Artquiltmaker Blog – Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity

Picking Daisies

Picking Daisies is an amazing quilt shop in downtown San Luis Obispo. I loved it.

Picking Daisies is located in The Creamery. Described as “Tucked back behind the intersection of Higuera and Nipomo Streets, The Creamery Marketplace might just be downtown San Luis Obispo’s best-kept local secret. The open-air public market merges the Central Coast’s storied dairy history with its modern, flavorful present.” Inside the gates is a courtyard with seating surrounded by various shops, including Picking Daisies.

Picking Daisies - books, patterns — Picking Daisies – books, patterns

Right inside the door of this petite shop are bag and garment patterns. I also saw a small, but nice selection of books, though I didn’t take the time to look at them.

I was surprised to see more Karen Pratt patterns! I went from never seeing her before to seeing her patterns all over! This is why I like to go to quilt shops: I always see items I haven’t seen before.

The first thing I saw when I walked in were California tea towels and a California themed embroidery kit. Some of the tea towels were the same fabric that I used for the shirt I made for DH. I didn’t buy the kit, but I did buy the embroidery cloth with the design printed on it. I’ll see about making it after I finish the needlepoint. The cool thing was that they had a completed example, which looked modern not fusty. One motif was the iconic building at Los Angeles International Airport. The designer is Cedar O’Reilly. There are three different designs and are only available at Picking Daisies.

Picking Daisies - kits and projects — Picking Daisies – kits and projects

Both Cut and Run and Picking Daisies were great. It would be hard to choose a favorite, but the merchandising at Picking Daisies was really amazing. Everywhere I looked I saw bundles of napkins, kits for projects, but not just the normal kits shops can buy from fabric companies. They had clever and carefully put together kits from their stock. The photo above shows a project bag using some Tula cat food cans as the background. This is a similar idea to my I Spy pouches. In the middle of the photo is the Divided Basket pattern by Noodlehead. There were about six kits available for this pattern in all different fabrics. I have resisted buying this pattern, but when I saw it here for a good price, I succumbed. I didn’t buy a kit as I am sure I can make one up at home. 😉

Picking Daisies - color — Picking Daisies – color

I also noticed the color. The walls were all different colors, not necessarily colors I would choose, but great colors for the space. It felt small, but also cozy and warm, not claustrophobic. I know I said I really like the bright white walls and light filled rooms of Stitched, but I also liked the warmth and coziness this shop.

The shop owners were working with a fabric rep to select new fabrics from upcoming offerings. They were occupied and I was able to wander around the small space seeing what I could see. I also earwigged a bit and saw some new and upcoming fabrics from Cloud 9 and Northcott.

While this was definitely a quilt shop, they also had some gift items, which is a great idea for tourists and kids who might wander in. Earrings, some cards, a couple of puzzles, the tea towels, were some of the items I saw. The gift items did not take away from the fact that this was a quilt shop.

One thing I noticed is that they make cloth napkins and have them for sale. They had a whole wall of napkins. Napkins make great gifts, they are made from fabric and can be made from bolt ends. Not your usual tourist gift, they are a clever choice for someone who wants a souvenir, but a useful one.

I love the way these napkins are displayed. Hanging them on the wall makes a lovely art piece. Napkins were sold individually (need one for your lunchbox?) and in packs of four, maybe more.

Picking Daisies - fabric — Picking Daisies – fabric

The shop was absolutely STUFFED with fabric. Everywhere I looked had bolts displayed. Even though it was a small shop, I didn’t feel like visiting was a waste of my time. In addition to everything mentioned above, there were plenty of great prints from which to choose, including a new line by Martha Negley!!! Apparently, she has been picked up by Free Spirit again and Picking Daisies had a flower collection plus fabrics from a new mushroom themed collection. They are also expecting another collection called Golden Harvest from her, shipping in July. I saw some of the Golden Harvest prints online, but need to take a look in person. There is one with grapes and pears and an eggplant and I loved it!

Picking Daisies - notions — Picking Daisies – notions

They had a small, but well thought out collection of notions. I was pleased to see Karen Kay Buckley scissors displayed, which are the best. I added some True Grips to my pile just because they had them.

They had the basics and few unique items like one of those glow rulers we saw at Kruusn a few years ago. I haven’t seen those very many places (another thing to make sure stays charged?), so I thought it was interesting.

Picking Daisies - Embroidery & Notions — Picking Daisies – Embroidery & Notions

Picking Daisies - Fabric & Notions — Picking Daisies – Fabric & Notions

The Notions are in the front corner of the shop. Next to them is a cabinet with more fabric and notions and then along the side wall are quilts and their cutting area. Behind the cutting area is a small area,possibly for classes where the owners were meeting with the fabric company salesperson.

In between the embroidery and the kits section was another shelf with more kits for napkins and other small projects. This is what I mean by great merchandising. They had things so you could make your own projects, but everything you need to grab and go as well. In looking at the photos, I saw things that I didn’t see while in the shop.

I did buy some of the Martha Negleys they had. I didn’t LOVE any of them. Everyone does flowers, but her vegetables were unique and I wish she had scattered some veggies in among her flowers. Don’t get me wrong, the flowers were nice. I even have an idea for a couple of them. I also want her to continue designing, thus the purchase.

