maker mama adventures

If you’ve ever made a Cargo Duffle, you know that it’s basically the quilting and cutting everything out that takes the most time. The bag construction isn’t necessarily simple but it does come together pretty quick. I feel like once you do the bag construction once, it makes it a million times easier the second time around. For me, I think this was close to my 10th time time sewing together one of these bags! It’s quickly becoming my go-to bag pattern. Plus, I love that it’s a free pattern! If you want it, you can find it HERE.

This bag came together really fast and even though originally, I had other color combinations picked out for the bag as a whole, I’m soooo glad I landed where I did on the final fabric combination.

The fabrics are so much fun! Sirena is such a bright, cheerful line for all ages and is super fun for the summertime. In case you missed it, over at Maker Pin Co. we collaborated with Jessica and made a coordinating mermaid pin that matches the other Sirena mermaids! If you want a cute Sirena enamel pin, click here to get yourself one. 

Here’s a list of the fabric choices I used:

Siren Song - Orchid

Kelp Storm and Mist

Calamar Coral                                        

Kelp Sunshine

and Ananas Aqua                                        

I’m still in disbelief that they probably took a total of 45 minutes to get them from start to finish. She talks about using a Fat Quarter and cutting it in half, but I just recently bought this Fat Eighth Amalfi bundle last week that I decided to use. I used one Fat Eighth for the lining and another for the outside. The final size of the bags ended up being 9″ wide x 10″ tall. Not too shabby!

I’ll fill them up with a handmade picture and note from my daughter, a gift card and gift them next week (paired with some real life flowers) when I take her to say goodbye to her teachers.

Despite the news happening with Cotton and Steel, they will always and forever be my favorite. Part of me wants to so desperately hoard their prints because of the fact that they won’t continue on as Cotton + Steel past Fall Quilt Market BUT their prints are perfect for any occasion, so I figured this was a good one to cut into my stash and I love how they turned out!

The prints I used are from the new Amalfi collection collaboration with Rifle Paper Co and they are --

Left Bag:

Outside -- Herb Garden Natural

Lining -- Checkers Pink

Right Bag:

Outside -- Herb Garden Navy

Lining -- Black Forest Hunter

The webbing I used can be found HERE.

*Please know that I do make a small commission as an Amazon affiliate from any purchases from any links on my blog. Thank you for helping me provide for my family!

In fact, we did his whole nursery in almost everything Cloud Island from Target because it was all so irresistible not to mention the outfits.. (aren’t THESE just THE cutest sleepers everrrr?!).

Anyway, because I’m a huge fan of everything Art Gallery Fabrics does plus blacks, whites and greys.. when they asked me to use the Nest collection and make the cutest pattern called Hideaway -- I was totally and completely in!

Here’s my version of the quilt! 

The amazing news is that Fat Quarter Shop is awesome and bundled it all up for you and you can get the Quilt Kit from Fat Quarter Shop HERE. It comes with everything you need except the backing BUT they sell the Backing Kit HERE, too. So, between those 2 links, you’ll have everything you need to make the version of this quilt top below!

GET YOUR QUILT KIT HERE

GET YOUR BACKING KIT HERE

As for my version, took a little creative liberty (even though I second guessed myself like 500 times) and instead of making the top just like the picture, I wanted to try strip piecing in the x’s and +’s to make a unique look and feel. I cut up various prints from the collection, cutting each strip between 1″ and 3″ wide and than sewed them all up together, cut my blocks down to size and voila! I even used up some of the black background color inside the strips to add an extra visual pop.

This collection also includes panels! They were so fun to use because they came 6 squares to a yard (with cutting lines on them already! Woo!!) and they would be an easy peasy project on their own. You could make a cute bag, pillow or combine with other prints from the Capsules collection and you could have a super fast quilt top! I LOVE every print in this adorable collection!

For my backing, I went ahead and ordered the One Sheep, Two Sheep Panel from this same Nest collection and I love this panel SO much. I used some white borders to makeup the difference in size and fit my quilt top.

Overall, I had a great time using the adorable Nest collection and loved this quick and easy quilt pattern. Be sure to grab yourself one HERE and browse my list below for all of the exact fabrics I used in my quilt in case you wanted to add some to your stash!

FABRICS USED:

Care Bears - FIND IT HERE

Playing Dots - FIND IT HERE

Swirly Friends - FIND IT HERE

Twinkle Twinkle - FIND IT HERE

Finger Paint - FIND IT HERE

Curious Paws - FIND IT HERE

Make A Wish Panel - FIND IT HERE

One, Two, Sheep Panel - FIND IT HERE

ALSO! Be sure to check out all the other amazing makers and their creations on Instagram by browsing #fqsquiltalong and #hideawayquilt.

