a duo of sew together bags

another post that is a bit different than the quilt ones to come is this one!
last year i made two sew together bags (which i've made a few before these) because of their useability (is that a word even?) and also the ability to combine fabrics and make each one cute as can be in their own ways.
the first bag i made was on a whim for my aunt to gift to her secret pal.  i had fabric bits leftover from the ruffle pug aprons as well as a chunk from amy & luke's wedding quilt from way back when.  yeah, i hold on to fabric for awhile... don't judge!
as much of a dog person as i am (i am not, in case you weren't sure) i do find the peek a boo pugs so amusing!  everything so simple, tan & green, and then BAM pocket pug!
the second bag i made was for the annual sacramento modern quilt guild holiday gift exchange.  the only parameters is that the gift has to be handmade (or purchased handmade) so after awhile of being unsure of what to make, i decided to bust out another one of these bags!
this time it was all completely from my stash, but had some plans go awry in the middle.  i was certain it was going to be blues & greens, but once i scrounged and found fabric big enough, my gray zipper set just wasn't right.  after a new set of zippers were purchased, this was created.  and it was nearly too hard to give up!
the secret sewing machines on this one just add that extra flair that this was absolutely made for a fellow quilter/sewist, and seeing the excitement when the recipient opened it made giving it away that much more worth it.  this second bag was probably the best as far as the construction process went.  the difference between the two bags is that i did not use batting or quilt the second one like i did with the pugs.  it is a step listed as optional in the directions, but it does add some extra heft when sewing those side seams in.  going forward, if i make another one of these bags (which i planned to this month for a friend's birthday, but it just didn't happen in time) i won't add batting or quilting.
and maybe someday, i'll get around to making one for myself!

sew together bag pattern by SewDemented