Completed Project! – Page 2 – Artquiltmaker Blog

Finished: Hindsight Day Trip Cell Phone Wallet

I am so excited about finishing this bag! I am not sure that is the right way to say it, but it has been a long time in coming. As mentioned, I bought Minikins Season 2 for the express reason of making this bag. Then, I was intimidated and didn’t feel up to making it.

A few years have gone by, and I have made several bags. This bag seemed right for a gift. I guess I was ready.

The bag was a challenge, but only because of the many layers, not because of the directions. The process is actually very easy. With the pattern and the video, it wasn’t hard.

Finished: Day Trip Wallet - interior — Finished: Day Trip Wallet – interior

This bag is, basically, a small wallet that fits your cell phone. You could put this into a larger bag, but then take it out when you don’t need the whole bag.

This would be great for doing that since the strap is detachable. You could store the strap elsewhere or in one of the inside zipper pockets and take it out as needed.

Finished: Day Trip Wallet - exterior pocket — Finished: Day Trip Wallet – exterior pocket

This is the first one that I have made, but I hope to make more. I wonder about the size of the flap for the cell phone pocket. I wonder why it is so small. It might interfere with stitching the zipper. I have asked in the Sew Sweetness group to see what others say.

I was a little worried that the pattern was designed when cell phones were smaller and a modern phone wouldn’t fit. I tried my large-ish Samsung phone in the pocket and it fits just fine. Whew! This is good as the bag is not that large and I wouldn’t want it to be enlarged so much that it wouldn’t fit in the larger bag mentioned above.

Finished: Day Trip Wallet - interior detail — Finished: Day Trip Wallet – interior detail

The inside has two sides, both with a zipper pocket and several card slots. Behind the top card slot could be a spot for cash.

I added the optional D-ring on the spine so there would be a place to clip keys.

I also used two different colors of zippers in order to give the recipient a visual cue as to where she stashed something.

I think I could probably have put another cell phone pocket on the other side of the bag exterior. I am not sure how useful that would be, though more pockets are always better.

I am pleased with how this came out and am cutting out a second one. This one will be for my mom who needs something for her phone so her hands are free to maneuver her walker.

Finished: Walker Bag

Mom's Walker Bag- finished — Mom’s Walker Bag- finished

I didn’t think I would have to make another walker bag after I made the one for Friend Julie back in 2017.

Well, I did. Mom said she wouldn’t be using the walker long enough to warrant me making a bag for it. I waited about 2 weeks before making it, but finally made one the other night. She loves it and finds it very useful. I have to keep reminding her not to fill it up too much. She is limited to carrying 5lbs per hand.

I remember thinking the directions were confusing at the time. I made the same mistake this time that I made before: I sewed the Velcro inside the pocket. DUH! I hope the photos I added will help with that.

This time, I took the time to make some edits and add in some photos for next time. I hope I won’t have to use those directions again, but I am planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

New Month New Pillowcase

This is the last pillowcase before I have to buy more fabric. I have found some great fabrics and will have to go and buy them.

I don’t really consider camping mind expanding, but I guess it is. I like nature; I just don’t like the dirt and how hard everything is (washing dishes, showering, etc) when you go camping.

Still, the goal is to encourage this nephew to explore the world and get some non-school experience.

Gift Post: Tim’s Project Bag

I know it seems like Christmas is lasting forever on the blog. I made quite a few gifts, but it is also taking some time to post about them all.

Tim admired all the project bags I made last year, so I decided to make him one from Christmas.

I don’t have a lot of dark greens and thought these bright greens would be too much, but he loved the bag and said that he loves all greens.

I am super happy with the way this came out and will make one for myself next. Well, maybe not the next project, but the next time I make a project bag. 😉

Gift Post: Cal Atlas Zipper Case

Cal Atlas pouch - closed — Cal Atlas pouch – closed

Another project I finished for the holidays was a second Atlas Zipper Case. This one went to SIL#2. She is a Cal (UC Berkeley) alumna so the fabric was appropriate.

As mentioned, the pattern is from Center Street Quilts. The second one went more quickly and came out really well. This is a really good pattern. I want to make more of them.

I didn’t have quite enough of the Cal fabric. I bought 5 yards several years ago and I am down to scraps after this project. I found some yellows and blues that matched the Cal fabric colors perfectly. I went looking for more of this fabric, but aside from Spoonflower options, this particular print is nowhere to be found.

