TGIFF and A "Precious" Front Zip Pouch

Wow - is it Friday already?  Okay, I'm actually writing this on Thursday night but seriously, I feel like I was just putting up the Monday Link Up and telling you all to come back to link up your finishes!
If you are new to TGIFF, it stands for Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday and it is a link party organized by M-R of Quilt Matters (who is participating in the Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop) and Laura of Quokka Quilts.  M-R and Laura host on certain Fridays but the link party is hosted by other bloggers the rest of the month - if you are interested in hosting, click here for more information.
The hosting rules dictate that the host first show his/her finishes:

When I first started blogging, I rarely had any WIPs - I would just finish each project before starting a new one.  However, since becoming involved in this quilting/sewing blog-o-sphere, I've been trying so many new and challenging things and have gone from mainly making mini's and simple totes to larger, more complicated (at least for me) projects including quilts, bags, clothing, and pillow covers.  And why am I writing this?  Well, because now my WIP posts are getting longer and my finishes posts are getting well, you know . . .  


So, I was hoping I would have finished one of the WIPs I wrote about here but I just got further along on those projects - not actually finished.   Especially the picnic blanket - it is huge!  And I've been searching through the old, damaged sheets my daughters use to build forts to see if I can salvage enough material for the backing.  

But I do have a few bags to show that I've finished recently but haven't blogged about yet.  The top two are more versions of the quilted totes I love to make (the tutorial really is coming soon - more on that later!)


This last one was requested by my middle daughter - she searched through my fabric box and brought me a pile of fabrics and the cool rainbow strap.  It has been so long since I made one of these front-zip shoulder bags that I actually had to keep referring back to the tutorial I wrote a few months ago (much to my daughter's amusement!)  I made this one a bit bigger to fit a book and I boxed the bottom.  And not only did we use my Melody Miller typewriters and some Echino for this bag, I used the last of my precious Mendocino fabric (I have about a 8x4" piece left) so I'm linking this up at Kelby Sews for the My Precious QAL.  

Oh, and see that little bit of fabric on the strap? Lesson learned - if you let your 7 year old measure the strap for you, make sure you measure it again yourself BEFORE you finish the entire bag!  

Click here to enter this week's awesome fabric giveaway and to read a great advice post from Kerry of veryberrykerry.   And if you are new to my blog and want more information about the Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop and all the accompanying series, click here.

Now it is your turn to show us your finishes!