Visit the Picking Daisies website, where you can order all of these items online: https://www.pickingdaisiesinslo.com/

Finished: Sheffield

Finishing the Sheffield took longer than I expected. I thought I was done, then I had to make the false bottom, and add a label and…

No problem. I really enjoyed finishing it. REALLY! I realized that I have been anxious to get through the final assembly of recent bags, because that was the time when I fought with my machine. I didn’t even realize I was fighting with my machine until I used the new machine to put this bag together.

The Sheffield has been on my list to make for a long time. Since I made Gerre hers, I wanted to make one for myself. The open wide design of this bag is very appealing.

The interior is made from an IKEA lightweight canvas I picked up from the free table. My lining is a little saggy baggy, despite the larger seam allowance. The lining will not fly out since I used my hard won knowledge (thanks, Lynette) of anchoring the lining to the exterior. One issue I had is that the pattern pieces for this bag are not square. They are trapezoids. I think something might have happened, because the pieces are trapezoids, when I was sewing the lining together that made them larger than I would have liked. I don’t know.

I finished most of the exterior pieces while visiting MaryM.

I did the final assembly at home after adding a leash and an interior zipper pocket. I wanted to add a slip pocket,but forgot in my excitement.

The handles on this bag are larger than the those indicated in the pattern. Sara has makers position the handles a half inch up from the bottom. This is so the handles clear the seam allowance. Beyond reducing bulk, I am not sure why. I would like to say I will try putting the handles in the bottom seam on my next one, but I am not sure I will make another one.

I think I could have put the poppy fabric on the frame casing. I think it would have added a finish or border to the top of the bag.

Cutting for the frame pocket was confusing. I have to look at the directions again to see where the cutting went wrong. I wanted to have the exterior match the exterior and same for the interior. I ended up with extra lining pieces.

For now I am just excited about the bag. I don’t know for sure how I iwll use it. I am thinking about putting all of my metal tools in in: KAMsnaps, Snap Setter, awl, hammer, etc. If there is space, I could add in webbing as well.

Cut and Run Quilt Shop

We were away last week on the Central Coast so DH could attend Grand Parlor. I didn’t do nearly the prep that I had done in the past for his events and had decided to do some quiltmaking side trips of my own. I planned to drive to Carpinteria while we were in SLO to visit Roxanne’s. It was about a two hour drive and after finding a few quilt shops much closer I put off the Roxanne’s visit (and the SBPL visit) for another time.

Cut and Run Fabrics was the first quilt shop I visited. I stopped on my way back to the hotel after the Ladies Luncheon.

I had a little trouble finding it, but I was in the neighborhood and eventually arrived. It turns out that the shop is within walking distance of my aunt’s house.

Cut and Run has quiltmaking fabrics as well as garment fabrics and supplies for making garments. I saw some lingerie straps and closures that I recognized from when my grandmother took a lingerie class.

The shop had a great selection of fabrics with a distinctly modern vibe that appealed to me.

I chatted with the owner for awhile after she gave me a bookmark with all of the shops on the Central Coast listed. This is definitely a great effort by all of the shops to work together.

The bookmark definitely makes for a temptation to go on a road trip specifically to visit all of these quilt shops. Of course I wanted to head out right away, but I had to fulfill promises to DH and attend events for which I had signed up.

There was a wide variety of notions including quite a large display of vintage buttons.

Dozer, a very large dog, was snoozing away behind the cutting counter.

I meant to ask whether the shop actually stocked garment patterns, but was distracted by the excellent marketing. It is possible she rescued the cabinets from a Joann that was going out of business.

I like the samples of quilt patterns that were displayed. They are big and bold. I like the colors, too.

The variety of colors of the samples and the fabrics made me happy to be in the shop.

I thought the shop was a good size, too. Not too small, plenty of fabric and notions, fresh everything.

One thing I saw was great flannels! The shop had wonderful colors for flannel. I can’t remember seeing such a good variety since I was at Joann’s looking for flannel for the YM.

I think we will make another trip south later this year and I will put this shop on my list as one to visit again.

Address: 2300 Broad St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Phone:+1 805 519 1908

Hours: Tue 10 AM–5 PM
Wed Closed
Thu Closed
Fri 10 AM–5 PM
Sat 10 AM–5 PM
Sun 10 AM–5 PM

Working on the Sheffield

The Sheffield is a joy to work on! I can’t tell you how much easier it is to work on a bag when I don’t have to fight with my machine. I didn’t even realize, really, that I was fighting with my machine.

To make this bag, I changed feet and needle plates pretty frequently, but it really helps use different feet.

I used the Bi-level foot to stitch the top stitching on the frame case and that was a breeze. I never used the Bi-level foot before, but now it is one that seems to be coming out of the box often. I am not sure why I didn’t use one before. Maybe I didn’t have one?

Anyway, I was amazed and pleased with how straight the stitching was using this foot. There are a lot of layers the machine is punching through in the photo above and I got good stitch quality, no broken needles or stuttering. Of course, I wasn’t being the demon speed sewist either. I sewed pretty slowly on this section.

