New free pattern from Nosy Pepper Patterns! This minimalist PDF pattern is the perfect way to use up some scraps of your favourite non-fray material. Also, it’s ridiculously fast to sew, seriously!

Cyndi of Nosy Pepper has been a bag maker, a blogger and a pattern tester for a while now, but she’s branching out to make patterns of her own. This, her first, is a freebie, and she’s got another pattern ready to be released soon.  

Grab your copy of the Nickel Wallet here

I tested the pattern and it was so easy and quick. I used Kraft-tex for mine, and others used cork, leather, and vinyl. Using a non-fray material means not having to worry about finishing the edges so it cuts way down on production time.

There’s a centre pocket and 2 outer pockets, meaning it can hold at least 3 cards, or some cash on one side, with cards in the other slots.

It works great as a gift card holder when you want to give a more personal touch.

Load it up and toss it into your evening clutch – no need to worry about loose cards and cash!

Give it go! If you are a member of the Sew Sweetness Cork Club, this project works really well with 2 pieces of coordinating cork. Maybe you have some leather or vinyl scraps, or you’re looking for a project to finally try out that Kraft-tex you’ve been hanging onto.

Click here to get the free Nickel Wallet PDF pattern.

I started this bag at the Bagineer Retreat (read all about it here) but I’m the world’s second slowest sewist, so I didn’t finish it that weekend – don’t worry, it’s not a particularly long make, I’m truly just slow and easily distracted by all the fun we were having. I’m pretty stoked about finishing it though because the fabrics I chose really match the weather and season right now. 

This is one of the newest patterns from Emmaline and I’m sure it’s going to be a hit. There are so many pockets and compartments, and unlike most flip/foldover bags, this pattern is written for dimensional fabric! That’s right, the body of your bag and the part that flips over can both be going in the right direction, so feel free to use horses or faces, or whatever directional print you choose. 

It works great as a cross-body bag, or shorten the adjustable strap and wear it on the same side. I used cork for my bottom accent, but you could use fabric too if you want. The bottom accent is a great place to put a metal bag label. I used the script style “handmade” in the copper finish to match the rest of my hardware.

I chose to use the optional edge connector strap anchors, but you can make your own out of fabric if you prefer. FYI: these are a newer style and easier to install than the older version. 

This bag has so many pockets! The fold over flaps are large zippered pockets, there’s a “hidden” pocket at the front (I used pink bananas because life’s too short for serious pockets) and then in the main compartment of the bag, there’s a slip pocket and a zippered pocket. 

Here’s the part of the bag I’m proudest of…that zippered pocket. I can normally do these but never really think they look great and almost always have the pocket lining peeking through along the edge of the box. I did this one at the retreat and Janelle gave me a tip to add a bit of moisture and roll the seam between my fingers, then finger press and press with iron, each small section at a time. It took a bit longer but so worth the extra effort. Oh! I used my new Jaylilly Handmade zipper templates too and it made that part super easy too. I also love the cork accents to hold the magnetic snaps – that little extra feature just makes the finished product look that much more professional. 

This is the front of the bag. I added the optional rivets at the edge of the hidden pocket. I love how it ties the pretty copper finish together to all parts of the bag and, functionally, it adds some strength to a potentially high stress area. I’ve already discovered this pocket is perfect for my phone.

Here’s the back, in case you’re wondering.

Pattern: Emmaline Bags, The Double Flip Shoulder Bag PDF
Hardware: Emmaline Bags, The Double Flip Shoulder Bag Hardware Kit in Copper, plus small rivets and metal bag tag, also from Emmaline Bags.
Fabric: Lavish Collection by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery Fabrics, from Sitka Fabrics
Cork: Natural Cork Fabric from Sew Sweetness 

Last month we had a “Bagineer” Retreat/Workshop and there was so much going on I don’t think I’ll be able to include it all in one post. I had plans of showing my version of the bag we made but I think I’ll save that for later this week so I can share everything we did during the weekend. The weekend was held in Kamloops, BC (aka “The ‘Loops”) and even though I’ve been there several times, this was my first Springtime visit, and the locals tell me its the best time to come, because the snow has melted and the summer heat (and accompanying brown lawns) hasn’t started yet. So very scenic and I really enjoyed my weekend there. Like many years, the river was quite high and some areas were blocked off. I couldn’t quite get over this as a usual occurrence, but the locals seemed pretty unfazed by it.

Before I get any further, I need to shout out from the mountain tops how amazing and generous Janelle from Emmaline Bags is. Janelle came up with a bag pattern for us to sew at the retreat. The Double Flip Shoulder Bag is a new pattern and well, you’ll have to wait for my next post for more details, but you’ll love it! Janelle wowed us Friday night with a trunk show, where she passed around samples of many of her bags for us to touch and feel, and talked about her design process.  On Saturday and Sunday, she joined us at Katja’s Quilt Shoppe to answer questions, offer tips and give demos for certain steps. Also, Janelle is so funny and modest; she’s such a treasure to be around, truly! Oh, the goodies! Us lucky ladies were happy recipients of bag bling courtesy of Emmaline Bags!

