The Lotus Bag and Some Goodies

Yesterday I made Linda's Lotus Bag. It was a fairly simple non-pattern, non-tutorial pattern/tutorial, although I'm not positive I got the shape and measurements correct. That always seems like the hardest part for me. I used leather straps (which she sells here, or sold here). I was surprised at how easily my sewing machine sewed through the leather. I'm sure if the straps were wider, my machine may have struggled some. I used Alexander Henry's "Lemon Blossom" fabric, which is so refreshing.

All in all, I love the bag. It's large and roomy. Joe says it's very stylish.

I've received a few goodies in the mail in the past few days. The above fabrics and cookbook came from Eren through a little swap. The cookbook has lots of yummy-looking recipes. There are a few that I wouldn't make, like the Chocolate Potato Candy and the Cocoa Potato Cake, being as how my children feel about potatoes. But most of the recipes look good. Maybe I can torture my children with more desserts. Mmmm. Potato desserts.
And, finally, I won a drawing from Katie's blog and received these little scraps of vibrant fabric. My favorite is the fish on the bottom left. They crack me up.