Planning ahead

 I like to "kit up" projects so they are ready to sew when I have the time and the inspiration.  Right now I'm trying to plan ahead for some winter projects - anticipating a LOT of time stuck at home due to Covid and winter weather.  Yesterday I created 3 bag kits to add to the 2 child quilt kits that I have cut and made ready for some quick sewing.  

The parts (fabric and zippers) for these 2 Sew Together bags have been in a bag hanging in my sewing room closet.  Now that I have collected plenty of batting scraps again I decided to pair batting with the fabric pieces for the outer parts of these bags and prep them for quilting.  It will be a very quick matter of doing some simple quilting lines, and then trimming them to size for each kit. That helps whittle down the batting scrap pile too.  

This is the 3rd kit for a Sew Together bag.  I had some great navy and cream prints set aside for the lining and pockets, along with this very neutral navy print for the outside.  But then I had another inspiration hit me.

I had ordered a Jim Shore Christmas ornament from the Missouri Star website last week, and while "browsing" I saw that they had done a fabric license plate for 2020. Sew The Blues Away - what a perfect saying for 2020!!  I didn't even know any shops anywhere did any license plates this year.  I added one to my order and it arrived yesterday.  And it will fit perfectly on the navy/cream bag.

I've done a previous bag with a license plate on it, and love how it turned out, so I think this new one will turn out just as fun. 

I also need to do some cleaning in my sewing room again.  I've been on a tear, sewing up a storm lately, but haven't done well with putting things away that I pull out.  My cutting surface is a real mess again.