I decided to add an internal zipper pocket, which is not part of the pattern.I didn’t have any trouble making it. I learned a bit from the second interior zipper pocket on the Pandora Charisma and that experience helped.

I also wanted to turn the bag through that zipper pocket, which is a technique that Tim taught me. I had to think about it for awhile, because I wasn’t sure if any bag could be turned that way. I didn’t come to any conclusion, so I just went for it. It worked out fine. I like this method, because it means that nobody can see where the bag was turned unless someone digs into the pocket.

I am not sure why I wanted a zipper pocket, but I did. I also added a leash, which I do for all of my bags.

Finally, my next step is anchoring the lining to the exterior. I have started but need to finish.

Almost there!

Making the Elna Work for Its Keep

My new machine does not have a name, but it might need one. I haven’t ever felt the need to name a machine, so this is an odd feeling for me.

As I worked on the two bags I talked about recently at home, the Zip It Up and the Sheffield, I was determined that my machine should work hard. Part of the reason was to test it out, to see what it could do. As I started to write this, my first machine class was coming up. Throughout my testing on the Sheffield I feel like I was able to make good choices and not do anything fatal to the machine.

I am thrilled with the Bi-level foot. It helped me do an amazing job on top stitching around the zipper. The top stitching on my bag looks professional.

Top stitching is something that needs to be done on most bags. It is also something I have struggled with. I am so pleased that this foot helps improve the look of my top stitching.

I have used this foot quite a bit, but learned at the class that I have to turn the dual feed aspect on. Even without that aspect, the foot was fabulous. It is even better with the dual feed activated. I used this HP2 foot to anchor the lining of the Sheffield to the exterior. I had to turn the bag back inside out as I forgot to sew the anchor stitches before I turned it right side out, but that was no problem. The corners were pretty thick so I avoided those, but I was able to avoid them and sew a long way down the bottom seams. That HP2 foot is a total champ in this task. The width of the foot is a quarter inch. The dual feed aspect of the foot means that despite several layers of foam and canvas, nothing shifted. One seam each on two bottom seams and I was done.

Yes, I really should have put my label on when I finished each side, but I forgot. I also think I didn’t have any labels with me at Mary’s. After I finished the entire bag I remembered to sew on a label. I found a spot where I would have to go through layers, but none that would impede the smooth operation of the interior zipper pocket. I was super careful when I performed this operation, but it worked perfectly.There was enough throat space to fit the whole bag without the bag being scrunched up and catching on something. I knew that having a throat space that was taller was good for bagmaking. It came as a surprise that this new machine had it. I didn’t measure. A++ to taller throat space.

Elna - bobbin winding — Elna – bobbin winding

Finally, the bobbin winder has a separate motor. I found this out at the class I attended. I had wound a bobbin before the class. With my 6600, I was in the habit of winding multiple bobbins at one time with my go-to Aurifil 2600. Then I could plow through multiple bobbins before stopping my sewing and repeating the whole exercise. It made sense with my old machine, because I had to stop sewing in order to wind bobbins.

In the photo above, I am winding a bobbin. The blue arrow points to the bobbin winder. Next to it, on the right, is a button that engages the bobbin winder motor. The red arrow shows the thread I was using to wind the bottom. There have to be two spools of thread to wind the bobbin and sew at the same time. The green arrow shows the thread I was using to sew, which I was doing at the same time. In this case, I was using the same color thread to sew and wind bobbins.

I am exploring a lot of things at the moment with this machine. Different feet, different capabilities. I am really happy with how the machine handles lumps in my sewing, such as where multiple seams meet in piecing (like an 8 pointed star) or thicknesses in bagmaking.

Mini One Handle Tote #3

I promise not to show every single one of these that I make. I am just so tickled that the directions from an IG video actually work!

The aspect I worked on in this version was making sure the lining wasn’t saggy baggy.

I am pretty pleased with the way it came out. I veered to a 3/8 inch seam allowance when I sewed the lining part of the bag together and used a 1/4 inch seam allowance for the exterior. This all happens before the bag is turned right side out. The picture of the inside of the bag shows the different seam allowances! (enlarge the photo). The trick is to veer smoothly. Don’t abruptly change the seam allowance, though it might not matter if one stopped, then restarted. I think veering is better, though. I may have to try the stopping and starting.

I am thinking about adding a pocket. I’ll have to think about how that would work.

Chaos – Making the Rainbow Block

There is no acrylic template for the rainbow block included in the Chaos with a Twist template set. Libs has repurposed these templates from other patterns, Bloem and La Fin Du Monde. It is great that the same templates can be used for all patterns, but I would really like that rainbow block template.

I have placed True Grips** on the back of my templates as it keeps them from sliding around. You can see them through the bright green. My paper Rainbow template is in the upper right hand corner. I made using the tried and true paper and template plastic** method. Not ideal, but it will work.

Before I put the Rainbow arch template together, I tried different specialty rulers to see if one of them would work.

The Clammy (left) is the wrong shape for this quilt. I tried to use it for the Orange Peel block and it is just too small. As a result, it won’t work for the Rainbow block, either.