Cal Atlas pouch - open — Cal Atlas pouch – open

This pattern requires quilting, as do many of the Center Street Quilts bag patterns. I learned a lot by quilting the other Atlas and applied this knowledge to this bag. As you can see, I only quilted it intensely in a few places, not all over the whole piece. That technique made it a lot more doable. I like very dense quilting for bags, as you know, so I really had to restrain myself.

Cal Atlas pouch - right — Cal Atlas pouch – right

I thought about making the privacy pocket (lower right) with vinyl instead, but ended up fussy cutting some of the Cal fabric and keeping it as indicated in the pattern for private items.

The interior fabric on the top vinyl pocket is an older AGF fabric and it is just a little off of the Cal yellow. I like it as an addition so the whole bag too matchy-matchy.

Cal Atlas pouch - left — Cal Atlas pouch – left

I think the most useful pocket will be the large vinyl pocket. It has a lot of space for various items.

There are also slip pockets underneath all the pockets described, so flat items can be safely placed there.

I did shorten the tail of the zipper. I had a longer piece than required and thought it would be fine, but it was really too long.

All in all, this is a great project.

Gift Post: Paint Tube Bathrobe

Before Christmas, I went to Mary’s again and we worked on this bathrobe. It wasn’t a complete bathrobe Christmas, but two people got them. That is about all the garments I can manage even with Mary’s excellent assistance.

This is a different pattern than the Tarot bathrobe. It has a flat collar instead of a shawl collar.

I bought this fabric awhile ago, sort of by accident. I was trying to replenish my stock of the dark grey version of this fabric and ended up with the light grey background. I like it, but Mom has put the stop sign up for more bags. I didn’t want to start a whole new set with this fabric anyway. I decided a bathrobe would be good. It used up most of the fabric.

As you know, I often get stuck somewhere on garments and my confidence drains away. Mary has been great about helping me. This time I was able to rip out some seams for one of her projects and also cut out a Classmates Tote for her to sew later. It was a good exchange for me, at least.

I was able to take a photo of both bathrobes and their people.

Gift Post: Sue’s I Spy Pouch

Sue's I Spy pouch - front — Sue’s I Spy pouch – front

I had a tough time deciding what to make for Carrie and Sue for Christmas. I don’t want to just make them anything. I want what I make to be useful. Eventually, after considering several Minikins patterns I hadn’t tried, I decided on I Spy pouches.

Is this a cop out?

No.

As I have said before, these pouches are like eating potato chips for me. I can make one quickly. I also really enjoy making them. Because they are fast? Maybe. Mostly because they are useful.

Sue gets a color wheel on the back to help her pick out fabric. I also remembered to put a label on the pouch.

Some time ago I made Carrie and Sue Kit Supply Totes. The Hackney pouches I made for them fit nicely into the Kit Supply Totes. I thought the I Spy would fit nicely in it as well.

Gift Post: Carrie’s I Spy Pouch

Carrie's I Spy - front — Carrie’s I Spy – front

I know it’s been a week or so since I posted about gifts, but we are back to it.

I posted last week about Sue’s I Spy pouch. One of the differences I made is that Carrie got a whole color wheel in the front while Sue’s was on the back. One of the reasons I like this fabric is because it means they always have a color wheel with them.

Carrie's I Spy - back — Carrie’s I Spy – back

I found some nice zipper pulls in my hardware bag that I added. They are apples, which have nothing to do with color wheels, Carrie or Sue, but here we are. Zipper pulls, aside from being cute really help to pull zippers open.

Gift Post: Gerre’s Enigma Bag

While I was making my sister’s Enigma bag back in July, I also made one for Gerre for Christmas. This is Enigma #6.

Skeleton Mermaid Enigma - bottom — Skeleton Mermaid Enigma – bottom

I didn’t use my ‘regular’ sugar skull fabric for this one. I used a fabric I bought on my trip to and around Portland and I can’t decide if I like it. The key is whether Gerre likes it. I thought the seahorses and some of the ocean life were cool, but the skeletons started to creep me out after awhile. If she feels the same, I will make another one of these for her. I’ll have to see what she says.

I am pleased with the fussy cutting on the bottom. I didn’t have a lot of the fabric and was glad I had enough to highlight the main motif.