We had 2 days in the quilt shop classroom space to sew and wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t finish my bag while I was there! I talk too much, but I had fun and I learned so much. Patricia did such a fantastic job organizing everything and I’m very thankful she persisted with this little idea we had and pulled it off! Others did finish their bags and worked on extra projects, or started on a second bag. It was really nice seeing different fabric combinations come to life and watch how others complete their projects. We even had some poetic musings from Line (aka Vanna White)!

Everything’s more fun with prizes! We asked some of our favourite places and were generously given prizes to hand out. Thanks to Jay Lily Handmade, MM Cork Supply, Vinyl Cafe Ontario, Overseas Fabrics, and Emmaline Bags.

Each participant went home with a bag full of goodies from sponsors. Thanks toSwoon Sewing Patterns, Noodlehead, Emmaline Bags, Marsha‘s mom, Line for the lovely cards, and Patricia for the soaps! I made each bag, with canvas from Overseas Fabrics, and then had them screen printed by a local company,Locomotive Clothing.

Thanks to all who came, and to those of you who contributed your time and/or goods to our event. I hope we can do it again…see you next year?

My friend Stacey has a new book, Child’s Play Quilts, and even though I’m more of a bagmaker, I like to dabble in quilting (but I’m still really new at it), so I joined her blog hop. Keep reading to find out how you can enter to win a copy for yourself. Before I talk about the book, I have to tell you something that might make you a little jealous: Stacey and I live in the same town, and she’s even come over and folded my fabric for me! Admit it, you wish you had someone in your life who loves folding fabric as much as Stacey. (In fact, Stacey, if you’re reading this, my stash would have you twitching at the moment because it’s a mess, so feel free to come over and do your thang!) For everyone else, if you don’t have your own Stacey, you can find her tips for fabric storage and managing your stash in this book. 

​The bulk of this book includes fantastic quilt patterns, but there are also loads of resources and advice from Stacey for everything from fabric selection, and using up scraps,  to finishing your quilt. She provides tips and techniques and shows the tools of the trade.

​The quilt patterns are divided up into Applique and Pieced. I chose Bows Peep, a pieced project, but I also really love how fun Fishbowl and Fox Hunt are. When I’m feeling more ambitious, I’d like to try Diamonds Forever.

I bought these three fabrics recently and at the time I didn’t know what I’d do with them but when I saw that this quilt needed three different fabrics plus background, I went for it! You probably know by now that I love bright colours, so these fabrics together just make me happy. 

Once I got started I couldn’t stop! My finished blocks just waiting to be put together.

As a newbie, I crossed my fingers and hoped my sashing would line up, and overall I think I didn’t do too badly. My 1/4″ foot was a lifesaver!

Read below for giveaway details and schedule for all the other amazing projects.  Make sure to check Stacey’s website for more patterns and resources.  

You can find Child’s Play Quilts in Stacey’s shop (signed copy), or from C&T Publishing, which might be a good option if you’re looking for the ebook version.

Don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!
For your chance to win your own copy of Child’s Play Quilts follow these 3 easy steps!
1. Follow me here on my blog
2. Follow Stacey day on her blog (here) 
3. Comment on Stacey’s blog post

The winner will be drawn on April 21st.

Want to see more? Check out the rest of the book tour schedule below!
Stacey Day @staceyinstitches                       April 9th      
Brett Lewis @naturalbornquilter                 April 9th
Cheryl Brickey @MeadowMistDesigns        April 9th
Karen Foster@CapitolaQuilter                      April 10th
Cathy Mackay @cathysmithmackay             April 10th
Fiona Kelly @tangledblossom                       April 11th
Jackie White @jackiesartquilts                      April 11th
Jean Jones @sew_catstudio                           April 12th
Reece Montgomery @reecemontgomery   April 12th
Carl Hentsch @3dogdesignco                       April 13th
Brooke Sellmann @sillymamaquilts             April 13th
​Kaitlyn Howell @knotandthread                   April 14th
Amy Gunson @badskirt                                 April 14th
Kelly Bowser @kelbysews                              April 15th
Karis Hess @themodernsewist                     April 15th
Sara Lawson @sewsweetness                       April 16th
Leslie Meltzer @lelliebunny                           April 16th
Pamela Morgan @sweetlittlestitches           April 16th
Amy Garro @13spools                                    April 17th
Stephanie Perrins @stitchandbobbin          April 17th
Chelsea @Pinkdoorfabrics                            April 18th
Michelle Wilke @ml_wilkie                            April 18th
Tiffany Sepulveda @sewtiffany                    April 19th
Rachael Riechmann @sewilearned             April 19th
Pamela Lincoln @mamaspark59                 April 20th
Kate Maryon @katydidklm                           April 20th

Thanks to everyone who joined and followed along with the Minikins Bag Swap! It was a lot of fun seeing all the different Minikins being made and swappers new and experienced being giddy with their happy mail. 

My partner said she likes animals and purple was among the colours she listed as her likes, so I made her this cotton candy pouch with Tula Pink’s Fox Nap and some purple glitter vinyl. I also added some bling from Emmaline Bags, with the new iridescent rainbow finish of the zipper end and zipper pull.

