CHARM ABOUT YOU

This is one of my very favourite things I have ever made. It was a not a quick make but it was definitely worth the time and thought put into it because it is so functional and since I sew everyday and am travelling a fair bit, it will get used a lot. If you are short on time, jump to the end to watch a little video tour of my bag.

I actually finished it a couple of weeks ago but am finally getting round to blogging about it, and in a way that's better since I've actually been using it - just yesterday I finished off a little extra addition, which is one of my favourite bits because I use a lot of thread! 

So on to the bag...

I made the Everything In Its Place Bag (also called A Place for Everything if you buy the pattern from By Annie). 

The pattern is part of a class called Sew Sturdy Travel Organisers by Annie Unrein on Craftsy. I bought the class specifically for this pattern but it also includes a Hanging Cosmetics Bag, which would be useful too - I might get round to doing that at some point!

Before I actually started I did have a good look at all the lovely versions on instagram, Lisa inspired me - she's made a few of them, and this blog post by Bloomin' Workshop was really helpful. I paid attention and made nearly all of the changes.

The Everything In Its Place Bag is a great bag for keeping all your sewing supplies (or whatever!), for travelling with and to take to classes. Mine is currently filled with English Paper Piecing supplies, along with my general sewing kit.

The bag is made up of two removable 'pages', which each have one side of vinyl pockets. The pattern includes a few different options/sizes of pockets but this combination worked best for me. It's worth looking at what you would want to put in the pockets before you make them to determine the best configuration! I used holographic glitter vinyl for the pockets, which is beautifully shimmery and cute. I also chose to bind the top of the vinyl pockets (a la Bloomin' Workshop) and leave the top of the zip as is because I like all the pink.

When you construct the pages, part of the stitching from the pockets can be seen on the reverse side. I didn't like seeing the lines of thread so (where I didn't add a mesh pocket on the back) I decided to appliqué some selvedges to cover them. I also added a little hand stitching because in for a penny...

My most used sewing make has been the Portfolio Sewing Case by Kerry Green, you can get the free tutorial here and see my version here. It was her design that inspired me to add this very useful spool holder. It means I have easy access to my most used threads and also keeps them secure when I'm sewing on the train or out and about.

This removable thread holder was made by creating a base with two 2 x 11.5" pieces of fabric, one 2 x 11.5" foam interfacing (Pellon SF101 / soft and stable). Fuse the interfacing to the back of one of the fabric pieces, place the other piece on top (right sides of the fabric together), sew using 1/4" around all the edges leaving a gap in one of the longer sides for turning. Turn though, press and either hand stitch the opening closed or top stitch on machine. 

Then stitch one (or two if you prefer) length of loop tape (approx 11") to the back of the base. You are stitching through all the layers but those stitches will mostly be covered on the right side by the spools.

For the straps holding the spools I used the same measurements and instructions as Kerry's tutorial for holding two spools and made a 1 x 4.5" strip for the single spool. I stitched across the longer one in the centre to attach it to the base, and the shorter one at one end, making sure to stitch over it a few times to secure. The spacing between the ends of the strips was 3.25" - so mark 3.25" between the stitch line to secure the strap and where the press stud will be. That was what worked for my spools of Aurifil. This might need to be adjusted for different spools.

Use tiny sew in press studs to finish - it's important to make sure they are small enough to pass through your spools! 

I am thoroughly enjoying using this bag - I can take the inner page (which has the essentials and block I'm currently working on) out of the bag and fit it in my (still rather large) handbag if I don't want to carry the whole thing. Everything is in one place. When I'm at home it sits on the side table by the sofa. 

I added my initials and some stars (just because) to the bottom of the bag - to learn how, click here.



The tassel I made is the icing on the cake for me. I actually bought one to attach to the bag a while ago (before I even made it!!), then my youngest girl got hold of it and broke it into pieces. I made a new tassel, re sewed all the shells and beads together, made new pom poms and threw in a scissor charm and a sewing machine charm. It is even more me than the original one!

This bag makes me happy. It is me on a good day. It is my inner child. It is sparkly, pink, geeky, cute and original. It isn't perfect and yes I could have just bought a bag, and a much cheaper bag, but I very much doubt I would love it this much.

Pattern Class: 

Sew Sturdy Travel Organisers by Annie Unrein

Fabric used:

Main Outer - Brushstrokes by Holly DeGroot for Cloud 9 Fabrics

Lining -  I Heart Bees, Mustang by Melody Miller for Cotton + Steel

Inner pockets - Hexagon/spring/small by ivieclothco; Sleepy Eyes, Blush Background by kimsa; Square Grid - Mint by kimsa and Black white and mint mask by pencilmein. All from Spoonflower (which now also ships from Germany!), printed on Kona cotton.

