This week didn’t go how I expected it to, but that’s okay. It was way better.

As we are entering into the holiday season it’s time to start thinking about Christmas gifts. I’ve known for awhile now what I want to get my Mom for Christmas. She loves to do those paint by diamond kits that have become very popular lately. (I do as well but we’re focusing on her right now.) She LOVES them but she struggles sometimes to see the small patterns that designate which diamond to use. She is in need of a light board to place under her canvas to make it easier to see all of those small designs. It’s the perfect gift for her this Christmas.

As my husband was helping me pick out the PERFECT board for her I realized it would be even better if it had a case or a bag to store it in. We spent some time scouring the internet for a bag that would fit the light board we had picked out for her but we weren’t having any luck. The dimensions aren’t typical for a laptop bag and every bag we found specifically for light boards was too small. I was starting to get frustrated and give up when my husband said the perfect thing. “You should just make one.”

Brilliant!!

I will admit I was pretty nervous to tackle something like this for the first time but after searching for, finding, and reading through a pattern I felt pretty confident that I could do it.

I’m happy to report that this week I finished everything but the strap for the bag and I am so thrilled with how it turned out!

There were a few moments there that I didn’t think I would be able to get it right, particularly with the zipper. I had to unpick the zipper and redo it because I accidentally put it in upside down the first time. I was not too thrilled with that, but I figured out how to fix it so it’s all good.

I love everything about this bag. I love the colors, the pocket in the front, that it has a removable strap. But most importantly I love that it is a perfect fit for my mom’s light board! I cannot wait to give it to her!

My Ideal Seam Guide came in really handy with this project. It’s great any time you need a straight stitch, not just for quilting! I particularly loved having it when I was stitching the zipper. I was able to get perfect spacing and a straight line without worrying that I would accidentally get the zipper itself and break my needle. 

 

Next week I won’t be able to finish the strap yet because I’ll actually be spending the week with my Mom who can’t see it. Instead, I’ll be hand stitching the binding on the quilt I’m making for my mother-in-law. It’s the perfect project for next week since I won’t have my sewing machine with me.