MicroMod Giveaway!!!!!

I'm so happy to be a part of Alexia and Rob's Sew-Along!  I adore Micromod (check out the full collection here) and I knew immediately what I wanted to make for this his/hers sew-along....Boxy Bags!!!  In preparation for this post, I asked Alexia and Rob a question, Newlywed Game style, and here are their answers:

Question: What 3 non-clothing items would your spouse pack for a trip?

Alexia says: "Rob would pack the book he's currently reading, his ipad and coffee for the trip because you can never trust that you can find good coffee when you're out of town!"

Rob says he would REALLYpack: "books, music, and sunglasses (I'm always looking for the perfect, cheap, pair), a great source of affectionate teasing from my wife!"

Rob says: "Alexia would pack lip balm, travel size toiletries - which are an essential purchase for EVERY trip, and it is a mystery to me what happens to them after the trip, and lastly, snacks for the trip."

Alexia says she would REALLY pack: "my current knitting project, snacks for the trip and my watercolors."

Each of them got one thing right so I guess this round is a tie!

I make these all the time for gifts, but finding fabric appropriate for men is always a challenge.  MicroMod is very man-friendly.....my hubby didn't even turn up his nose at this bag! 

I have two favorite tutorials for these.  One is from my sweet friend, Kaelin at The Plaid Scottie.   Her version is all neat and tidy with no exposed seams.  The down and dirty, exposed seams method can be found on www.sewingmamas.com (sorry, I cannot get the direct link to work!)

I'm super in love with metal zippers these days!  Just be warned, you can NOT sew over those metal teeth!  I hand-turned my machine when I got near the zipper so I wouldn't break a needle!

I would highly suggest adding a tab at the end of the zipper or a handle of some kind to make opening and closing these types of bags easier!

As you can see, I left my seams exposed--I zigzag stitched over them to prevent fraying.

These bags hold a ton!  I'm talking full size shampoo bottles!  I cut my fabric 14.5"x18" for both the interior and exterior piece (if using Kaelin's tutorial, just cut the large piece into two 14.5"x 9" pieces).  Since the fabric is quilting cotton and I like the bags to stand up on their own, I used ShapeFlex (Pellon SF101) on both the exterior and interior pieces.  You can also use batting or fusible fleece for a softer feel.  

Now, about that sew-along!  You can sew along by tagging your projects on Instagram with #microMod , posting on the Green Bee Patterns Facebook page, or adding to the microMod flickr group. You can keep up with the stops on the sew along by checking Aleixa's blog or on the Cloud9 Facebook page!

There will be prizes at each stop, and at the end of the month you can enter to win an amazing grand prize: A fat quarter stack of microMod by Rob Bancroft from Cloud9 fabrics, the entire Green Bee Patterns collection, a microMod sewing bag, and a Singer Heavy Duty Sewing Machine! (Open to contiguous US residents only.)

April 2 - Alexia & Rob Green Bee
April 3 - Kelly at Kelbysews
April 5 - Amanda at the Craft Junky
April 6 - Rachael at Imagine Gnats
April 8 - Heather at alamode
April 10 - Holly at Bijou lovely
April 13 - Alexia, Michelle & Rob Green Bee  
April 17 - Faith at Fresh Lemons
April 18 - Katie at Swim Bike Quilt
April 19 - Deborah at Whipstitch
April 20 - Jacey at Jaceycraft
April 22 - Krista at Krista Withers Quilting
April 24 - Jenny at the Southern Institute
April 25 - Amy from sukie don't ya know
April 26 - Jen from Betty Crocker Ass
April 27 - Sara from Sew Sweetness
April 29 - Katy from I'm a Ginger Monkey
April 30 - Amber from One Shabby Chick
May 1 - Alexia & Rob Green Bee GRAND PRIZE

For my part, just leave a comment on this post and enter for a chance to win a FQ bundle of MicroMod and my favorite pattern of Alexia's, Lots of Dots!  Seriously, it's so cute!  You have until April 11th at 10pm Central to enter!  International entries are welcome for my giveaway!  Oh, and check out my Instagram feed (kelbysews) for a chance to win the 2 boxy bags!!!