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

Various & Sundry 2026 #10

Admin

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

The Michael Miller website has a number of free downloads, including patterns. Aside from the normal quilt patterns, of which I have plenty, there was a pattern for a duvet and pillows. There was also a pattern for a garden apron, easier, but similar to the cafe apron I made a few times. There was a rainbow shaped pillow project, which I found adorable. Need a caftan? I found a pattern for one of those as well! No bags, sadly, but I think I am past the ‘free bag pattern’ projects by this point.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions, Services & Supplies

Tim gave a mini-demo at Sew Day earlier this month talking about iron labels. One product he uses was Avery Light Fabric Transfers**. the other was TransOurDream Tru-Heat Transfer Paper**. I am going to have to try his technique as I think it would make adding a label easier.

I was surprised at how many more colors American Made Brands has now. My color card is definitely out of date!

Cotton Couture solids seem to be showing up more and more. My new ‘local’ (in British mysteries, everyone has a local pub they call ‘their local’. My version is my fabric local. 😉 ), City Made Quilts, carries Cotton Couture solids as well. I decided to buy a color card to make it easier to select the exact color I need. I just did a search to find where I could buy one and found that Michael Miller has them on their website. I didn’t realize that fabric companies sold items to consumers from their websites. I suppose it makes sense to sell color cards.

I bought the card with the most colors – 245. It was also the most up to date, according to the site. I also considered the Graydations card, but decided I didn’t need it. It is a good idea as it has greys in more than just solids. It might be good for making a low volume quilt.

I was also surprised to see how many color cards that were available in addition to the two mentioned above. They also offered color cards for their Coco, Fresco, Fairy Frost and Patina blender lines. There was also a color card for Stargazer and Garden Pindot. Garden Pindot is an interesting line and I wonder if I have seen it before. If it has been around for awhile I am sure I have purchased some of the fabrics.

The color cards are on a different site, cottoncouturesolids.com, than the site where one can find information about the other lines of Michael Miller fabric.

MaryM is working on the Hideout pattern from Fireweed Stitches. I went to their website to check out the site and found that they have some interesting bag hardware.

I went looking for another of the California Map tablecloths from which I made DH a shirt back in 2015. Gosh! What a pain. The stupid search engines are too helpful and do not let me modify my search. They also do not let me ‘not’ out terms or websites that are not relevant. UGH.

I finally found that it was made by the Red and White Kitchen Company. I also found that they only have tea towels at the moment. 🙁 No other sites seem to have it. Let me know if you see one (or two?) that is available.

I learned something new the other day. There is a special product for lining concealed carry bags (like for guns!). I saw it at Fireweed Stitches when MaryM asked for some help. It is called Soft Loop Sheets. I never thought of making a bag for carrying a concealed weapon, but if you do make those kind of bags, you now know were to buy a product that will protect it. We ended up using foam as MaryM didn’t have the Soft Loop Sheet and the hidden pocket will probably be used for phone anyway.

Events, Exhibits and Organizations

Found*SJ is an organization I heard about in the San Jose Museum of Quilt & Textiles newsletter. It is described on their website as “San Jose’s newest thrift and vintage destination! Found SJ features an ever-changing treasure trove of community-donated, affordably-priced clothing, furnishings, housewares, books, collectibles, ephemera and more. Located in the emerging Creekside District in Downtown San Jose, steps from the Diridon VTA station and other public transportation. All proceeds benefit the Preservation Action Council of San Jose, a non-profit, member-based organization dedicated to preserving San Jose’s architectural and cultural heritage through advocacy, education, and civic engagement.” I have not been there, but it might be a fun outing with a friend.

I spoke about a few shops on the Central Coast back in May, Picking Daisies and Cut & Run. In the past I have also visited Roxanne’s, which is farther south. I visited Roxanne’s again on a weekend trip to Southern California for DH’s organization. My reward for being a good wife was to visit Roxanne’s. 😉 While there I got a flyer for the upcoming Central Coast Shop Hop, Blooming with Creativity. It will take place June 4-6, 2027. Plenty of time for you to plan a trip! I wanted another bookmark like I got at Cut & Run, but this flyer also has a list of shops. There are more than I thought including SuperBuzzy and two in Santa Barbara. I was pleased to see that the shops have collaborated on a “Quilt Shops of the Central Coast” website as well. What a great idea!