I also pulled out my Jen Carlton Bailly templates from the class in 2019. One of the blocks she shows was a Rainbow block. It might not be the exact right shape, but if I do them all the same, it should work.

Looking at the photo I took, it may also work to make a regular quarter circle then use the background template to make the Rainbow. I am going to try this and see what happens.

There’s always more fabric, right?

Started Ends n.25

Almost as soon as I finished Ends n.24, I started Ends n.25 using the same background fabric. I got the background fabric for free somewhere and never used it, so here we are.

You can see that there is a shortage on the bottom right so I’ll have to add something in there.

I am still working through the edges of the back of Orange You Glad, which make up the color in this quilt. I have a few other red and orange edges that I added in, some still hanging around from the back of the Lobster table runner.

26 Projects May 2026 #5

The good news is that I have used just over 50 yards of fabric *NET*! this year. Of course, that may change. I am happy that I am a month ahead of schedule.

Finished May 2026 Quilt Projects

Coming soon! LOL!

Finished May 2026 Bags and Small Projects

Mini One Handle Tote #2 - finished — Mini One Handle Tote #2 – finished

Fairytale I Spy - finished — Fairytale I Spy – finished

->Finished 2026 Quilt Projects

- - Gelato #2
  - Handbag Sampler
  - Old Town
  - Triumphant

->Finished 2026 Bags and Small Projects

Diana's Enigma -closed — Diana’s Enigma -closed

Michaela's Christmas pillowcase — Michaela’s Christmas pillowcase

Pandora Charisma - back, finished — Pandora Charisma – back, finished

Gerre's Tadpole other front — Gerre’s Tadpole other front

Gerres' Scissor Sheath — Gerres’ Scissor Sheath

Carrie's Tadpole other front — Carrie’s Tadpole other front

Carries' Scissor Sheath — Carries’ Scissor Sheath

Megan's Bone Enigma-front — Megan’s Bone Enigma-front

Paris Cell Phone Wallet - closed — Paris Cell Phone Wallet – closed

Rose I Spy - medium — Rose I Spy – medium

Poppy I Spy - large for Mustang templates — Poppy I Spy – large for Mustang templates

Pink Echinacea I Spy - small — Pink Echinacea I Spy – small

Mom's Snap Tray- exterior — Mom’s Snap Tray- exterior

- - Book pouch
  - Diana’s Enigma
  - Megan’s Bone Enigma
  - Extra large project bag
  - Fairytale I Spy pouch
  - Pandora Charisma
  - Paris Cell Phone
  - Michaela’s Christmas Pillowcase
  - Mini One Handle Tote #1
  - Mini One Handle Tote #2
  - Mini One Handle Tote #3
  - Pink Poppy Snap Tray
  - Sheffield
  - Carrie’s Tadpole + Scissor Sheath
  - Gerre’s Tadpole + Scissor Sheath

Projects Ready for Quilting / In the Quilting Process

Warm Four Patch Fun quilt top

All the WIPs

WIPs are projects on which I am working. This means that I am past the cutting out of pieces stage, some sewing has taken place.

Country Revival – I am well into piecing. I have done some trimming and have Flower #3 sewn together. Flower #4 is the next to cut.
Four Patch Fun – putting two quilts together for a friend’s grandchildren
La Passacaglia – I decided to change the border, which means moving a couple of the rosettes. Daunting so I haven’t worked on it.
Pantone Project – it has been more than a year (where does time go?) since I worked on this. I need to get back to it.

Cut Out & Stopped

- EPPic – This is all cut out and I have made tiny steps towards starting. This is on the guild UFO Challenge list.
- Rose Petrillo bag – I found the pieces for this bag cut out, but not sewn. This is on the guild UFO Challenge list.

Still UFOs

I still have UFOs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled, it hasn’t been worked on in awhile or it is waiting its turn to be worked on. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.

I am annoyed that some of these are still UFOs.

Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. After a brief burst of inspiration, I am stalled on this again. As one of my oldest (I am pretty sure) UFOs, I put it on my blog and out into the Twitterverse and Diane suggested that I not consider this as a self portrait. I think that strategy is a great idea. I am now trying to think of a new persona for her.
Serendipity Lady – I am still planning to take this piece to be framed. It might need a bit of quilting first.
Fabric of the Year 2020
Fabric of the Year 2021 – I may combine 2020 and 2021 into a COVID edition.
Fabric of the Year 2022 – yes, I added this one to the list, but this is the last one I plan to do.
Stay Tuned

Thank you for reading!

May 2026 Donation Blocks & Quilts

Blocks

Various light green stripes donation block

I am close to having enough of the green blocks to make another Sidewalk quilt. I am still collecting grey, black and red 16 patch blocks for a QST quilt.

I have slowed down on making the white strip blocks, but will get back to it.

Quilts

Various & Sundry 2026 #5

Admin

I updated the Ends Donation quilts page with new quilt tops and backs.

I also updated the Minikins page with the new bags I have made.

I have added some additions, including a new tutorial to the Tutorials page.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

I talked about making the Zip It Up folio from ByAnnie. When I looked up the pattern, I found that it is now called the Zip It Up 2.0**. Even from the picture I can see the differences. I may buy the new pattern, but I may just make the other two from the pattern Mary loaned me. The new version looks super useful as well.

