Minikins Patterns – 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.

Day Trip Continues

I am pleased to say that the Day Trip is progressing much better than I expected.

As mentioned, I was anxious about the difficulty of this project. I am carefully following all the directions and watching the video accompaniment when I have even a sliver of doubt. I am not having any problems! I am so excited.

In some ways, this is a meditative process for me. There are a reasonable number of pieces and I was able to cut them out relatively quickly. I decided that I wasn’t going to skip steps to get to the sewing faster. That attitude made the sewing, once I finished all the prep, go much faster.

It has been awhile since I installed magnet closure. I added some Decovil Heavy scraps behind both pieces to reinforce the snaps. I hope they will hold.

Sara has a really good tip in this pattern about using the round template/reinforcement thingy that comes with the magnet closure for placement. It is so obvious yet I never thought of it.

The cell phone pocket (above) is complete. I am working on installing the zipper that closes the whole bag. I had to cut the zipper to the right size. I really need to make some of those Center Street Quilts heart pouches in order to use up some of my leftover zipper pieces. This is a difficult part as the zipper really doesn’t like going around corners, but I went slowly and persevered. It’s the same challenge all the time. Am I getting better? Maybe. I should be after all those Hackney pouches.

I am really jealous of that skinny quarter inch foot Sara uses. I think it would make going around those corners easier.

At Bag Club on Saturday we talked about installing an interior zipper pocket. I did sort of a theoretical tutorial using the Sotak Handmade Purse Organizer as an example. Since it was already made, there was a lot of imagination required.

Funnily enough, I had to make two of these types of pockets on Sunday! They are a little fiddly, but really easy. I use Sara’s zipper pocket ruler for the measuring and drawing the box. She is not restocking her acrylic templates, so get them while they are still available. I checked other places and can’t find one like Sara’s. I found one from Arc Expressions (no affiliation) that I think would work, though you would have to use another ruler to measure pockets on larger bags.

Anyway, talking through the pocket installation on Saturday was really helpful on Sunday when I went to make the pockets. I had an idea in my mind about what I was doing. I made one (or more??) on the most recent Superbloom, so I was in good shape. I like having the process firmly in my mind.

One of the best things about these pockets is you can pull the bag right side out through this pocket. I love it when designers use that technique. You can add these pockets to almost any bag with a lining.

I am well on my way. Get this pattern and make one!

Finally! Day Trip Wallet!

I bought Minikins Season 2 specifically for this pattern in March of 2020. At that time, I was a little scared of this pattern. Recently, I realized I wanted to make one as a gift. Since I had the recipient in mind, I dove in to make it. This will match the Superbloom tote I finished a few weeks ago.

I was still anxious that I wasn’t up to the task, so I carefully worked my way through the cutting and interfacing. I only forgot one piece! I am about to start working on the pockets, straps and tabs.

I am pretty excited that I am getting going on this project after almost 5 years!

All the Cotton Candy

The other day I was thinking about a hand sewing pouch for my mom. In the course of that thought process, I looked up all the Cotton Candy pouches I have made.

WOW!

I have made a lot.

Venetia's Cotton Candy Pouch — Venetia’s Cotton Candy Pouch

I think I have only made more Hackneys (14) than Cotton Candy pouches, but not many more. Clearly, I play favorites.

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.

Finished: Grab & Go Sleeve

I finished the Grab & Go Sleeve very quickly and sent it straight off to my mom so she could use it right away.

Both sides essentially look the same. The only difference is that I put a label on only one side of the exterior.

I also used some ‘webbing’ that Cyndi made me take from one of the Sew Day Free Table offerings. The webbing is made out of cotton rather than plastic, like the Tula Pink webbing I used for a couple of the Take a Stand bags.

Since this is for my mom, I dug out the Laurel Burch fabric I used for her Mustang Organizers and used that for the lining.

She received it on Wednesday and said that it fits her portfolio perfectly. She said she really liked it, which makes me happy.

If I can think of things for which to use these bags I’ll make more as they are a quick bag to make, especially if you use pre-made webbing for the handles.

Grab & Go Sleeve

The Grab & Go Sleeve is a project from Minikins Season 1. Honestly, it is one I never thought I would make. I have at least two laptop bags, so I really don’t need anything else. Also, there is nowhere in the bag for the mouse or the cord.

However, it is a good bag for other things like files and notepads. My mom has a portfolio she is using to take notes during a series of appointments she has. She is using the project bag I made her to carry around her portfolio. It doesn’t really fit very well.

