Hello Fall Scrappy Bag with Giveaway

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Let me begin by thanking Carla of Creatin’ in the Sticks for organizing another wonderful blog hop. She keeps us filled with inspiration and creative endeavors.

As I mentioned in my blog post a few weeks ago, I have been sewing hobo bags with “my seniors.” (I work at an Assisted Living facility as an art therapist.) Another recent development is we’ve started a knitting club at work. While I had learned to knit over the years, I was never any good and didn’t stick with it. I had never even completed a single project before. I had been reading about the recent increased popularity of knitting during quarantine. I’ve discovered for myself how knitting is therapeutic, meditative and I have actually stuck with it!! I began with making a few small knitted hats but then planned a bigger project. I needed something to store my yarn, needles and stuff. Guess what makes the perfect holder for knitting projects… a hobo bag of course!! Using the reversible hobo bag pattern by Very Purple Person, I devised an extra scrappy version in all fall colors.

To begin this project, I gathered a bunch of 2-inch fabric squares in an array of fall colors. I sewed several 8 x 8 blocks from my 2″ squares. When finished, the squares measure 1.5″ and look like blocks for a postage stamp quilt. These 4 blocks plus a few thinner strips for straps and I was on my way.

My goal with the blocks was to nest seams and press everything as flat as possible. Here is how a few backs of the blocks looked before I sewed them up. I think I did a fairly good job, though I wasn’t aiming for perfection.

Let’s talk about the bag pattern for a moment. If you want to check out the Reversible Hobo bag pattern, I promise it’s very easy to make. Please note three things that may help you quite a bit.

  • One: I altered the original pattern to make the each of the straps 5.25″ longer. The original pattern was hugging the underarm too much to be carried.
  • Two: There’s a fun video tutorial that is by wacky Mr. Domestic and very useful if you’re a visual learner.
  • Three: Be careful when attaching the straps together. I made mistakes many times doing this but it’s not hard at all. I was just not paying attention. If you make the bag, please send me a message and I’ll explain it so you won’t have to stumble like I did. (Or look at this other tutorial that may illustrate the straps better.)
This is my adaptation of the pattern to make the straps function properly.

To make this scrappy bag, you’ll need to sew together enough blocks of squares to fit the pattern. I made the outside of my bag all patchwork but left the lining a solid orange fabric. You’ll need to cut 2 outside pieces and 2 lining pieces. In my case, I made a few smaller strips of squares to piece together the handles. I wanted the outside of the bag to be made entirely of small squares. I also added a zippered pocket to my bag. While that’s not on the pattern or video, it isn’t hard at all. Just remember that the zippered pocket needs to be added before you sew the pieces together.

Here’s my finished bag. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and I’m getting lots of compliments. I have another resident who plans to make one in a polka dot fabric to hold her own knitting stuff. One project inspires another!!

I love looking at the scrappy squares and finding some of my favorite little novelty fabrics. There are leaves, owls, deer, sea otters and of course, this little hedgehog.

Lately I’ve been carrying the bag everywhere I go. I’m about to complete my first ever knitted baby blanket and the hobo bag holds the entire thing! I plan to donate it to Jack’s Basket, assuming it ends up meeting their size requirement. I promise to share the finished blanket at some later date. I am learning so much about knitting, but haven’t forgotten my passion for all things fabric. This practical and very useful scrappy fall bag makes me so happy!! I am dreaming about making another one in another color scheme.

My new knitting bag brings me so much happiness.

GIVEAWAY TIME

UPDATE: The winner of the giveaway below has been notified and arriving via UPS. Congrats to Barbara of Maryland!!!!

I am excited to offer another blog hop giveaway. Here’s the scoop! The deadline to enter is midnight, Tuesday, September 29, 2020. Just leave a comment on my blog post mentioning your favorite thing about the Fall season. Sorry, but only U.S. addresses are eligible.

Here’s the complete Giveaway. This issue of Quilt Now came with lots of other pamphlets and I’ve adding in a mini charm pack and 3 lace zippers.
  • The Giveaway contents:
  • 1 mini charm of “Snow Day” by Stacy Iest Hsu
  • Three -12″ lace zippers (brick red, green and ivory)
  • Quilt Now magazine (Issue 69) which has lots of holiday craft ideas

( Sorry, but due to postal costs, only U.S. addresses are eligible for the giveaway. The fabric line for the mini charm pack can be seen here. Highlights of the Quilt Now issue 69 can be found here.)

NOW GO AHEAD AND HOP!!! Please check out all the other fabulous projects in this Hop. Below is the schedule for you to be inspired, visit other blogs and leave a comment when you can. It really means a great deal to get your comments so thank you in advance. Follow the Hello Fall Pinterest Board for all the links.