I saw a fun Peace & Love quilt pattern by Rebecca Mae Designs when I visited Cut & Run quilt shop in San Luis Obispo last week.

Want to make a book cover out of fabric? Check out the tutorial.

I found a tutorial for a cutting mat bag. It very basic, but also free.

Did you buy one of those 3 tiered craft carts when all the popular quilt girls were buying them and showing them off on IG? If you did and you want to make it even more useful, check out the Cart Pocket Project Bag from Creamcraft Goods. It’s a really fun and useful idea.

I went looking at Jen Carlton Bailly’s page and found free patterns for some fruit blocks.

Central Coast Embroidery by Cedar O’Reilly has samplers of California available. I’ll post more links soon

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions, Services & Supplies

If you need art supplies, go to California Art Supply in San Mateo. They are a small, local business with fresh stock. I take my mom there as a treat when she is with me. They sent me a link: https://tapgo.to/x0uRc3. If you use the link to set up a rewards account, then I earn a credit. I am not an affiliate, but I really like this company and don’t have enough need of art supplies to keep them in business on my own.

There is a new fabric design house. Thread and Ink is set up by former Creative Director of Dashwood, David Sweet. He has a new business partner, Bai Chauhan. They make contemporary, high quality fabrics in beautifully designed collections, according to Love of Quilting magazine.

Download the Wawak Interfacings guide.

The new fabric line by Guicy Guice, Hue, is awesome. I especially like the color wheel print. I went to Free Spirit to look at the whole line and found it has a very small number of prints. I’d like to see a number of the prints in multiple colors. I suppose that wasn’t the vision of the artist or the number crunchers didn’t justify it from a business perspective.

I was very tempted to buy some Sugar Skull vinyl from Sew Hungry Hippie. I resisted, but I have an idea for a project so I may not be able to resist for long.

Daylight Company has a Duo Neck Go light. It is described as “mall but powerful neck light with dual adjustable head lights for balanced, targeted illumination. Switch between floodlight for wider coverage and spotlight for detailed tasks, with 3 color temperatures – Daylight, Warm Light, and Cool Light – and stepless dimming that remembers your last used setting.” It might be just the light you need for evening sewing. I like the small size of the product.

The trays this company makes are beautiful and so affordable! Yes, they are sold out at the moment, but keep your eye on this page. So much better than plastic.

Make Modern is apparently ending its run. I haven’t read this magazine, but have started to see ads for it on Instagram. Issue 70 had an interesting teaser for the Mindalin Project Bag, a fun tool tote that might be a great gift. So, I went to look at buying the issue. The issue costs US $11.95 (AUD $14.95) . They also have an All Access Bundle which includes all issues, patterns, everything for US $99. I can’t quite tell how many bag patterns they have as part of the bundle.

Bonnie Hunter pointed out something called the Trim Lock. The website describes these tools as “Meet the Trim-Lock, a revolutionary cutting and trimming tool sure to make your life easier. The magic happens when you apply pressure to the handle, which engages the grippy material on the base of the Trim-Lock on your fabric, keeping your fabric in place so you can cut, and spin, your fabric without having to readjust your template for every cut.”

There was some discussion in a ByAnnie group about her zippers. In case you didn’t know they are size 4.5 not size 5, so changing out the pulls doesn’t really work. I saw that Wawak (no affiliation) has a variety of size 4.5 zippers.

Check out the Maker’s Club from Sew Hungry Hippie. It is a bag of the month club and comes with the pattern and all the supplies (you still need your machine and BSK). I like the idea of this club and I would make some of the bags, but I have so many patterns and supplies that I need to use some up.

Exhibits and Organizations

The German Patchworktage were held in Suhl starting on the 14 May. I’ll have to put this event on my calendar to attend one year.

Quilt Canada 2026 will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the RBC Convention Center June 17-20. Check out workshops, lectures, tours and other events. The 2027 show will be held in Calgary June 16-19, 2027.

Media & Articles

Great Big Bay Area Fabric and Craft Store List + Maps is a list of sewing related shops in the Bay Area.

Star of Hearts from Baltimore Beauties and Beyond v.1

Very sad news. Elly Sienkiewicz died earlier this month. You may not recognize the name, but she was one of the quiltmakers I ‘grew up’ with when learning to make quilts. She was known for reviving the Baltimore Album style. She taught and wrote books and researched! I really admired her research into the style and the history of the style. I was fortunate to take a class from her at Thimble Creek in Walnut Creek, a store that doesn’t exist in brick and mortar. 🙁 Needle turn applique didn’t take for me, but I have a couple of blocks to prove I took the the class. You can read about her amazing life in her obituary.

Check out the Great American Birthday Quilt. I am sad I didn’t hear about this sooner. I would have contributed a block. This is one reason I am sad that Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine no longer exists. I wonder where this was mentioned?

Inspiration

The bags on the Eriko Yamaguchi site are quite the inspiration.

