Christmas Gifts in a Hurry!

It is awfully hard to believe that fall will soon be nipping at our toes & that Christmas 2010 is breathing down our necks already!  I am sitting here at my keyboard thinking of the wonderful summer that is slipping away.  Our grandboys came to live with us in May, so my summer has been filled with swimming, trips, movies, fairs & all sorts of adventures.  With a 6-yr-old & an 11-yr-old in the house, this has been a lively place full of cooking, washing, toys & lots of laughs.  Okay, so no sewing or writing has been on my calendar.....now that the boys are back in school, I have Christmas gift projects all over my sewingroom & on the brain.  This Farmer's Market Bag is my first Christmas gift creation.  I have a girlfriend whom I always go to the local Farmer's Market with during the summer.  When I saw this fabric at a quilt store in Indiana while visiting another friend, Char, I grabbed 2 yds. of it, knowing immediately what I was going to make with it....a shopping bag for my Farmer's Market pal & one for me.  Next summer, we will be the envy of  the fresh fruits & vegetables crowd.I found the perfect pattern for free at this blog:  http://terryatkinson.typepad.com/atkinsondesigns/2008/11/fat-sack.html  Terry Atkinson has a very unique way of constructing the corners that really apeals to me, & the reinforced bottom makes this a strong bag.  The only thing that I did differently from her tutorial is that I chose to line my bags for even more strength & body.  When my friend opens her Christmas package, she will get a flashback of our great summer outings together!