Monday, September 21st
Just Let Me Quilt
Websterquilt
Karen’s Korner
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
QuiltFabrication.com
Karrin’s Crazy World
Seams To Be Sew
The Joyful Quilter
Kathleen McMusing 

Tuesday, September 22nd
MooseStashQuilting
Quilting Gail
That Fabric Feeling YOU ARE HERE!!
Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
Kathy’s Kwilts and More
Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
Sew Many Yarns
Sunshine in the Attic
Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel
Food for Thought

Wednesday, September 23rd
Quiltscapes
Ms P Designs USA
Stitchin At Home
Just Because Quilts
beaquilter
Patchwork Breeze
Selinaquilts
Lily Patch Quilts
Not Afraid Of Color
Quilting & Learning: What a Combo!

Thursday, September 24th
Creatin’ in the Sticks
Quilt Schmilt
Bumbleberry Stitches
Samelia’s Mum
Life in the Scrapatch
Storied Quilts
Songbird Designs
Quiltifications
Words & Stitches
For the love of geese

Linking to: Oh Scrap, Midweek Makers, My Quilt Infatuation, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Peacock Party, Finished or not Friday, Brag About Your Goodies

134 responses to “Hello Fall Scrappy Bag with Giveaway”

  1. Love your bag! It’s so nice to make practical things that we can use every day, isn’t it? I love the cool, crisp weather of fall and the beauty of the changing leaves. (I don’t love having to rake!)

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  3. I love cooler weather, plus the colors of leaves. It’s exciting to see the first gold and orange show up, and if we didn’t have smoke covering the skies for months, the blue sky against the leaves is breathtaking. Thanks for the giveaway!!! LeeAnna at not afraid of color my addy is
    leeannaquilts at gmail dot com

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  7. Oh that is a perfect knitting bag and the zipper is the perfect modification! Love the scrappiness. I love Fall; the sights of the trees changing colours, the smells of wood stoves burning (and not wildfires), the smells of the canning being done, and the sounds of feet scrunching through the piles of freshly raked leaves.

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  10. What a cute bag and it’ll work so well for your knitting supplies. BTW, it’s great that your sticking with it this time. I LOVE fall but the best part is the smells of the cool air. Wowza, you should smell my sheets after they’re dried on the clothesline!

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    • OMG, my mom still talks about the smell of fresh sheets from the line in winnipeg manitoba. She said they would hang them even in winter and bring them in stiff. I never understood that part, but the fresh smell I can wrap my head around.

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  12. I’ve made a few different forms of the HOBO bag and usually put a zip pocket on the inside. We have fallen right into Fall here in the NorEast and I am in love with the cooler temps, harvests, and variety of colors.

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    • I have to add zippers to my bags yes. I have made a few others and they sometimes have 2 zippers. What I love is the reversible aspect so the zipper can be inside or outside. This scrappy version was the exception. I also live in the NorEast and can’t ever get enough of this weather.

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  13. My favorite think about fall is the crisp mornings when you need a sweater or jacket, and then by noon you can stuff it in your hobo bag cause you don’t need it anymore!

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    • Judy, you make me smile with your comment. Exactly…a hobo bag can hold your sweater when it isn’t needed!! Thanks so much for stopping by.

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    • The colors of the trees just can’t be recreated can they??? No amount of paint or photographing will ever be like the original beauty of the actual leaves.

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    • I am the same way, I love pumpkin everything too. I don’t drink coffee but probably would like pumpkin lattes and all that stuff if I did. You make me want to go make my pumpkin chocolate chip cake recipe. It’s a family favorite!!

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    • Ok, I’m agreeing with you totally. However, now I’ve got pumpkin on my mind enough that I need to go bake something. Thank you for the images of pumpkin bread…gonna look up a recipe. Next blog hop should really be a project and recipe one.

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  19. The changing colors and the cooler temperatures are my favorite things about Fall. I also like the scents of Fall. What I don’t like are the shorter sunlit days.

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  20. I love the fall colors, but 7 years ago we moved from central IL where we had beautiful fall colors to central AL. There can be fall colors here if one can find the trees, but they are few and far apart. You just have to know where they are. I know where one is, but it is a ways from me:) Oh well, here in Alabama I enjoy the cooler days.

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    • Nancy, I grew up in Los Angeles so I know exactly what you mean. I only really appreciated fall when I moved to the Northeast. We though we had a fall season in California, but little did we know…fall only really explodes when you get actual seasons!!

