Random 5" Squares

I've had a couple of packs of 5" squares in my stash for years. I got them on sale at Mary Maxim and thought I'd use them for a pattern requiring that size. And so they sat.

The other day I saw a Tiger Lily Designs video on FlossTube where Kari made a rainbow patchwork project bag using 2.5" squares. She used featherweight iron on interfacing that had been gridded with 2.5" lines and arranged the squares on it. Then she ironed the squares to the interfacing. Check out the video for the rest of the steps she followed.

I don't have 2.5" squares but I do have 5" squares that can easily be cut into 2.5" squares so I went to work.

I didn't bother gridding the interfacing. I probably should have but I'm OK with my prototype being a little wonky. I wanted my finished project bag to be about 14" by 11" or so. I wanted one strip of squares below the vinyl window and one strip above it. Then the zipper. That made 7 squares across 6 high plus one above the vinyl and one below the vinyl = 56 squares - with 7 across and 8 vertical. 

Once I had the outer patchwork all put together, I found a coordinating turquoise fabric and zipper in my stash and started sewing everything together. 

My imprecision made for a slightly wonky project bag. The squares above and below don't line up but it is padded with batting, measures 14" x 10" and will accommodate a pattern on 8.5" x 11" paper and all the accessories for a project. 

I should have made the vinyl window at least 1.5" bigger,  or run an extra row of patchwork for the back. The top row was supposed to fold over in the centre but because the vinyl wasn't big enough, a whole row folded over from the back. Oh well. Next time. In the meantime I have a new bag.

This month marks one year since Skip had his big surgery (a rare type of skin cancer). Today we went into The Big City for his checkup. We've been going in every 3 months. He has healed very well and seems to be cancer free. His next appointment is in 6 months. So we get to live freely (within reason - COVID considered) for 6 more months. This appointment was weighing heavily on Skip's mind and I was actively shoving it to the back of mine. I'm not one to spend a lot of time fretting as it serves no purpose but I am ready to spring into action as the need arises. We both were very relieved when the doctors gave him the all clear today.

For the first time in years, we didn't have to board our GO Train back to Whitby in the hinterland on Track 26. They've finally finished the work on the tracks closer to the station so we got to board at tracks 10 and 11. 

So when I got home, my release of stress was to make the project bag. 

I just realized that tomorrow is my 15th Blogaversary! I started documenting my shenanigans, crafty and otherwise on May 27, 2007, shortly before I retired from a 30 high school teaching career (Music and Math mostly). I'm so glad I've kept up this pictorial journal as I refer to it frequently when I want to know what and when I've done stuff in the past. That 'Search This Blog' window on the top right has come in so handy.