Baltimore Album block from Elly Siekiewicz class — Baltimore Album block from Elly Sienkiewicz class

NQR

Every time I enter a tracking number into the UPS site, I get an error. I can never tell where my fabric and supplies are. First World problem, I know, but irritating. Any solutions?

Mini One Handle Tote Tutorial

This is a tutorial for a Mini One Handle Tote. I saw a quick IG video and decided to try and make one.

I am definitely not trying to steal anyone’s intellectual property. I was not able to find a pattern shop with this pattern, so am writing this tutorial to help myself remember how to make this bag. I also want you to be able to make the bag. I highly recommend you follow Kotobukisewing on Instagram, take a look at Kotobukisewing’s reel on making this project. Also, visit their YouTube Channel for their various other pattern instructions including garment patterns. I also found a video from Mokochocko_sewing for the same type of bag, but the directions are different. Their bag is more of a bottle bag. Check this video out as well. If I find a pattern to purchase for this bag, I will update this post to include the information.

The instructions below make one bag.

Supplies and Materials

- - Sewing machine
  - BSK
  - 1/2 yard of exterior fabric
  - 1/2 yard of lining fabric.
  - ShapeFlex / SF 101 or ProFuse OR
    - Scrap batting
  - 4.5 x 5.5 inch piece of cardstock or thick paper
  - Fabric scissors
  - Paper scissors
  - Pen or marker
  - Sewline pencil
  - Thread
  - Turning/poking tool
  - Rotary cutter
  - Ruler(s)
    - Creative Grids 24.5 x 8.5 inch**
    - Creative Grids 4.5 x 8.5 inch**
  - Wonder Clips

Optional Tools and Supplies:

- - Modern American Vintage Point Turner/Hera Marker
  - Hemostat to help with turning.
  - Pressing tool to keep your fingers away from the iron when pressing seams open, such as
    - Press and Turn tool** OR
    - Stiletto**
  - Curved Quilt Ruler** OR French Curve**

Directions

Trim exterior fabric to 28 inches by 11 inches

Trim lining fabric to 28 inches by 11 inches

- - Note: the original video uses metric measurements, which I have converted. The original measurement was 27.5 x 11, but I have been making them using 28 x 11, because the cutting is easier when folded in half. The half inch doesn’t seem to make a difference in the sewing or functioning of the bag.
  - Note 2: cutting is easier for me if I fold the fabric in half and then cut pieces 14 x 11 inches, but I have a very small cutting table.

Press interfacing according to the manufacturer’s directions on to both the exterior and lining pieces.

- - Note: I leave space around the edge, in the seam allowance with no interfacing to reduce bulk.

Make Your Handle Template

Take your piece of card stock/heavy paper and place it vertically on the table in front of you.

Measure 2 inches from the bottom right hand corner up the right side and make a dot.

Measure 2 inches from the bottom right hand corner along the bottom to the left.

Draw a curved line from the dot on the right hand side to the dot on the bottom.

- - Note: If you don’t want to make your own curved template, you can use a French Curve** or Curved Quilt Ruler**. Check the video from Mokochocko_sewing for how they use the ruler.

Using your paper scissors, cut along the curve on the card stock smoothly. This will now be called your “handle template”.

Cut Out Your Handle from Fabric

Place your interfaced fabrics right sides together.

Fold the fabrics in half with the fold at the top.

Using Wonder Clips, clip along the straight sides and the bottom. Do not clip the top left and top right sides.

Place your handle template in the upper left hand corner so the top edge of the handle template is even with the fold and the left hand side of the handle template is even with the left hand side of the fabric. The curve will be facing the center.

Draw a line from the top along the curve to the left. You are drawing on the interfacing, which is attached to the wrong side of the fabric.

Flip your template over to the right. You are still positioning the template along the fold.

Place your card in the upper right hand corner so the top edge is along the fold and the right hand side of the card is even with the right hand side of the fabric. The curve will be facing the center.

Draw a line from the top along the curve to the right. You are drawing on the interfacing, which is attached to the wrong side of the fabric.

Using Wonder Clips, clip the edges you have not yet clipped, staying away from the lines.

Using your fabric scissors, cut along both curved lines through four layers of fabric and one layer of SF101 (2 exterior, 2 lining and interfacing) .

Unfold and clip exterior and lining together

Move the Wonder Clips so two, unfolded, layers are clipped. Fabrics are still right sides together, but they are now shaped like an uppercase I.

Note: The video from Mokochocko_sewing has a different method for making the handle, which you may want to look at if the ‘card’ method isn’t working for you.

Sew the Bag Together

The first step is to sew along the curve ONLY. Start sewing on the top, sew around the curve to the bottom of the curve. You are not sewing any straight edges yet.

Sew along the curve on the other side. Start sewing on the top, sew around the curve to the bottom of the curve. You are not sewing any straight edges yet.

Clip the curve.

Press the curved seam open.

Remove the Wonder Clips lingering on the straight edges.

Turn the entire piece right sides out (RSO) through the skinny center piece.

- - Note: this step might be a bit tedious. I have done it with both batting and SF101 with no problems, so have patience.

Press the entire piece so the soon-to-be bag is nice and flat.