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  23. Fall is my favorite season – I love the cooler weather and the leaves turning color. ( not a big fan of raking those leaves however). Your bag is very cute – I am a fan of using scraps 🙂

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    • Raking leaves used to be fun as kids, when we didn’t really have to do it. Still, jumping in that pile of leaves is worth a lot!!

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  24. It would have been great to see all of your hints before I tried this bag on my own last year. I never did figure out how to do the stap the correct way. Thankfully it was called a HOBO BAG ;-} .
    Yours in fall scraps is wonderful.

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    • Selina, I am smiling because I know the grief of those straps oh too well. It took me awhile to see that I needed to attach the straps on each side of the bag only to one another, not across the bag.

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  25. The bag made great use of scraps while still giving a fall like impression with the colors. Orange abundance is my favorite thing about fall. I can put it everywhere in my house when the decorations come out later this week.
    Connie

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    • Thank you…let me know if you ever make the bag. It’s a very easy pattern and please do reach out to me if you want help with those confusing straps.

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    • You really will love it if you make one. Check out my previous post with regular ones too. You can’t miss with this pattern…but do reach out if you need help with those annoying straps.

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  28. I love your Hobo bag, especially with the zipper in the front of it. Perfect way to bust some scrap. What great retreat bags these would make…Wonder if we ever will get to retreat again some days! LOL!

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    • I’ve been reading about knitted dish cloths. Can you tell me how they work? Do the stitches help scrub the dishes? What about the knitted ones is better than a plain store bought one? Of course, homemade is always better but really, what have I been missing with them? I ask because I know a dear pal who may love a few. I just want to know a bit more from one who uses them.

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    • Oh yes…pumpkin everything. Somehow when I make my pumpkin chocolate chip cake in the spring of summer, it just isn’t the same!!

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  32. Your bag is wonderful. I love the colors of fall – the leaves on the trees are gorgeous right now in ND. I also enjoy the crisp air, giving me permission to cuddle up with my flannel quilt on the deck with some stitching in hand.

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    • Oh sounds cozy indeed. I am loving knitting in the fall as it’s keeping my lap warm. See, I’m learning some secrets as I embrace this new hobby!

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  36. This bag is just such fun! I will have to make one soon. Hmm, I like the idea of different seasonal bags….
    I love fall colors and have been doing more decorating each year.

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    • Susan, I bet your house looks amazing all decorated. I’m not a real seasonal bag person, but I totally plan to make a spring one soon.

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    • Great minds think alike then!! I really love scrappy anything. This bag is one of my favorite things now but when I first made it, I thought it was too much. It’s funny how I’ve come to really embrace the wackiness and now it feels totally normal for me. Never doubt scrappy…it always comes through. I was born in Manitoba so hi there!!

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  38. This bag is awesome! What a great knitting bag and a great project too. Thank you for being a part of the Hello Fall Blog Hop. Great inspiration for sure. It looks like a lot of fun to make.

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  40. And a great scrap buster it is, along with being so very useful for many things. My favorite this is decorating my porch and entry way for fall with pumpkins, gourds and scarecrows.

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    • Your porch sounds so fun. I don’t usually decorate but sometimes I plant mums near the door. If I am at the market and see a misshapen pumpkin I’ve been known to bring it home and give it some love near the door as well.

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    • Same to you. I can’t help but add a zipper pocket to bags. I’m kind of wishing I had added another one, oh well! There are never enough pockets!!!

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  44. I’m sorry Amy I was not responding to you. I just used the next box available. I hope she knows That it was for her not you. Robin

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  45. This is a cute bag to throw all your stuff into gor a sewing or quilt class. If you are going on a class trip with your child it will fit extra sandwiches and a water bottle along with snacks. I could go on and on, I like theses bags when the family takes a trip, I carry a box of Bandaids and other health related item, Believe me, someone always uses everything. I love these bags for all family trips. Thanks for directions for my new fall edition.

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    • My kids are grown, but still living at home in these wacky days. My eldest twins turned 26 just today!! However, when they were all small I would always pack a toy bag for trips. This would have been the best bag for that but trust me, I had no time for sewing when raising my 5 boys!

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    • Yes, it really is the perfect bag, yes. I completed the blanket yesterday and the entire thing fits nicely without spilling out. Now, to decide on adding a border for the baby blanket.

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    • Thanks I also love all the fall colors. I’m supposed to dress in those colors tomorrow, for the first day of Fall. Oooh what fun!! Thanks so much for stopping by.

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    • I love your bag. I am always on the look out for scrap projects. I love decorating for fall with mums and lots of pumpkins and gourds. Hubby has raised a bumper crop of both, so I am ready to begin !!

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      • Ooh, that sounds wonderful. I’ve grown butternut squash but never either of those you mentioned. It’s always better homegrown!

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