Over the last month, I finished my few extras including a See it All Pouch using some sweet Lizzy House fabric... I know, I know, it’s not Heather Ross... But that shade of green is all sorts of amazing! (*Which, by the way, THIS pattern is one of my all time favorite pouches & comes from Aneela Hooey’s new book “Stitched Sewing Organizers” that you can find HERE. )

On top of the Lizzy House extra, I made another Heather Ross extra & made some progress on my mini. I’ve never made a mini before and coming out the other side, they are AWESOME. I’m fully and totally addicted to them now!

I decided to go with matching wonky stars and they were sooo fun! I had 4 stars and kinda got stuck on the design for a little bit.

One night, I ended up browsing the #heatherrossmini on Instagram and got some inspiration to finish the design with 2″ fussy cut squares. It took me until well after midnight but it was done with the top! Gotta love when inspiration strikes!

Thankfully, I had some of my quilty wishes granted a few months ago and was graciously given a TON of Heather Ross so it was fun going through my stash to finish it.

Check out this amazing stacks above of what I was gifted through getting my quilty wishes granted! Talk about a blessing!

For the backing, I ordered some Kinder from the Etsy shop Janum that showed up a few days ago and I finally had a chance to lock in and finish today!

My partner’s favorite color is green so it was only logical to use the Alphabet print in green for the backing plus some bold Art Gallery black and white to offset it all.. plus black and white binding is always my fav ;)

This CUTE little kid took an amazing nap which allowed me to finish & I’m sooo happy with how it turned out. I hope my partner loves it too and can’t wait for the ship date!

I LOVE backpacks that don’t LOOK like diaper bags. Since having my first baby 6 years ago, we’ve come a looooong way in the world of diaper bags (and it’s made me super picky!). I can’t stand a big giant bulky diaper bag that weighs a million pounds and they give you an itty bitty cross strap to hold that heavy bag across your body. Nope and Nope.

The Ryla is awesome because not only is it a backpack, it’s super roomy inside with awesome features but only measures in at 11" x 6" x 14". It gives you enough space to keep all the essentials with you at all times and helps you not over-stuff that diaper bag! Not to mention the gold hardware is soo classy and makes you feel like a million bucks!

A few features I LOVE are:

- TWO Fully Insulated Pockets INSIDE the backpack

With Falcon being 6 months old and still eating every 3 hours, I don’t know how I ever lived without insulated pockets. They SAVE my life. When we’re traveling, I always make up his middle of the night bottles and keep them in the insulated pockets so middle of the night feedings are sooo easy and quiet! No running the water. No worrying about the formula going bad. No needing a mini fridge in the room. None of that. Regardless of the weather outside, the insulated pockets keep the bottle cold or warm.

- It’s Washable, Wipeable and Water Resistant

Basically it’s perfect for babies! Maybe it’s just my luck, but things ALWAYS spill in my diaper bag. Nothing is worse than reaching in to grab something from the bottom to find the bottom soaking wet and smelling funky.. in your non- washable or wipeable bag. The faux leather on The Ryla Playback is easily wipeable for you to wipe and be on your way! It’s perfect for messes, for baby and for life.

- It’s Super Versatile

Although it’s aimed for Moms, my husband totally rocked it too! Nothing beats an awesome diaper bag that your husband is willing to carry around ;)

The bag comes in 3 colors -- Urban Black, Beach Beige and the lovely Mountain Grey that I chose. They have a 30 day money back guarantee with all purchases so you can feel confident in your purchase!

The folks at Ryla have been nice enough to give me a discount code to pass onto you for you to get your own Ryla! You can save 20% off your Ryla Playback purchase using code AMANDA20.

Here is the finished photo of my bags minus the pocket panels that were being embroidered:

I have mediocre bag making experience as I’ve made the Patchwork Bag by Giuseppe Ribaudo (aka giucy_giuce on IG) and I’ve made 2 different versions of the Amy Butler Field Bag & Tote. Each bag I make definitely teaches me things and the Cargo Duffle was no different. Thankfully, I was able to find plenty of tutorials for resources to help as I’m 100% a visual person. If you’re a visual person too, be sure to check out my list below for resources and tips when making this bag!

First of all, this pattern is definitely simple as far as construction goes however if you are a beginner, I’d read a few more tutorials beyond just the Robert Kaufman instructions before jumping head first in.  My girls are 5, 4 and 3 and I was afraid that the bag would be way too large for them so I adjusted a few things on all of mine. 

PHOTO CREDIT.