Lay the piece horizontally on a flat surface (table, desk, ironing board, etc) in front of you with the exterior facing up.

Take the exteriors only – the lining will still be on the flat surface – and line up the bottom edges. Clip the exterior sides and bottom together.

Now take the linings only and clip them together.

Line up the seams in the center.

Open and flatten those center seams, clipping them together.

Before sewing, the bag will look like the photo above.

Mark a 3.5 inch to 4.5 inch space on the bottom of the lining that you will NOT sew. This is your opening for turning.

- Note: for the next couple of steps you are going to be using two different seam allowances. You want to make the lining a bit smaller so it won’t be saggy baggy. This isn’t a huge problem in this project, but I did notice that it happened in Mini One Handle Tote #2.

Using a 3/8 inch seam allowance, start sewing on one edge of that lining opening, back stitching after a few stitches, and sew to the corner, then up the side. As you get to the center seam when the lining meets the exterior, veer to a 1/4 inch seam allowance. When you get to the exterior you want to be ready to sew a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

- - Note: Remember how I showed you how to start sewing from the edge in the Snap Trays tutorial? Start at the edge, sew 1/4 inch, turn parallel to the edge and sew as normal? You can do that here as well to make a crisp seam in the turning opening when you turn the whole bag right side out. The photo above shows the marks. Between the marks is the opening for turning.

Sew around the exterior using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. I back stitch at corners and anywhere there might be stress on the bag.

When you get to the other side of the lining, veer back to a 3/8 inch seam allowance and finish sewing the bag to the other side of the lining.

Back stitch at the end.

Press all of the seams you have just sewn open.

Box the Corners

Using your ruler, mark a 1.5 inch box in each corner.

- Note: On the lining side, I used a slightly larger box, because of the slightly larger seam allowance. I don’t know if this is necessary, so YMMV.

Cut the boxes out using your ruler and rotary cutter or fabric scissors.

Fabrics need to be right sides together and you will be able to see the interfacing. It will look like you have cut a square off of each corner.

Line up the seam allowances from the boxing the corners exercise and, using Wonder Clips, clip. Align the center seams from both sides of the bag so that they will come together when the bag is turned.

Corners clipped and ready to sew.

Sew across each box/triangle using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Repeat the above instruction for the remaining three corners.

Finish the bag

Turn the bag through the lining opening. You may want to use your turning/poking tool to make the corners nice and crisp.

Top stitch around both handles from side seam to side seam.

- - Note: this is a good place to try out decorative stitches

Backstitch or bury your thread.

Sew up the opening in the lining by hand or by machine.

Press.

Voila! Finished bag.

Once again, I am not trying to steal anyone’s intellectual property. I was not able to find a pattern shop with this pattern. I highly recommend you take a look at Kotobukisewing’s reel on making this bag and their YouTube Channel for their various other patterns including garments. If I find a pattern to purchase for this bag, I will update this post to include the information.

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and 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 website.

Stitched

Mary took me to a new-to-me quilt shop called Stitched. It is a little hard to find, because it is directly behind an Army and Navy store! They have a big sign on the road so look for that when you visit, as well as the Army Navy store. The shop has its own parking lot so you don’t have to share with any Army Jeeps. 😉

Apparently, this is a new location for the shop. We drove there through Medford. I think Central Point is part of Medford or near Medford. If you look up “quilt shop medford” you will find the address and directions.

The sign says Sewing Works and Mary made a reference to “part of that brand”, but I have never heard of Sewing Works, so I looked it up. Apparently, the shop is now part of the organization. I am not sure if it was before, but the Sewing Works website is interesting and I like the name.

I am also not sure what this building was before – something like Medieval Times? Those gothic windows are definitely a unique feature I have never seen in a quilt shop. Isn’t it great how shops take over a space and make it their own?

The overall feeling of this shop was light and bright. The walls were very clean/white and there was a lot of nice light in the main, front room. The ceilings were very high, which, I am sure, helps.

Stitched front counter & looking down the left side

This is a BIG shop. There is a new,or recently filled, area in the back that smelled new and with which Mary was not familiar. It provided a lot of space for more fabric, books and quilts!

The back room had a lot of fabric, Accuquilt dies and a few notions and books. They had a huge rack of the Fabric Cafe 3 yard quilt books. I haven’t tried one of these quilts, but I see the books more and more. I am not sure what the magic is about 3 yards?

Stitched- backroom dsiplays — Stitched- backroom displays

There were a couple of cutting tables. I could see also that they were trying out different displays. The space is large and they have room to grow.

I might have seen a crib as p[art of a display at other shops before, but I don’t remember specifically. I thought the look was good. There is a lot of space for creativity using the crib as a center focal point, especially because a lot of people start quiltmaking in order to make a baby quilt.

The shop also had a longarm. It wasn’t running (thank you!), but that indicates s full service shop where you can get your quilts quilted as well. On the other hand, it could have just been another innovative display! I didn’t check the website very thoroughly to see if they run a longarming service.

Stitched - front of shop — Stitched – front of shop

The front of the shop has fabric and an extensive notions wall. For the most part, however, front of house is all things Bernina. Mary goes there for classes. In the photo (left), you can see the way they continued the castle window theme at the top of the wall. Fun, huh?