This project immediately occurred to me once I saw what was happening. I am not sure why as I really never thought about this bag before.

This project serves a second purpose as well. I want to make the Heartlands Backpack. It is a ‘choose your own adventure’ bag. The Grab & Go Sleeve is a lighter version of a ‘choose your own adventure’ bag. It has only a few pieces and not many options. I wanted to try an easy ‘choose your own adventure’ bag before I started the Heartlands.

I decided to add some mesh pockets to the inside to provide a bit of organization.

I also added a D-ring (but rectangular) so she can clips things to the bag if she needs to do so.

Finished: Pink Project Cotton Candy

I finished one of the Cotton Candy pouches and was reinvigorated after I did a better job than I did with the Slimline version.

I didn’t have the right length zipper in pink, but I thought the orange went with the fabric. I also thought I should have fussy cut the side panels, but didn’t think of it until later. Still, I am happy with the way it turned out.

I used similar fabrics to the fabrics I used in the Pink Project v.1. I wondered if I should make a whole set using the same fabric. I might have enough of that Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy fabric to make a few more bags and pouches. It might bore me, though, to use the same fabric. I already have a different print chosen for the Chickadee. I don’t want to change that choice at the moment.

The inside is also a Flea Market Fancy print. I filled it with some self-care items and it was used to raise money for Phi Mu Foundation, which provides scholarships and disaster assistance to women. We made $80, which isn’t a lot, but the event was only attended by 9 people. I need to get some more self care items to fill up the next ones.

Finished: Blue Triangle Cotton Candy

No, this is not pink, but I am still making it part of the Pink Project, at least for the time being. I don’t want to make a new tag for every project I decide to start.

I was so excited by the triangles that I wanted to use this fabric. I think it is a Carrie Bloomston fabric, but I can’t remember where I bought. I am pretty sure it was a recent purchase.

As mentioned, I am doing a blue version as well as a pink version for two different groups to auction off.

Blue Triangle Cotton Candy - side — Blue Triangle Cotton Candy – side

I wanted to cement my technique for the Cotton Candy pouch after the mistakes I made with the Slimline Cotton Candy. This is one of the pouches that I made. I decided to make one each for the two projects.

Blue Triangles Cotton Candy pouch inside

While I did better this time on lining up the pieces, I didn’t do as well on the zipper. I am not sure why. It looks really wobbly. Most people won’t notice, but it bugs me.

I wasn’t able to anchor the the sides to seam allowance like I did with the Hildegarde. That might be a challenge for another day.

I did veer the zipper on one side of this bag, but not on the ‘top’.

I decided to fold over the zipper ends and place them where I wanted them rather than hoping for the best when I was veering the zipper. I think the ends look pretty good.

Next to work on is zipper installation.

Cotton Candy – More Starts

As mentioned, I started sewing some Cotton Candy pouches at Sew Day. I had cut them out as a reminder after I sewed the Slimline version of the Cotton Candy pouch wrong. I was a little angry at myself, because I want to work on new pouches – patterns I haven’t tried before. Even though I love the Cotton Candy pouch, I have made it many times. I felt, however, that I needed to remind myself how to get this pattern right.

I was pleased with the progress I made at our Special Sew Day. I would have liked to have made more progress, but forgot the zippers. When I got this far, it was time to clean up and go home anyway.

I thought I would try the triangle fabric fabric I bought at Bay Quilts recently and see how I liked it in bags.

Both of these will be for the Pink Project. I know one is blue, but I am doing a second batch for the local Alumnae Panhellenic group and want to use some different fabrics.

Slimline Cotton Candy

I made this Cotton Candy pouch for a friend’s birthday.

It ended up being a ‘slimline’ version as I sewed the side panels to the wrong end of the main panel and had to trim extensively. It worked out and she liked it so no harm.

However, I need to get this right. I have made so many of these pouches that I am shocked and amazed that I made such a big mistake. I am going to make some others to cement the process in my head.

Hildegarde’s Confession

As mentioned, the Hildegarde Notions Trunk is finished.

I have to confess that the end of making the Hildegarde wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked. The Velcro was the challenge.

The photo left shows the dividers in the interior. They velcro to the side strips of Velcro, which I sewed to the lining. The problem is that the I sewed the wrong side of the Velcro to the sides. It was the same side of the Velcro that I used on the dividers, so the dividers didn’t stick very well. Yes, I should have checked I had the right part of the Velcro, but I assumed. Always a problem.