GE Designs has a ‘quilting case‘. It is basically a briefcase with inserts for rulers and such. The marketing materials say “The Stripology® Quilting Case is a hard shell case designed by quilters, for quilters. It is made to save you time and keep you quilting, ensuring your essentials are always at your fingertips.

It fits a 18″ x 24″ cutting mat, all the Stripology rulers, and other rulers up to 25″ long. Weight capacity is 33 lbs. The case itself weighs 10 lbs (4.5 kg).” You know the worst part? It is black. I wear a lot of black, but don’t want black for my quiltmaking. I suppose it is a good surface for stickers, but still. Why not have pink, red, blue, turquoise, and seafoam (etc.) options?

Media & Articles

NPR had a story about a recently released prisoner with a solo quilt exhibition.

Inspiration

Apparently, I am not inspired this month…or too lazy to ask for permission to post things.

NQR

Coffee Walnut Cake - Oct 2026 — Coffee Walnut Cake – Oct 2026

I made Nigella Lawson’s Coffee Walnut Cake for this month’s Sew Day.

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses, as I did. However, if you are too busy, don’t have a local shop nearby or can’t find what you need, I use Amazon affiliate links. I 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 don’t link to items I don’t like. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.

Amethyst vs Natalma

After finishing the Natalma earlier this month, I couldn’t help comparing it to the Amethyst.

Finished: Natalma - open flat — Finished: Natalma – open flat

I do not have the Amethyst, so I have to use photos for comparison. Obviously, the inside pockets and features are different. I expect this even when Sara’s bags have a similar construction.

The big difference, I see is that the Natalma lays flat (is an open wide sort of design) and the lid of the Amethyst opens leaving a space under it. This is not a bag that lays flat.

I did compare the finished sizes as well:

Amethyst Finished Size: 14” long x 13” high x 3” deep (35.5cm x 33cm x 7.5cm)

Natalma Finished Size: 14” long x 12” tall x 4-1/4” deep (35.6cm x 30.5cm x 10.8cm)

As you can see the sizes are similar.

As I may have mentioned, I like it when Sara uses similar construction techniques on different bags. It expands my horizons.

Now for the Awesome!

It’s been a trial, but the sewing table is finally together!

I am thrilled. It took two of us a couple of hours to get it to this state. This was in addition to the hours I spent the other day working on it. Even though I am slow, I thought I could do it myself. I was wrong. Some of the steps need four hands. DH actually offered to help and I slipped into the role of assistant, gladly.

From the cabinets being assembled, I went and made a mess opening boxes to try and find the brace for the bottom. For awhile, it was very hard to walk into the YM’s bedroom.

I think the labeling could have been better. It seemed a little scattershot to me. It ended up working out eventually. We added the brace and then later took it out and turned it over so the cord hole was in the right place. I never used the one in my old sewing table and am determined to use every feature on this table.

I brought the cabinets upstairs so I could add the brace. That was a difficult operation with one person.

I was pleased to find that I measured correctly and the table fits well between the heating vent and the outlet. WHEW!!!

Once all the pieces were screwed together, I was able to start loading it up. I gain an extra cabinet and several drawers in addition to the space required for the larger machine.

I haven’t filled the drawers yet as I was pretty exhausted after running up and down the stairs 300 times to get parts, tools and keep the laundry cycling. That will be a project for tomorrow and another opportunity to clear out stuff I don’t need.

The worst part of this was not being able to sew. I felt stressed at certain points and it would have been great to sit down at the machine and put some blocks together. I thought about working on some hand work, but it didn’t really happen to any great extent.

Another Trip to Roxanne’s

Roxanne's in Carpenteria — Roxanne’s in Carpenteria

I have visited Roxanne’s Wish and a Dream a few times. The last time I remember was in 2024. The trip I recorded before that was in 2013. The shop looks essentially the same as it did in these two posts. I was also pleased to see that it looks just as fresh, not tired and in need of attention. Check out the photos on the two posts linked above to see all the fabulous color. Here I am going to talk about the things I noticed.