I was so lucky to receive this Moto Pouch and my partner also made me this great card, it’s so perfect! I really love the selvage on the handle.

There are so many more great Minikins to see; check out #MinikinsBagSwap on Instagram.

Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…as mentioned in the swap announcement, Sara of Sew Sweetness is offering up 2 prizes of store credits for random winners from the swap participants. I used random.org to select 2 participants as winners.
The winner of the $50 shop credit is Heidedro
The winner of the $25 shop credit is Sinclairtc

​Congratulations! 

I hope everyone enjoyed the swap. I’m not sure when I’ll host another one next, but stay tuned for more giveaways and other fun stuff!

There’s something so therapeutic about the weaving process: creating and then repeating a pattern to make a larger, stronger piece – it’s just plain fun! Kids love it too, so today’s tutorial includes an invitation to the kids to join us. I used Kraft-tex to make Easter baskets and since it’s a non-fraying, double sided, strong material, it’s the perfect “fabric” for these baskets. 

Here’s what you’ll need:
roll of Kraft-tex – grab a couple different colours to mix it up, or you can colour on it to add variety to your basket
scissors/rotary blade
sewing machine
optional: rivets and setting tools  

You may be able to find Kraft-tex at your local sewing shop, or you can find it online at C&T Publishing. In Canada, Flare Fabrics has a great selection of beautiful colours.

Begin by cutting the main panel, you’ll need a piece 9″ x 24″ 
Once your main panel is cut, mark a 1″ border all the way around, you can use a pencil and erase it later (remember this is paper we’re working with) or you can use any other removable fabric marker.

Now mark long lines every inch as cutting guides.

Now cut along those lines, making sure to stop 1″ from the short edge previously marked out. For this step, I used the rotary blade for the middle of my cuts, and then used scissors close to the end for more precision.

Remove your marking lines, your panel should now look like this

Prepare the strips to weave in: you’ll need about 20  9″ x 1″ strips. I added a few pieces of glitter vinyl because it reminded me of sparkly Easter eggs. Note: Math says we need 22 strips, but unless your weaving is extremely tight, you won’t be able to fit 22 strips in there.

Here’s where the kids come in! We just did a simple weaving pattern of “over one, under one” but feel free to experiment with other patterns.

All done!

Once the weaving is done, sew a basting stitch at each end of the panel to secure the strips in place. Then trim off any excess to bring the panel back to 9″ x 24″ 

Bring the short panel ends together and overlap one end 1″ over the other, clip in place and sew together, forming a tube. This is the trickiest part. You may need to stop half way, and start again from the other end.

​Now cut a circle of Kraft-tex matching the size of the tube (I just traced around the tube).

Clip the circle to one end of the tube and sew in place with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

(If you’ve only used Kraft-tex, then your tube doesn’t have a right way or wrong way yet; if you’ve used one-sided materials – like glitter canvas – then you’ll want to turn the tube inside out before attaching the circle)

Once the circle is sewn on, the basket will be inside out, so turn it right side out – this is easily done by folding the tops down and then pushing the bottom out. Once the basket is right side out, the bottom seam won’t be visible from the outside.

We’re almost done! To finish the top, fold over the top inch toward the inside and sew in place with a 1/4″ – 1/2″ seam allowance.

For the handle, cut a strip of Kraft-tex 1″ x 17″ and sew or attach with rivets from one side of the basket across to the other. I placed the rivet 1/2″ from the top of the basket.

Now you’re ready to go on your Easter Egg hunt! 

If you’re looking for some new ideas to fill the Easter basket, how about a custom Easter Egg for the wall? Remove it and reuse it each year. Use code REECE to save 10%

Want to know a quick and fun project to use up some cork scraps? Or maybe you want an easy project to try out cork? I thought up these cork coasters and they are so fast to make. Here’s a quick tutorial.

You’ll need for a set of 4 coasters:

• 2 different pieces of cork 7″x7″ (If you’re part of the Cork Club, the sizes work perfectly for this project)
• Plastic canvas or firm stabilizer (like Stiff Stuff or Peltex) 6″x6″
• Optional: Metal Corners 
• Optional: Wonder tape

Cut the cork into 3.5″ squares, and the stabilizer/plastic canvas into 3″ squares.

I used a small piece of Wonder Tape to hold the plastic canvas in place so it didn’t shift. Center the plastic canvas on the wrong side of one piece of cork, leaving a 1/4″ all the way around.

Now take another piece of cork in the second colour and sandwich the plastic canvas between the 2 pieces of cork, clip together and sew! I used a longer stitch length than usual for a nice smooth look, and a scant 1/4″ seam allowance.

Once they’re sewn together, you may want to go around each edge and trim to make sure the edges match up from each side. If you want to add the metal corners, check out the listing page for a simple tutorial.

I’ve got some fun ideas for these too, like reverse applique with fabric underneath peeking through, or fancy stitching… so many possibilities and with a project this quick, you won’t take long finding a way to add your own creative spin!