Just like I did for my Ecuadorian kids, I made Helen Angela a duffel bag that matches her quilt. I started by using this pattern and leftover fabric from her quilt. Since it had been a couple of years since I’d made Helen’s quilt, and I didn’t do so great of a job keeping the scraps, I did have to supplement some of the duffel bag fabric with coordinating colors (especially for the lining). But man, I LOVE this pattern, and I LOVE the bags it makes. I love them so much that I’m picking out fabrics to make one for myself.

All in all, the bags are much easier to make than expected, and extremely useful. Plus, they hold way more than you’d think (with a pocket on each end and a trolley sleeve in the middle), and are a breeze to carry through the airport – and to cram into overhead bins. This duffel is perhaps the most patch-worked one I’ve made thus far, and while the patchwork takes forever to piece – think giant jigsaw puzzle where you don’t really know what the final picture is supposed to be, but you do know the size – I think it might be my favorite one yet. I packed all of the clothes I took Helen in her bag, and she was ecstatic to receive it. I’ll be sharing more about what I took Helen and our day together in the coming weeks, but until then: