There are some things I would change if I make it again. The Bradley bag has binding on the inner seams. I tried that, but there were so many layers that my machine didn't want to handle it well. If I make another one, I will make the outside of the bag and then make a lining separate as I usually do when I make bags. I think that looks much nicer and finished. I didn't like the zipper installation for the main panel either. It was very difficult and somehow the zipper tape ends didn't match up. At least it zips though. I have another way of putting in zippers and I would do it that way next time. I really tried to follow exactly how I think the Vera Bradley bag was made and I don't really like how it was done. I think I can think of a better way.
This is the front flap of the purse. It has a zipper pocket and is quilted.
It has binding around the edges.
This is the back of the purse. It is quilted and has a quilted pocket.
This is the inside view of the purse. It has a plastic pocket for photo ID.
Inside are four pockets for credit cards.
There is a zipper at the top (really was difficult to put this in due to thickness of multiple layers).
I used Minkee fabric as the backing and did not use batting. It is so soft and cuddly.
My parents bought their home in Bloomington, IL right before their marriage in 1950. My mother lived here until 1989 when she could no longer live alone. The house was sold in 1991.
As the younger sister, I received my sister's hand-me-downs. She still occasionally gives me clothes she no longer wants! All the more reason to buy new ones! This picture was taken on our pump stoop in our backyard.
This picture was taken in our backyard with our table and two chairs made by family friend Clyde Otto. He had helped my father build the kitchen cabinets and he made us this table/chairs set. We used this set often and now my sister has it for her grandchildren to enjoy. 
This picture was taken on my 4th birthday, April 25, 1958. Both my sister and I sucked our thumbs until my parents decided to reward us for quitting by giving us Disney figurines and our very own wristwatch. I received a Cinderella figurine and Susie received a Sleepy Beauty one. I am sure the cake was good enough for Susie to put her thumb away for the occasion! The recipe cards are from my mom's high school home economics foods course. She received an "A" for her recipe card collection.
Every year my sister and I received a doll for Christmas. These dolls were ones that "wet" after you fed them their bottles. I really loved this doll. We always had an artificial tree that was placed on the window seat between the two living rooms closets. Growing up, I thought the tree was ugly and so wanted a "real" tree. Finally my parents started getting a real tree when I was in high school. When it was time to sort through my Mom's belongings before the house sale, we ended up throwing away this old tree. Now I really regret that and so wish I had it - it is now considered an antique and is probably worth money - but the memories it holds are even more valuable. I did save two ornaments from my childhood and they receive a special handling and place on my tree now.
This picture was taken in 1962 in front of my Grandma Coomer's house in Heyworth, IL. My Aunt Laura, Mom, Susie, and I are there for a day visit. In the summer, we drove to Heyworth one day a week to spend with Grandma. My Uncle Cosby lived with her, but needed someone to be there during the day while he worked. Mom's sisters each took turns staying with her. My Grandma would order Cokes in the bottle from the local grocery store and have it delivered to her house as a treat for us. She was a very godly woman who raised 15 children! She played and sang hymns on her 5 string banjo on her front porch. She had long hair until a few years before she died and she let my sister and me comb her hair and braid it. She told us that when she was little, she had one brown braid and one red one! She lived next door to the cemetary because my Grandfather had once been the caretaker. We used to love playing among the tombstones and had our own secret fort down by the creek that ran behind her acreage and the cemetary. What wonderful memories!
Another precious photo of just my Grandma Coomer, sister, and me. My Grandma died the following year, 1963. I still remember vividly my Mom receiving the phone call that Grandma has just died of heart failure. She was the only grandparent I ever knew and I so wish I could have known her as an adult. She had so much wisdom she could have given to me. My older cousins sometimes talk about sitting with her and listening to what she had to say.
My quilt hanging at the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association quilt show on March 5, 2011.
Back of quilt.