Roxanne's - Kaffe dots — Roxanne’s – Kaffe dots

They still have A LOT of Kaffe. I had to carefully scrutinize the offerings to see if there was anything I wanted. I noticed, once again, that the selection of the Kaffe dots was still excellent. I thought about some of the grey dots for backgrounds, but decided I had enough grey backgrounds for the moment.

I didn’t see the Voluptuous print I used as the exterior for the Urban Sea Backpack. I was talking with the lady cutting my fabric and she was saying she had never see that color way on a Philip Jacobs print when I saw the Kaffe/Morris prints. I didn’t recognize them, but they were the right colors, so I went to look and then I saw Voluptuous. It turned out to be a wide back with a sheen or glaze. I decided to buy some anyway. It felt ok and I might want to make another bag with it. It isn’t a design I have seen in a lot of places, which I find interesting.

I saw some of the Martha Negley Golden Harvest prints. I like the one with the grapes, as I said, but I decided not to buy. The prices were on the high side at Roxanne’s and that print has colors I mostly don’t use: autumn golds, browns and oranges. There are enough pinks and purples to make me think twice, but I passed. Maybe they will recolor it and I will buy it later.

Roxanne's - Featherweight inventory — Roxanne’s – Featherweight inventory

I wandered around the shop to see what had changed. I almost bought the YM some crochet stuff, but passed. I am not sure what he has and what he wants. I wandered into the Featherweight room and was blown away by the number of Featherweights they have.

This is not all. I saw some in cases scattered around the shop as well. They must scour the area for them to have so many.

Roxanne's - Featherweight inventory-detail — Roxanne’s – Featherweight inventory-detail

Most are around $1200! WOW! I was excited about some of the colors a few had been painted. The turquoise and the pink are fantastic. I love the turquoise best.

No, I did not buy. I do not want to collect sewing machines. It is fun to think about having a big studio (and unlimited money) where I could have multiple machines set up.

Roxanne's - classroom decor — Roxanne’s – classroom decor

The classroom has an amazing quilt on the table. It has those circle blocks. I need to make a quilt with circle blocks sometime!

The flowers add to the look and feel of the room. This room also had a wall ‘wallpapered’ in some Kaffe fabric. I showed this wall before.

Roxanne's - coasters — Roxanne’s – coasters

Because Carpenteria is a tourist town, the shop had a lot of items non-quiltmakers could buy as souvenirs. There was a display of coasters with VERY pithy sayings on them.

I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies last week, so when I saw the website/cookies coaster, I couldn’t help but smile.

Roxanne's - coaster — Roxanne’s – coaster

I sent the photo of the coaster on the left to my mom. We had a good laugh. There were so many with great sayings.

Roxanne's purchases 2026 — Roxanne’s purchases 2026

I ended up buying more of the Disco Poms in ‘Whisper’ (grey) from Tula. I used most of what I had for the Urban Sea Backpack, but I like the Voluptuous/ Disco Poms combination so much that I want to do something with the combination again.

I also replenished some Tilde fabrics for the Sad Quilt. I wasn’t planning on buying them so I didn’t do an inventory of the ones I need more of. However, I know I can use the green dots. I am also pretty sure I have fun out of the solid turquoise. I hope it goes with the turquoise I used in the other blocks.

The shop had some great patches as well. I bought some for gifts.

As I have said before, this store is definitely worth a visit.

Roxanne’s A Wish and A Dream
919 Maple Ave
Carpinteria, CA 93013
(805) 566-1250
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Finished: Lavender Oxbow

The Lavender Oxbow is done and I’ll be sending it off soon.

I like this pattern and found that it was a lot easier to manage the second time. I’d like to make the larger size, but that is a project for another day.

I think it will be useful for the recipient. I find the bag useful for my guild materials.

I think the colors/fabrics are great. I want to use the glittery pocket fabric for a Pandora Allure bag. That isn’t my next bag, but it is coming up.

