilt.  So, I resorted to the old standby of the wavy 3/3 stitch on my Bernina.

I got several passes done then quit for the day.

PINNED

Got er pinned.

The back, upside down, pulled taut and taped down.

Pinned and ready to trim off excess batting.