My favorite pattern is for a crazy quilt fanny pack. While it’s meant to act a as a purse at quilt shows, I use my “waist packs” to carry baggies when I walk the dog, so I refer to them as Baggie Bags. I’ve made several at this point, because with daily use, they wear out. I let the last one get really bad before I decided to make a new one.

I love this pattern, which I bought at a craft fair twenty years ago. The designer is Lorena Ferchaud, who lived in Californiat at the time. I am unable to find her online, though, so I can’t point you to this exact pattern. But I can recommend making a scrappy bag instead of a plain one. You get the fun of using up fabric scraps while making something useful.

The scraps are sewn onto stabilized muslin, then the pieces are cut to size and assembled. While I am not great with zippers, I usually manage to get this one to work.

My favorite thing about this project is that, with just a few hours of effort, I wind up with something I enjoy using every day. I really shouldn’t call it “effort” though. It’s mostly fun. My favorite part of any sewing project is picking the fabrics, and for a small project, this one uses quite a few.

What’s your favorite sewing pattern? Do you use the things you make? What’s your favorite part of a sewing project?