The layers were a challenge. My new machine even balked at some of them. Turning the bag was also a challenge. I couldn’t press everything, because of the various vinyl substrates.

I was super happy when the bag wasn’t quite finished, but I am less happy with it now. The lining, despite using a smaller (I thought much smaller) seam allowance is still saggy-baggy.

As mentioned, I used some of the Sewfisive stick-on interfacing to add to the reinforced bottom and I think it was too much. I think the lavender quilted bottom would have probably been fine on its own.

I am trying to decide whether I’ll be happier if I take the bag apart and redo some sections before I gift it. I have to think about it.

Finished: Lavender Oxbow - back — Finished: Lavender Oxbow – back

I can’t decide whether there is some reason not to add a pocket on the other side/back of the bag. It would make the directions a little challenging as Anna Graham refers to the panel with the pocket as the ‘front’.

Some Assembly Required

I am in a Catch-22 sort of situation. I can’t sew because my work room has been taken apart to install the new sewing table. However, I feel down that my workroom is torn apart and can’t seem to get it together enough to put the table together.

I have done some work. First, I screwed the casters to the bottom of the cabinets.

This was not an easy task as the cabinets are heavy and hard to maneuver.

DH didn’t like how the screws sat, but he was not available for the manual labor, and there didn’t seem to be anything he could have done differently.

The cabinets for the sides are ready for the next step.

I really like the light wood on this table. I think it will lighten up the dark corner where my sewing machine sits.

The left cabinet also has a lot of drawers. I might have a whole separate drawer for my chocolate!!! LOL!

Lighter Not a Lighter

True confession time. I am scared of lighters. I also can’t make them work. I never smoked, so it wasn’t a problem. Until bagmaking.

There are times when using a lighter to seal certain edges, like webbing is really helpful. MaryC suggests it all the time. I have tried different things like glue and they are ok, but not the same.

Recently, I found a thing called an ‘electric arc lighter‘**. This makes my life so much easier.

Electric Arc Lighter - out of the box — Electric Arc Lighter – out of the box

First, I don’t have to try and operate one of those rolly things on a lighter. The tool has an on/off switch and button you press to make the arc heat up. The product description says “plasma flameless arc technology, which has various features such as energy concentration, smoke-free, odorless and windproof, ensures this lighter to be used normally under any weather.”

Second, it recharges. I know it is another thing to recharge, but at least I am dealing with refilling an oil reservoir. The product description says “No need to refill the lighter ever! Built-in large capacity battery, and power indicator lights to remind you when it should be charged. The portable USB cable can connect to power source such as computers, power bank and etc.”

Third, it does not stay lit all the time. Even if I am pressing the ‘light’ button, it will turn off unless something is actually being lighted or burned. The product description says “7s Auto Off: The electric arc will automatically turn off after 7 seconds per use. Double safety switch: The power button is under the safety switch, avoiding accidental touches of the ignition button when you put it in your pocket or bag.”

Now I am able to seal the edges of webbing without lighting a candle and trying to do it from there.

Morning Glory Start

The other day I decided it was a good day to cut for the Morning Glory quilt. This has been sort of cut for awhile, but not really started. I think this was because I didn’t have a reason to make it. Now I do. There will be another wedding in the family. The family new member will get a quilt.

I don’t always wait to start projects until I have a reason, but this quilt is so easy that it is more about the fabrics and colors than the piecing challenge. I just felt like waiting, or I had no incentive to get going.

Cyndi's Morning Glory — Cyndi’s Morning Glory

It started with a picture that Cyndi sent me or maybe she showed me the quilt? I don’t remember now. She made this quilt from a pattern in a book called Just Two Charm Packs** and it really appealed to me.

I bought a couple of fat quarter packs in 2025 and that set me on the path. I am a sucker for a rainbow FQ pack. I thought they would be good to use with this pattern, so I cut them up right away and then stopped work on the project.

I thought a lot about what to use for the crosses. I didn’t want to use white, for some reason, and ended up cutting the same lavender grunge that I used for another project. I had just enough leftover for the crosses.

