The 'Mondo Bag'

Last week I joined a group of other quilters (the 'Calico Gardeners' bee) at a quilt shop in Little Rock for a class.  All of us had been casting envious eyes on the capacious carrier bag that Marcie (organizer and hostess of this group) had made.... so she kindly arranged this opportunity for us.   We purchased our patterns and materials at The Stitching Post prior to the class, and then gathered on Tuesday to spend the day with the instructor. 

This is definitely a complicated pattern (especially if spatial tasks are not your long suit) but several of the fast workers managed to get through most of the process.  I did not get as far, but the next day I pressed on (literally and figuratively) and here's my bag!

Isn't it pretty?  I used 13 different Tonga batik fabrics (a package of precut strips) and a 'QuiltSmart' pattern.  Every quilter had different fabrics and color schemes-- all wonderful to see.  A couple of people were making a smaller size.  We were all Very Grateful for the class, because the construction process was far from simple.  I got quite confused, and once I was at home on my own, I did make a couple of mistakes.  Reverse sewing.....grrrr.

I'm pleased with the outcome!   It's amazing how roomy this bag is:

 The word 'mondo' is slang for BIG....perhaps originating with the Italian word for 'world.' DHubby was impressed.  Now I will be able to haul my hand-quilting project around in style instead of schlepping the laundry basket I've been using for a couple of years.  It won't make me any faster, but at least I'll look fancier.  Yay!