Size Matters

See this chessboard? It is one of the forty I made about eighteen years ago after my son learned chess at college, came home one weekend and asked if I could make him a chessboard. (Well, duh!)

My son took photos of me making the very first one and the photo I use in my blog's header, above.

Pretty sure I've told this story before. I made one, thought it was okay, then made another and improved on the first. Made a third that was much improved, made another one because I wanted one for myself in pretty colors and then had so much fun with them I kept going. (I called them "a symphony in four fabrics.")

Somebody asked a good question the other day, if I would change the quantity of the stripes in these big blocks. Answer = No.

I am sure you are wondering WHY. The size of the rows of this block (2-1/4") is for a very specific reason. When I made the first chessboard for my son, I did a bit of research. It turns out the size of the squares on a chessboard is directly related to the size of the chess pieces. (You can look it up.) 2-1/4" squares were most common. So I made the chessboards with 2-1/4" squares.

 And when I made the chessboard quilt, I used the leftover strip sets. I didn't get all worked up about how I put the blocks together (it was a SCRAP quilt).

I didn't get all worked up about how the blocks went together either. Then as now, I sewed about a third of my triangles into blocks, played with them on the floor, and then cut and sewed blocks I'd need to fit any space I had (a left leaning block with a dark stripe on the bottom).

I didn't get very worked up about how the blocks worked together, and if I had stripes that went across several triangles, that was fine by me. This quilt is big, about 76" x 94" and it is long gone. It is also tied and not quilted, but it lives in the southern US so it's perfect.

I always liked the quilt's inherent rhythm, the size of the blocks and the strips across, so when I resurrected this idea seventeen years later, I kept those basic "design bones."



And yes, I am working on the tutorial for these "Zebra" quilts. It's taking longer than I expected, but then, the world has thrown us all for a hell of a loop.

How Big a Bag?

Once you know what you want your bag for, you have to decide how big you should make it. Some things are big, so you should make a big bag, and some things are small. Here are some bags I have bought over the years. The ruler next to them is 24", so you can get an idea for size.

I wish I had had this bag when I was in Art School. It is made of canvas, and is big enough to hold an 18" x 24" pad of drawing paper. It isn't very deep, about 2". This is just a basic tote bag. You could make this.


I used this black bag for a long time, until something spilled on it, and I washed it. After that, I didn't like it so much. It is a basic tote bag, with one variation. It has a zipper closure across the top of the whole bag. Looking at it now (Lynne slaps forehead) I realize that it's just an oversized zippered pouch, and I can do that. You can too. THE BEST tutorial I have ever found for zippered pouches is here, at twelve22.

This red bag came from Jerry's Artarama. It's long and narrow with an open top and mesh pockets on each side. The pocket on the front has a velcro tab to keep it closed.

I got this green bag free with an order from Cheap Joe's Art Supplies. It's 10" wide by 14" tall and 3-1/2" deep. (actually it's a perfect size for everyday stuff.) It's made from cotton twill and the handles are colorful webbing. (This is another basic tote bag.)

I bought this little bag at a street fair in town. It's about nine inches square and has a zipper closure. It's really nothing more than a zippered pouch (a la Twelve22) with a strap.

I found this little denim bag at a big chain craft store for less than $5.00. It's about 9" tall by 7" wide. It was the inspiration for my toolbag.

Here are two bags I have made that aren't basic tote bags. Both are drawstring bags. The first has a round bottom. It holds a rolled up quilted chessboard and chess pieces. The other is simply a drawstring bag to hold plastic toys.