Dewfall 92091-95 Ditsy Dots Gray Multi Ghazal Razavi

The background is a darker grey than Cyndi used. It is Dewfall by Ghazal Razavi (#92091). Her fabrics are showing up quite a bit in my quilts lately. I used some of her Dovetail line in the Patchwork Palooza quilt.

The method of putting the quilt together isn’t too my taste, but I am ok with this being a quick project.

Color Cards as Tools

After taking a class back in the dark ages from Lorraine Torrence, always tell myself to ‘make visual decisions visually’. It is so easy for me to see a fabric in a shop and ‘think’ it will go with my project. Not having the project with me means I can’t know for sure, but I am often confident that my color sense is good and I have the perfect fabric.

Then I am wrong.

My color cards - 2026 — My color cards – 2026

This is where color cards come in. I don’t usually have my color cards with me in shops, so they don’t solve all of my problems. However, they definitely help with online shopping for solids.

I like to pull out my color cards when thinking about getting a new solid or needing some solids for a project and comparing my fabrics with potential options. It is also a great way to match solids or find the correct name for a solid of which you need more.

My open color cards - 2026 — My open color cards – 2026

Color cards are also like mini pieces of art. I always want all the fabrics when I open them up.

The bad part is that color cards do get superseded by new versions as fabric manufacturers add colors. While I was researching, I found that Clothworks has increased the number of colors available in their American Made Brands line, thus requiring a new color card to take advantage of all of the options. The same is true for the AGF Pure Solids. I put these on my wishlist. 😉

Having the color cards available has prevented me from spending more money than I need to and also from selecting the wrong color. They can be on the pricey side, which is why I was pleasantly surprised at the excellent prices on the Michael Miller color cards.

Musings on Pink Color Strip Donation Blocks

While I can see that I am slowly emptying my pink scrap bin, I find it harder the more empty it gets.

I am past the point where I can add a strip and have the block grow quickly. I have to put smaller pieces together to make larger strips and chunks before I get a large enough piece to cut a block. It is a little tedious to sew small bits together. I keep reminding myself that this is my choice.

I have over 60 of these strip and chunk blocks and would like to get to 80 so I can make two donation quilts and really clean out this scrap bin. I could start on one; I just have to cut some blacks.

I am trying to avoid making another improv scrap quilt so this is what I get. I am also putting larger chunks together to make the exterior of a needle roll (needle case?) for a holiday swap.

Mindalin Tool Roll Progress

The exterior of the Mindalin tool roll has been sitting and waiting for me to get to it since Sew Day a month or so ago.

As mentioned, the pattern calls for foundation pieced blocks to make the outside, but I decided to use selvedges to make the exterior. I have a lot of them, even after this effort. It looks really cool, IMO.

Recently, I decided to dig out this project and work on it. I thought it would be a pretty easy finish. Low hanging fruit, you know.

I was soooo wrong. I felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

First, the pattern is written in a way that is hard for me to understand. Now, I can’t complain too much, because I don’t have any suggestions.

Second, I couldn’t get the flap template to print the right size. I wasn’t 100% sure what the right size was, because it didn’t say in the pattern. I would put that in the pattern for sure. I did email Make Modern and they got back tome right away with a separate flap template. It was still too small, so I ended up drawing a flap of my own. Normally, I don’t have any problem printing templates. I do it all the time for Sew Sweetness patterns and even did it using MS Edge (because of the PDF permissions) for my Pandora Charisma pattern. No matter what I did, it didn’t work with this project.

I was able to make the interior, but when I compared the interior with the exterior, they were not the same sizes. Sigh.

I am not sure what happened. All I can think is that somehow I got distracted at Sew Day and miscut. That panel looks good, so I’ll use it for something else, but I am really disappointed in how this project is progressing.

This pattern can be found in Make Modern issue 70.

The Mess Before the Awesome

The parts of my new sewing table are now stacked in the YM’s room with parts of my workroom that had to be moved so I can put the new sewing table together in place.

DH was strong enough to haul them upstairs, which was a relief, otherwise we would have had to call in the nephews to help. If I had been alone, it would have been the nephews for me.