I had a few bolts of Amy Sinibaldi’s Charleston line and wanted to mix them up in 3 different combinations for these bags. I used the following prints:

Pavillion in Teacup Blue

Rainbrella in Shadow

Azalea Wallflower

Originally I wanted different colored cargo pockets for each one but in my newborn baby sleep deprived state one day, I cut 3 of everything for the pockets.. so they all ended up being white in the end ;) The white I used was Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Elements in Snow.

MY MODIFICATIONS:

I made a few slight modifications to this bag construction. I adjusted the front/back panels & bottom gusset slightly to accommodate little kiddos.

Originally, I cut my front and back panels to be 11.5″ tall x 19″ wide like the instructions call for, however, once quilted and lost some width, I trimmed them down to 11.5″ tall x 17″. This took one inch off from each L and R side of my front/back panels for a total of 2 inches off each panel and 4″ total from both panels combined - hopefully that makes sense.

Since I lost 2″ on the front panel and 2″ on the back panel, I adjusted my bottom gusset (NOT the zipper gusset) by 4 inches making my bottom gusset:

6.5″ wide x 26.5″ long.

Everything else I cut to size that is on the original pattern. She does mention to add an additional 1″ to everything if you plan on quilting it since you will lose inches, but I saw that note AFTER I had everything cut out.

I used 1.5″ black webbing instead of the handle construction it calls for. I cut each side of webbing to be 22″ long like it calls for and it’s the perfect length for my kids. 

I embroidered each girl’s name on one pocket panel and added only single snaps to the front pockets so they can easily open & close them themselves.

ONE IMPORTANT LESSON : Be ever so cautious when using the Marking Pen (if you’re using a Marking Pen vs. a Hera marker) because the blue pen literally does NOT come off any light/white colored fabric even though it says it will. Ask me how I know. :/

If you want more structure to your empty bag, be sure to check out the tutorial below from Coconut Robot where she explains what she did!

TUTORIAL RESOURCES: 

VIDEO -- How to Add a Lining by Quilty Love

BLOG -- A Sew Along by C'est la vie - PART 1

PART 3 - Sewing Pockets

PART 4 - Quilting and Adding Pockets

PART 5 - Making Gussets & Handles

PART 6 - Final Assembly

Anna (Noodlehead’s) Tips - Post 1 // Post 2

BLOG -- Cargo Duffle Modifications by Coconut Robot

FLICKR GROUP - Completed Cargo Duffles for Inspiration

PRODUCT RESOURCES:

BLACK WEBBING // SNAP MAKER // BATTING // 26″ NON SEPARATING METAL ZIPPER // BASTING SPRAY // ROTARY CUTTER // CUTTING MAT // AURIFIL THREAD // SIZE 16 NEEDLES // BIAS TAPE // DRITZ MARKING PEN

For her quilt, she chose the Bravo Indigo pattern. It's an awesome FREE pattern by Caroline Greco and finishes at 81" x 68". It's by far my biggest finish yet & was definetly intimidating.

If we're being honest, I don't really care for the tediousness of Half Square Triangles. The "Sew, cut, trim, press" sometimes makes me crazy because I *do* have limited time to sew during my days and that process gets time consuming for me. This one has a ton of HST's buuut it also had a nice combination of solid squares and variations of the HST's. In the end, it was a pretty easy finish - just time consuming with all of the pieces.

Here's the sewing together diagram of the quilt pieces that made my brain spin more than once. ;)

Now, one downside about late night sewing + a lot of pieces + mom brain.. is that sometimes you make a mistake and don't notice until it comes back from the quilter. 🙈In the middle left, although it makes a pretty sweet design, it's actually *supposed* to match the pattern on the right side.. whoops! 🙊

It's perfectly imperfect, much like life, so I learned to embrace the awesome imperfection of the lovely quilt. I love love love the final result!

FABRICS USED:

White - Art Gallery Fabrics "Snow"

Orange - Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Elements "Carrot"

Light Green - Art Gallery Fabrics "Tule Terrain" by Leah Duncan from the Tule collection

Backing - Art Gallery Fabrics "Flora's Oasis Rosa" by Leah Duncan from the Tule collection

The FIRST first for me was using lawn! I had never used lawn before and decided to go with the Lawn Nine Pin print for both the backing and some of the 5″ squares on the front.

The SECOND first for me was that I got to use my brand-new Accuquilt cutter, that my husband literally surprised me with that afternoon, and cut out my million 5″ squares with that. It was a LIFESAVER!

Overall, this quilt took me about 5 super late nights of sewing after my kiddos went to bed (EASIEST PATTERN EVER!) and the lawn backing was soooo soft. I couldn’t get enough of this one!