The Hildegarde looked really good, so I thought about not changing out the Velcro. I decided, in the end, that I would never be really happy with it-and I really like this bag, for once-, so I ripped the lining apart and sewed the correct Velcro sides to the lining sides.

The Velcro strips are originally sewn before the lining is sewn together, so it is very easy to sew them to the sides of the lining. I used the sewing holes to place the new strips of Velcro and took my time. I didn’t want to take the whole lining apart, so I unpicked as little as possible. I used some washaway tape to hold the strips in place and resewing worked pretty well. Later, I realized I could have changed the Velcro pieces on the dividers, which probably would have been a lot easier.

In my defense, I rarely use Velcro, so I forgot to check that I had the right Velcro side. I won’t make that mistake again. At least I hope I won’t!!

I am glad I did, because now I am super happy with it and the dividers actually work!

Hildegarde Finished - front (closed/exterior) — Hildegarde Finished – front (closed/exterior)

It turns out I had to unpick the turning opening a second time, because I forgot to put the Peltex in between the lining and exterior. Again, I thought about whether I really needed to do it, but the bag was saggier than I wanted, so I did it. I had to insert the Peltex around the stitching of the lining to the exterior. It wasn’t easy, but it was doable and the bag doesn’t look as saggy. The reason this happened is that I didn’t notice the last page of the pattern! In my defense, half of the second to the last page was blank so I thought that was the end, though I did think it ended a little abruptly. I have made a note on my pattern in case I make this bag again.

Hildegarde Notions Trunk Finished

This bag has taken a long time to finish. I am not sure why, because it came out really well and I really like it.

It is quite a large bag, for one with a handle. The finished size is 12.75 inches in length x 6 inch tall by 5.75 inches deep.

I am pretty pleased with my fussy cutting. The fabric I chose, a Heather Bailey print called Aflutter in pink. I find it very cheerful. It is from an old line, so I don’t know if you can find it again.

I worked really hard on lining up the birds on the top and in the front panel. I can’t remember doing that kind of fussy cutting before. Sara models fussy cutting on her sample in the pattern.

Hildegarde Finished - back (closed/exterior) — Hildegarde Finished – back (closed/exterior)

I think the little bit of top stitching on the back looks really good as well. I used pink for most of the topstitching, but there is also a bit of white as well.

I like the plethora of birds on the back.

Remember I said that I thought the dividers were unnecessarily complicated? They weren’t. They now seem super useful. I am glad I took the time to follow the directions and make them. I wonder if I could (should?) put another mesh pocket on the other side of the divider?

I don’t often use Velcro and this application went better than expected. I seem to remember sewing Velcro in the past and having it stick to the bed of the machine or the foot or something. I had no trouble sewing it this time, which was a relief. I think the design using the movable dividers, works very well.

I found a good place for my label, as well. It is not really hidden at all. I like the placement.

I also like how open this bag is. It is like an ‘open-wide/wide mouth bag. I am able to see everything inside.

Side note: when I went to get a label for this bag, I realized I only had two Wunderlabels left. Another thing for my To Do list.

Hildegarde Finished - front pocket - open — Hildegarde Finished – front pocket – open

I was pleased with the way the front pocket came out. I think the elastic technique worked out very well. I haven’t tried using it for thin tools, but I will. One thing I was thinking about the design is that the tools stored in this pocket would be available without opening the main zipper. I think that would be a good thing.

I plan to use this bag for notions to take to Sew Day and Retreats. I plan to place it inside the Crafty Carrier . I am not sure how I will use this large open space with the movable dividers. I need a lot more space for long thin tools like pencils, tweezers, etc. Rotary cutters will go well in the mesh pockets, I think.

JulieZS on 1-2-3 Mosaic QuiltedSunday, July 5, 2026
Wow, it looks so great! I really love that wavy stitch, works in so many cases. That's wonderful that you…
Eleanor on 1-2-3 Mosaic QuiltedSunday, July 5, 2026
Thanks for your tieps. I agree yout table topper looks wonderful.
JayeL on Creative Play ProgressSaturday, June 27, 2026
I really hope so! I am so happy to see how many people are participating.
JayeL on June UFO Challenge UpdateSaturday, June 27, 2026
Thanks! I haven't done it yet, but there is still time.
JulieZS on June UFO Challenge UpdateSaturday, June 27, 2026
I'm liking how this UFO challenge is making all of us really think about the "why" of our UFO's. All…

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31