Tuesday, December 4, 2012

a present from me to me

Today I went to the fabric wholesale district in Nippori.
This area is known as "Fabric Town" and one can pretty well find anything  ... except today, I was looking for more red felt for my Scouts to make patch vests. They had every color EXCEPT red!

I also purchased some printed panels needed to make a gift runner and something for the blog-hop give-away coming up in less than a week.

The big buy ... well, not in price but in size... was this roller shopping bag. I am too often carrying heavy or bulky things to the station and on the train. This past week I made a trip to town just to carry Scout history items ... patches and photo albums, a patch blanket and a signature quilt ... for display at our anniversary gala.

The two bags were heavy and I didn't want to carry them on the Saturday hike or rent lockers while hiking.
After returning from the hike I went directly to Training for Council board members, then the Gala, and still had those two heavy bags to lug home in the late night hours. I gave away the prize plant I won rather than add one more heavy item for the trip home.

Today I found a shop selling a variety of rolling bags. I took lots of time to study them all and their assorted features and prices. I had borrowed one carrier from the church when I had heavy items to tote to a Pack meeting, but the cart itself was quite heavy and often there is the issue of stairs.

This roller bag was quite light. It has a big compartment that will fit art supplies and even my big quilt if I want to take it to a meeting of my group. It also has a zipper pocket on the back and a large compartment to hold magazines or large flat items. There is an umbrella compartment, a handle on the side for carrying when necessary,and the main bag has a drawstring opening and is waterproof. There is a hook which holds my backpack, very handy, and the wheels do not make noise when pulled down our rough pavement.
It came in yellow and red and purple and black and a few printed canvass fabrics but I thought this one would not show the dirt too much .

My husband commented on all the features and said he could just see me standing on the street weighing the pros and cons of each bag design and color choice. I don't often spend money on myself but I think this will really change my u-haul life for the better.

Meanwhile, the colder weather is just right for quilting. I can quilt about two blocks in one hour...
at 7 stitches per inch, that is about 374 stitches per block (one stitch at a time the way I do it).
15 rows of 15 blocks ... That is 225 blocks. If I were better at math, I might figure out when to expect some degree of completion. Of course that is rather silly because life is forever getting in the way.

Maybe I should offer a fabric panel to the person who figures closest to the finish date. Hmmmm...
I do hope I can make a bit of progress each day. 14 blocks have been finished as of today. 211 left to go.
I hope you are having a productive week as well.

8 comments:

  1. Nice bag you found. I find that I also need a "rolling" bag to carry my stuff in. It's so much easier. I know you'll be glad you got yours. Happy quilting! You're moving right along.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am bad about buying luggage, seems so expensive for something I rarely use but I hate going to hotels with old, ugly ones, lol. When I am doing hand sewing, I just enjoy the process, if I think about when I will finish it, will make me nuts;)

    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good job on the wheelie bag. The non-noisy wheels are rare. Looks like it will carry most anything you want for a day...and your backpack! I want one!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice bag! It looks perfect for your needs.

    You're missing one fact to make your math problem solvable. How much time do you have to quilt each day?

    211 blocks left divided by 2 blocks per hour = 105.5 hours of work remaining
    -therefore-
    105.5 hours divided by x = days left to project completion, where x = number of hours available to quilt per day

    LOL. I love math problems like this...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Julie your bag looks like it will be just what you need to carry the multitude of things you take with you on your trips about town. Great purchase! blessings, marlene

    ReplyDelete
  6. Haha, when we went to Ikea for the first time, we had to buy one of their rolling bags (we call it a "granny bag"!) to cart everything home on the train :)

    And yes, 211 blocks at 2 blocks an hour = 105.5 hours left. Say, maybe 2 hours a day on average?? That's about 52 days.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Julie, it is very nice to go to the shop and choose the fabrics, the buttons, the ribbons and create beautiful works like you does!

    I cannot wait to see them!

    Hugs ... Sandra xxx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I go to several different sew-ins, and, put my machine and project in a rolling sewing machine bag. I usually have to put a huge bag on top of the rolling bag. I found a great bag to carry my cutting mat and other things at the thrift store. It was made just for sewing machine bags and has a pocket to go over the handle. They sell new for over $100, but, I got mine for $7. Enjoy your new cart/bag. It will make a huge difference for you.

    ReplyDelete