Paying it Forward part 2

If you read my earlier post on PIF, I undertook to send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who responded, provided that they did the same thing. Today I decided to complete that undertaking, and I've made special bags for Nellie, Liz and Debbi.

These are not my design, but come from a pattern by the lovely Digital Gran, Margaret Roberts, in Fibre & Stitch - an online mixed media ezine that I subscribe to.

I made these a little differently, using heavyweight Vilene in the middle instead of Pellon or other fine batting, as I wanted them to be less bulky for posting. They're lined with dark blue lining, and free motion quilted with leaf designs.

Here's some photos of construction: above are the 3 pieces sandwiched and quilted, waiting to be trimmed and sewn.
This is a close-up of the quilting. I love quilting leaves, they''re one of my favourite designs.

Here's the inside showing the lining. The bag flap is shaped to fit around the leaves in the quilting design.

And here's the finished bags, with painted buttons and gold-trimmed elastic as fasteners. The buttons are painted with fabric paint. It may rub or chip off over time but can be easily re-applied.