A Prettier Library Bag

For the last two years, I've been using a heavy duty reusable grocery bag for my library runs. It's sturdy and durable - and it was free! - but I've been wanting something a little more fun for the days I make a lighter library run.

After finishing the Twin Quilts, I had four jelly roll pieces left over (the four colors of the print I didn't think was particularly baby friendly). I more or less started sewing on them without much of a plan...

and while you can certainly tell there wasn't much of a plan going on here...

Front side of bag

I'm still pretty happy with how it turned out!

Back side of bag (my favorite)

I made a couple serious blunders and wound up having a 'make it work' kind of moment - thus the lovely job with the binding...

Looks good now, but nearly impossible to sew

Hopefully this means I've learned what not to do ever again in future.

Interior pocket 

I sewed up the strips into blocks of various sizes using Quick Fun Strip Block tutorial I found via Pinterest (and used a couple times before). I have one more small block that I'm trying in something else, then I'll be completely out of the pieces from this jelly roll.

The flower print lining is most of a king size pillow case (the rest of the set went into my Giant Star a while ago), and the grey flannel is the last of a scrap I bought a couple years ago and have loved for making bags (three of my four zipper clutches are made with this fabric).

And yes, I took it to the library within an hour of finishing it. Even better, it performed perfectly - though I left with only five books, which is about half the usual haul for the two of us.