I am also pleased with the way the inside came out. The stripes I bought at the Granary are perfect for the inside.

The pattern calls for a 2.5 inch wide binding. I made the binding 2.25 inches wide, which is my norm for quilting binding. I had to stretch the binding a bit in certain places and trim seams, but mostly the 2.25 inch binding worked well.

Skeleton Mermaid Enigma - interior detail — Skeleton Mermaid Enigma – interior detail

I figured out a great place to put my label on these Enigma bags. The label fits well in the middle of the inside pocket. The label isn’t tucked away unobtrusively and I am not sure how I feel about that. I am not sure why I didn’t think of it before as it was also easy to install.

As with my sister’s Enigma bag, this one went together pretty easily. I like making the same bags over and over as they get better each time I do it.

Gift Post: Atlas Zipper Case

I finished the Atlas Zipper Case right before Thanksgiving. Of course, I couldn’t talk about it before now because I wanted to be a surprise. Even this is a little early!

I am super pleased with the way it came out. I hope my Lil Sissy likes it, too. She shared the original IG video about the pouch (portfolio) with me.

I didn’t find the project to be very difficult even though I struggled to get started. Cutting is always a hassle. I always want to get straight to sewing.

For this piece, I used a piece of the Paris fabric I have been using to make gifts for my sister. The fussy cutting, after I quilted it, came out really well. I used my 20.5 inch x 20.5 inch Creative Grids ruler**. That ruler is really big and a bit unwieldy on my small cutting table, but I wanted to be able to see the whole piece and trim exactly. It worked really well except for pushing my entire scrap bin onto the floor in the process! LOL! The Eiffel Tower is perfectly placed on the front.

Paris Atlas Zipper Case - back — Paris Atlas Zipper Case – back

The bicycle on the back looks good, too. I haven’t ever asked my sister if she likes this fabric. I hope so as I just bought more of that yardage. I feel like I was lucky to find some as is isn’t new.

I forgot to sew the label on before I added the inside pockets, so I hand stitched it later.

The portfolio has a zipper that goes all the way around, so the bag is completely closed when it is zipped.

It has smallish, but useful pockets to keep some of your tools, or, possibly, project pieces organized.

There is also space for flat items, like a 6.5 x 6.5 ruler** under the pockets.

I am on the fence about the fabric pocket on the lower right. All of the other pockets are vinyl. I like seeing what I have available, but I guess you could use that pocket for things you didn’t want everyone to see. Credit cards or your driver’s license? I don’t know. I keep those things in one place so I always know where they are. If I make this again, I might make it into another vinyl pocket.

The left side has a larger pocket completely made from vinyl. This is a really useful pocket.

I really like this project and am looking for ways to make more.

**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and support small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Gift Post: Holland Pouch

I finished the Holland Pouch while I was in Portland in October. It was a pretty quick sew – ~6 hours from start to finish. I wasn’t feeling my best, so I knew I could make it faster.

Center Street Quilts directional fabric chart

I bought this pattern at Stitch during the July trip home from Portland. The fabric was also purchased during that trip at Sewlarium. It was a great choice for this bag.

The directions show how to position fabric if it is directional, which is the first time I have seen such a feature in a pattern, that I can remember. I’d love to see this type of chart in all bag patterns. I know most say something like “all cutting directions are width x height”, but having the visual makes a huge difference for me. Even before I saw this chart, I drew little pictures of how directional fabric should be cut in my various patterns.

Black Cat Holland Pouch - interior — Black Cat Holland Pouch – interior

I used some hippo fabric and hope he remembers visiting the hippo at the zoo when he was young.

This is the first bag I have made for the YM. I hope it is one he likes and will use it. I sent it off to him for his birthday, which was on the 30th.

JulieZS on Patchwork Palooza Block 9Monday, September 22, 2025
It's fascinating how different this block looks depending on where the darker triangles go.
SueS on Patchwork Palooza Block 9Monday, September 22, 2025
Putting the darker pink near the center emphasizes a part of the block which might be overlooked otherwise. I like…
JulieZS on Patchwork Palooza Block 10Saturday, September 20, 2025
This is such a fun block, love your fabric choices!
JayeL on Motif MetamorphosisMonday, September 15, 2025
Thanks! I like the fabrics and they are a dream to work with. However, the colors and motifs are a…
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Thanks! I am now keeping up with the ones released on Fridays.

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