Haralson Belt Bag

Last March after getting home from QuiltCon 2023 in Atlanta, my friend Lee and I decided to do a “mini sew-along” and make the Haralson Belt Bag (a pattern by Anna Graham of Noodlehead). I’ve made at least half a dozen Noodlehead bags at this point and was excited to add this one to my collection. I ordered hardware and webbing, picked out fabrics from my stash, and cut out all of the pieces — and then life intervened. My progress completely stalled out! Lee justifiably stopped waiting for me and finished their own bag, while I eventually put my pile of cut and interfaced pieces into my works-in-progress bin.

With QuiltCon 2024 rapidly approaching, I finally decided to return to my wayward project — and of course I made this decision with about 5 days to go before my trip. The last-minute urge to sew something new for QuiltCon is so hard to resist! I pulled out my bag pieces, took a look at the pattern, and figured another 2-3 hours of work would be all I needed, so I took a deep breath and jumped back in.

The exterior fabric is a home decor weight print that I bought at Ikea at least 10 years ago. I bought this same print in both blue and navy; I used the navy one to make pillows way back when, but still had the blue print. It was perfect! The lining is a yellow-green Artisan Cotton that I had left over from a previous project. The webbing and all of the hardware (zippers, D-rings, lobster clasps, and closure) were purchased from the Noodlehead shop.

And about the closure — the pattern gives a few different options, and I chose the Loxx fastener. I had never used one of these, but it was very easy to install, and it’s even easier to use. I can open and close the bag with one hand, which was extremely convenient!

And voila! I finished my bag a couple days before leaving and it was really the perfect thing for carrying a few essentials — wallet, chapstick, phone, and stickers to give away — and much easier to quickly access than having things stuffed deep in my backpack.

Jose asked me “how long did it take you to make that?” and I laughed and responded “a few hours…and 11 months.” But now that it’s finally done, I’ll definitely be using and enjoying it regularly.