I also wanted True Grips** for my Sheffield acrylic templates, but the shop only carried InvisiGrip**. InvisiGrip** is not a favorite, though it is ok if you have nothing else. YMMV.

One of the things I like about visiting shops is seeing the different items that are available. Mary told me, and I noticed, that Aurifil is not widely available.

Stitched - classroom — Stitched – classroom

The ‘classroom’ is small. It is an open space in the front of the shop and can seat about 6 people. I am not sure how I would feel knowing that I was in the middle of the sales floor and trying to learn.

I love the quilt to the left of the ‘classroom’. It was quite vibrant in person.

There was a ton of thread and Bernina longarm supplies. I didn’t look much at them, but I am sure it is good to know about a location that has such supplies.

I bought some nice fat quarters. I couldn’t resist the rainbow selection. I threw in a couple of low volume text fabrics. As mentioned, it was hard to find Aurifil, but this shop had a small selection of Aurifil neutrals in the large size (not the cone) including my favorite Grey 2600. I also bought some Iron Off** for Mary, though I think the brand was Magic Iron Cleaner** or something. We got some goop on her iron and cleaning it was the impetus for the trip.

All in all, Stitched is a good shop I would visit again.

5104 Crater Lake Ave
Central Point, OR 97502

Starting Another Sheffield

Sheffield Tool Tote - front — Sheffield Tool Tote – front

Making a Sheffield bag for me has been on my list for a long time. Since it is #6 for the BAM UFO challenge, it is time to work on it. In case you are confused #6 was selected for this month’s project on which to work. I needed to get busy.

The Sheffield is another Sew Sweetness bag. It has an open wide zippered top and is NOT part of the Minikins series. It is a stand-alone pattern. I made one for Gerre (the purple one above) a few years ago.

I put it on my UFO list, because I knew I could finish it within the 30 day window. I was surprised to find I had started to cut pieces for it. They were in my bag fabric bin with the metal frame. That means it truly was a UFO!

After setup at Mary’s house and making a couple of small projects, I got to work on the Sheffield. I was sad not to be using my new machine, but was happy that Mary had a second machine I could use. Not having to haul a machine in our stuffed car was great. She has a Babylock Crescendo, which I have used before. It is a high end machine, which was fine to work on.

Before I could sew the Sheffield, I had to cut the rest of the pieces. As with most bags, there were a lot of pieces, thus a lot of cutting. The handles and the slip pockets were already cut. Apparently, I had already made the choice to make the handles slightly longer than the pattern suggests. Once I finished cutting, I was able to get started with the preparation of the various elements.

One new thing I did was add purse feet. This was my first time. They are listed as optional in the pattern. Since I had some, I decided it was time to use them. The ones I had were Clover Nancy Zieman Bag Feet in Satin Bronze**

BTW, isn’t ‘purse feet’ a funny phrase? All sorts of hilarious images appear in my brain when I say ‘purse feet’!

I brought my ProMaster leather punch** (hole maker) along for the trip. I like this tool. It made punching through two layers of canvas and a layer of foam pretty easy. Since I forgot to bring mine, I borrowed some pliers from Mary’s DH, who is a master wood craftsman. The purse feet are installed by shoving two metal flanges through the hole, putting a metal washer over the two and bending the flanges down as flat as possible.

Safety first! SF101 covers purse feet flanges

After I installed them I put a couple of layers of SF101 over the folded flanges to keep them from catching on the lining fabric.

There were only four, which surprised me. I always thought purse feet came in sets of five so you could put one in the middle of the bottom to keep the center off of dirty surfaces, but no, the pack I had came with four. I may add some Odicoat** to the bottom. We’ll see.

I had sort of decided not to add the gathered pockets on the outside, then changed my mind and added them at the last minute. I tried out different looks to see how I wanted them to feature.

I finally decided to alternate the fabrics. I didn’t like the look of the all blue gathered pockets. I really wanted to see the Poppy fabric. I had cut the slip pockets out of the Poppy fabric when I thought I wouldn’t use gathered pockets, because I wanted be able to admire that fabric. Using only the blue would cover up too much of it. Using only the Poppy fabric was too jarring and confusing so I eliminated that option right away.

Sheffield - finished exterior mains — Sheffield – finished exterior mains

The main exterior panels came out well with my choices.

This isn’t a particularly difficult bag, but I felt like I needed to sew slowly and make sure I was doing everything correctly.

After finishing the main exteriors, I was able to put the exterior together.

I decided after I had made good progress that I wanted to put some pockets on the inside as well as a leash, so I stopped work on it. I didn’t have the hardware with me and we had already been to Green’s, the place to buy hardware near Mary’s house. Since I had hardware at home, I decided to finish it at home.

This is farther along than I have gotten in the 6 years (SIX YEARS – WHAT?!?!?) since I made Gerre’s. I am pleased with how it looks and pleased with my progress.

I am getting quite the collection of tools and might need to make another one of these to store those. Or maybe I will use this one to store tools such as my my ProMaster leather punch**, KAMsnaps, awl, Snap Setter, etc.

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