My old sewing table is still upstairs. It is also heavy and I cannot bring it downstairs alone.

I spent yesterday unloading the contents into boxes and moving them downstairs. I want the table to be ready to be moved when the time comes. I also cleaned it. I vacuumed all the surfaces and then went over the whole table with wood cleaner. It hasn’t been this clean since I got it!

My sewing machine is still upstairs. I feel at loose ends when I cannot sew on demand. I could go and work on La Passacaglia, but I have been reading through the directions for the sewing table and starting to put it together. I’ll need a helper, though, at some point.

I took the opportunity to clear out items I wouldn’t need or haven’t used in awhile when I boxed up the drawers of my old sewing table. The guild meeting was cancelled, so I couldn’t put them on the free table, but next time.

I was surprised at how much stuff fit in or on my sewing table.

One thing I am gaining, in addition to a space for the larger machine, is a tall side cupboard, where my tall-ish tools and supplies will live.

These were always just leaned up against the side of the old table. I am looking forward to having everything more organized.

In the meantime, everything is everywhere. I can’t use the machine and my workroom is a mess.

Oxbow Strap Holders

When we had the Oxbow Sew Day at SueS’ house she talked quite a bit about the different methods of attaching the strap holders. I didn’t do any thing about it for the first Oxbow, but I decided to try to acknowledge the sense of her thoughts in this Oxbow.

I tried to figure out how to add a strap holder that looks good when sewn down and provides added strength for the weight of a full Oxbow. I mentioned this when I started the Oxbow. I was convinced that I could create a support system that would look good and wouldn’t just be the result of my machine being able to sew through many layers.

I did not succeed.

After assembling the front and back Main panels, I sewed a more robust strap holder to the front of the Main Panels.

At this point I was hopeful and pretty convinced I could make my idea work. The strap holder piece sewn to the Main Panel is folded so the raw edge, like the one at the bottom of the photo, is underneath the strap holder. I wanted to wrap it around the back to minimize raw edges on the front and provide more support for the triangle.

Oxbow test strap holder - back — Oxbow test strap holder – back

This part worked okay, except for the wonkiness of my sewing on the back. I could have lived with that, or redone it.

The problem came when I tried to put the Main Panels together. I couldn’t figure out how to do the same stitching for the strap holder on the back Main Panel while trying to keep the Main Panels together, but out of the way and not hit a piece of hardware with my needle. I didn’t have enough hands.

As you can see, I ripped out the wonky stitching and redid it. I gave up trying to put the whole complex idea together after quite a bit of trying and riveted the strap holder. Was that a cop out? I don’t think so.

I do understand why pattern writing, especially for bags, is so hard. I am struggling to explain to you what I was trying to do!

New Sewing Table Arrived!!!

My new sewing table arrived yesterday. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t know it was coming at 8:30am!

Fortunately, I was home. I was looking for a ground sheet to lay out in the driveway when I heard the truck pull up. I was told it would be delivered to the driveway and my driveway doesn’t get sun until the afternoon. I didn’t want any moisture to seep through the cardboard boxes.

I was pleased to see the boxes were on a pallet and covered in plastic. The delivery driver also put the pallet near my front door rather than in the driveway, which is more convenient.

I spent my afternoon free time unloading my old sewing table, moving the machine and generally gearing up for bringing the new table upstairs.

Need a sewing table? My old one needs to go to a new home.

JayeL on New Sewing Table Arrived!!!Monday, October 19, 2026
I started to put it together. Paul will help me do the rest today.
JayeL on The Mess Before the AwesomeSaturday, October 17, 2026
I hope so, too. It won't be soon enough. ?
Eleanor Jackson on The Mess Before the AwesomeSaturday, October 17, 2026
Great job with the new equipment. Here's hoping you have fun with the new table and it helps you get…
JulieZS on New Sewing Table Arrived!!!Friday, October 16, 2026
*clapping with excitement* Can't wait to hear how it's working out.
JayeL on Laying Out the BAM BOMMonday, October 12, 2026
Me, too!!