Happy Little Pouch Hop

1. House Pouch Front, 2. Monster Math Pouch in Use, 3. Cowgirl Pouch, 4. Zakka Orchard Path Pouch, 5. Zakka Linen Pouch, 6. Makeup Bag

When Elaine asked if I was interested in participating in the Happy Little Pouch Hop, I was thrilled to jump on board. While I had tried different pouches in the past as you can see above, I had not yet made a box bag, and this was a marvelous excuse to try the darling version from Tacha Bruecher's incredible book Hexa-Go-Go. If you've not picked up a copy of this gorgeous piece of eye candy, you will definitely want to click on that link and buy one immediately. The projects are stunning, creative, and yet somehow still incredibly doable. The Go Faster Box Bag jumped out at me on my first reading, and I was so excited to finally get the chance to give it a whirl.

I would not classify this project as a quick finish -- for me that has to be something that I can make in two hours or less. This was something that I worked on here and there for just over a week. Hexagons are my favorite project to do at night after the kids are in bed, when my husband and I are relaxing with a good movie. The hexagons for this bag are only a half inch across.  Being that tiny, they were a bit more fiddly to work with, so I took my time about it. While Tacha shows a wonderful variety of fussy cut pieces for her example in the book, I decided to use just one Japanese print I had on hand for half of my hexagons, and a red and white polk-a-dot print for the rest.

Once the hexagons were sewn together and then hand appliqued to the sides of the bag, the rest came together fairly quickly. I had a wonderful time picking the fabrics for the bag, using favorite prints by Joel Dewberry, Denyse Schmidt, and Bonnie & Camille. I used fusible batting on the exterior pieces and interfacing on the zipper panels.

The inside of the bag is a Michael Miller Retro Bunting print that I've had around for a long time. Sewing the lining around the edge of the zipper gave me flashbacks to my recent Weekender Bag experience, but it was a lot easier working with a project that was so much smaller. This little bag is only eight and a half inches long.

I am perfectly delighted with how this bag turned out. It's sweet and sturdy, a wonderful size for small sewing projects, make-up, school supplies, or any other little extras you want to carry around with you. In fact, I had so much fun with this one that I immediately started working on a larger version of the bag which has quilted sides. I should have pictures for you in the next day or two.

My thanks to Emily & Elaine for putting together this wonderful blog hop. Be sure to visit Holly at Bijou Lovely today along with all of the other stops below:

Monday 11/26: Emily from Mommy's Naptime and Elaine from Dashasel Sews

Tuesday, 11/27: Courtney from Mon Petit Lyons and Lucy from Charm About You

Wednesday, 11/28: Hollie from Undercover Crafter and Katie from Katie's Korner

Thursday, 11/29: Lindsay from Lindsay Sews and Michelle from I Like Orange

Friday, 11/30: Sara from Sew Sweetness, Cindy from Adventures of the Singing Quilter, and Jennifer from Ellison Lane Quilts

Monday, 12/3: Holly from Bijou Lovely and Heidi from Fabric Mutt

Tuedsay, 12/4: Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Bets and Emily from Mle BB

Wednesday, 12/5: Shruti from 13 Woodhouse Road and Liz from Dandelion Daydreams

Thursday, 12/6: Beth from Plum and June and Kaelin from The Plaid Scottie

Friday, 12/7: Emily from Mommy's Naptime and Elaine from Dashasel Sews

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Linking up to the Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link-up and Sew Modern Monday.