Taking piecing to another dimension
 

OK this will have a lot of pictures and probably take me all night to do this tutorial. Please do not comment until you see the end result hanging on a door. If you want to know what it turns out to be look at my posting toward the end of here: http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...s-t134918.html I've had more than a few people ask for a tutorial. I haven't written it yet - I just have pictures. If you have questions feel free AFTER I get the whole thing done so I don't mess things up. Thanks.

OK LET'S ROLL!!!
First you will need necessary equipment. I used a little old Spartan sewing machine in a rather bad case thing - it bounced along but I got it done using this little machine. This machine is secretly a chameleon - I'm not sure if it is turning black or green... (well, ok... the light and motor were borrowed from a Singer 185.)
I am having trouble getting the pictures to go on here - this may not turn out at all. I'll try one more frame.
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You will want to cut out 17 quilt squares. Mine are 6 inches any size will do.
Then piece a 9 patch and then 4 pairs: [ATTACH=CONFIG]365272[/ATTACH]

Next you will need to attach the pairs of blocks to the 9 patch. When you do you will only sew between the seam allowance - you do not sew them all the way to the end of the patch. See where I marked it with a pen?
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Attach all 4 sides - press well of course
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Those inside corners should not have stitching going all the way to the edge of the fabric - I back stitched carefully.

This is best if you make a lining - I used an old skirt. The blocks were odd pieces I had around - good way to use up scraps. You can do about any design you wish with the colors. Where you join you do not want the same color - you'll see later. I put my work face down on the old skirt material - then I made a pocket out of some scrap and sewed it to the lining - you are on your own for that one.

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Now is the tricky part. I sewed around the two unsewn sides of the blue blocks. Start at the seam, reinforce, then go to the point - reinforce - you'll want to trim later around the corner, reinforce sew to the seam, reinforce. Then start over on the next blue block. Do the other end.
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Pic shows it folded in half - you are looking at the skirt fabric on the bottom and the top is the pieced part - I already trimmed it and cut the points - out side points are trimmed and the inside corners are slit - you can see what I mean better on the lining piece.

Before I turned it to press, I trimmed the skirt material all the way around. I didn't do that on the first one I made - too late now...
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You can see better how I slit the lining - do both ends

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It is good to turn it and press - I think half of sewing something is pressing it. Press both ends.
Hang on - we are up the hard part - save your questions for the end... LOL Might be a good time to take a wee break - CHOCOLATE!!!

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Fold it like so - match the right sides - pin and sew between the seams - pull the lining out of the way - we will deal with that later.
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ok some how my camera went berserk about this time. It went into black and white. It really is the same project. It went back to color later on - what ever - it is a camera - you are suppose to point and shoot not twiddle...

This was tricky - you fold the it the other way and catch the next blocks. Sew just like the last ones - between the seam allowances. re-read previous warning (see window #10) - I hate ripping things out.
Ok it should start to look like a bag sorta. You have one more seam - it should bring the whole thing together to the blue squares.

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Ok I did this pic at the machine - I don't know if it will help you figure it out - it was pretty messy at this point. Keep reading the warning in window #10

The sides are made kind of like a child's cube toy. Does that help?

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time to press some more.

Ok this might have to have a part two because I posted too many pictures. I'll post a link here to part two. We do want to line this bag and sew on some straps. I'm sure there are people who will do this much nicer and will quilt this some how - I haven't figured out how AND line it.

well shoot! All I'm getting is an invalid attachment when I click on the attachment. Barny

Ok I maxed out my allotment of pictures so I'll do a part 2. You will have to look for the picture there or on the vintage sewn quilts page.

Taking piecing to another dimension part 2 the lining and the finished bag
 

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...n-t201431.html
The continuing saga
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This is a bag pieced out of 6 inch squares - I maxed out pictures on part one so this is part two - lining the bag.
Turn bag right side out and press. Ignore the lining.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]365294[/ATTACH] Here is where we start to sew it like a childs block
Sew the first two on each side together from seam to seam - do not go clear to the edge of the fabric or you will not be able to turn the corner.

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WARNING: Make sure you are sewing only the intended pieces together.
I just pinned it - now sew

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Pin and sew the other side and the other end. Then you will have to sew the sides the rest of the way up - keeps turning corners.

I told you this took me a very long time to sew - this is the last part to sew together - pin just the fronts and sew between the seams.
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Ok I just caught up with myself... I think this is where the outside is going together.
Do you know there is no going back on this - you will have to figure this out... It is hard enough to sew - a tutorial is a real challenge...

REMEMBER don't sew through the seams - just go to the edges of them or you won't be able to turn the corners.

Taking piecing to another dimension part 2 the lining and the finished bag
 

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...n-t201431.html
The continuing saga
[ATTACH=CONFIG]365293[/ATTACH]
This is a bag pieced out of 6 inch squares - I maxed out pictures on part one so this is part two - lining the bag.
Turn bag right side out and press. Ignore the lining.

Oh my this is a real mess. I can't seem to put up any more pictures - part two joined here some how - it must be magic or something... LOL
I think I got it to the point where the front and back were joined. Let me see if I can explain it again. the little side notches get sewn together. First do the two you see - sew only between the seams. Then sew the one you just formed. This will bring it all up to the two blue top pieces. Then you should be ready to do the lining. I'm not sure if this will let me load up any more pictures.
Just in case, pic of the finished bag... LOL [ATTACH=CONFIG]365307[/ATTACH]

Ok. Well. Now let me see if it will let me post the last batch of pics of how I did the lining with out hand sewing it. You can if you like - it would be much easier on me...
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and
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From the right side, I pinned it in, turned it and sewed the first 'corner'

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and then the next one
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I think you can figure out how to sew on straps if you got it this far...
I'll try to post missing pics again later.

Here is another one I sewed.
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I am so sorry Miriam but your tutorial is just not working. I cannot view the pictures and therefore I cannot follow the directions. I finally figured out where the beginning of the project is but cannot find the next steps. What a disappointment for all your hard work!

Some how I got too many pictures on there - part two magically attached itself to part one - I think too many people were on here viewing as I was posting and the pictures went wonky.

Some tutorial with no pictures. Sorry - I am not all that good with the computer to know how to fix this.

Some of the pictures come up and some don't - some click on some don't - go figure.

After an hour and a half I'm more frustrated than you are. I don't understand why the pics don't show up - I'm not that high tech with pics - they work or they don't.

Your photo were worth a bazillion words. The pic off the bag on the door knob explained it aall to me. Thanks

This is the simplified version of the Mondo Bag pattern. Great job!

so. can some people actually see the pictures?

I looked up the Mondo bag pattern - lot more pieces to it and the sides are shaped straight - I guess you can shape it any way you like. Oh and this one is free... if you can find the pictures

Can't open attachments

I think this is a system problem - the same pics will come elsewhere on the board. For me it was 3 hours sewing and shooting the pics and an hour and a half trying to post - the program accepted the pics initially then somehow over loaded - I tired to start a part 2 post but it some how magically merged with post one, then all the pics crashed. Go figure.

Let's see if the bag pics post... [ATTACH=CONFIG]365432[/ATTACH]