Binding - Essex Yarn Dyed Metallic in Black by Robert Kaufman
Mesh and Zips are ByAnnie from Sew Hot UK

linking up: finish it up friday at crazy mom quilts

Each month we are going to be introducing the hosts of this years Finish-A-Long so you can get to know a bit more about us! This time it's wonderful Jess...

Hi, I'm Jess, otherwise known as Elven Garden Quilts. This is my second year as a FAL host, and although I'm not great at actually participating in the FAL (I have a pretty bad history of not finishing anything on my list!), it's great to be back to cheer you all along for a second year. I thought this was going to be a really hard post to write - but once I got started it was surprisingly easy. So I've inserted photos of some of my favorite quilts in amongst the text - feel free to skim the words if you'd rather just look at quilts ;o).

I'm a 36 year old mum of three not-so-small people - my eldest son (12 year old) started high school this year (grade 7), and I have a 9 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. Needless to say, moments of sewing have been few and far between over the last few months while they've had their summer holidays - but they went back to school last week, so there is some semblance of normality in our household again :o). I have an incredible partner too, who encourages me in all my quilty endeavours and listens patiently when I ramble on about my current projects. We also have two fur babies - Shadow and Pepper, our little quilt-cats, who spend at least 90% of their time asleep on various quilts and cushions around the house! I'll often go back to hand stitch binding and find my quilt has been invaded by cats ;o).

We live in Tasmania, Australia - that little island that sits off the southern coast of mainland Australia. It's a beautiful place to live - we don't have a huge population and we are surrounded by some of the most gorgeous wilderness in the world (in my humble opinion!). I grew up in a pretty arty/crafty family - my Dad studied ceramics at Art School and is an art teacher at a college, and my mum has always been involved with some sort of textile art. She made most of our clothes as kids, and is now obsessed with spinning and knitting all kinds of gorgeous yarn. So it's kinda unsurprising that I've grown up to be a maker.

Although I have a science degree (and work as a lab technician part time), I've always enjoyed making stuff. I started cross stitching when I was quite young, and continued that hobby right through to my university years. It wasn't until I had my youngest child that I decided to get a sewing machine - with the intention of making clothes and toys for my kids. I had fun doing this for a while, but then on a whim I bought a beginner's quilting magazine and that was the beginning of a true obsession. For me, quilting is the perfect marriage of maths and art - I love numbers and I love working with colour, so it's not surprising it has overtaken all of my spare time!

I started quilting around 5 or 6 years ago - and back when I started, my tiny sewing room overlooked the garden - so Elven Garden Quilts was born! After a few years, I outgrew that little room, so my 'studio' is now our garage - not the prettiest location, but I can be as messy as I want (and believe me, the term creative chaos fits me perfectly!) and close the door on it so no one else has to be subjected to it ;o).

I first started blogging for a few reasons. Mainly because I didn't actually know anyone who quilted and I didn't want to bore my family and friends to tears constantly talking about my quilts, and blogging was the perfect way to share what I was making. But it quickly became a way to connect with people all over the world who shared my passion. I'm ever in awe of how supportive and wonderful the online quilting community is, and my life would be very different if I hadn't started blogging. I am a self-taught quilter, thanks to the enormous generosity of so many people in sharing tutorials and ideas, and a love of trying to figure out how to make things work!

I loosely call myself a modern quilter - although I've made plenty of quilts that are far more traditional than modern! I think I'm probably best known for my love of free motion quilting - everything I piece is quilted to death on my domestic Bernina. About three years ago, I was actually invited to become a Bernina Ambassador here in Australia, which is an incredible honour :o). I have several free motion quilting tutorials available on my YouTube channel - and I plan on doing a lot more of these this year! I've been teaching patchwork and quilting classes on a weekly basis for the last three years (although I'm currently having a break, after burning out from a pretty hefty teaching load last year), which is something I absolutely love.

Last year was a big year for me as a quilter, both on a professional and personal level. I won several awards for my quilts at some of our national quilt shows (the Australian Modern Quilt Show and the Australian Machine Quilting Festival), and I taught a lot of classes - both patchwork and free motion quitling. On the personal side of things, I feel like I really grew as a quilter. Although I've always loved making quilts and been happy with the finished product, I've struggled to find my style. But in the last half of last year I feel like I started to find my voice, and started making quilts that are more 'me' than ever before. Although I've always used and loved my design wall, I now rely on it constantly as a tool to design my quilts. Aviatrix is one of the last quilts I made using someone else's pattern - and I think it will be the last for a fairly long time. I'm enjoying doing my own thing so much right now!

The last few quilts I've made (and my current work in progress) all started as a vague idea and a giant pile of fabric, and relied on my design wall to figure out what they would become. You can read all about the process I went through when making Scattered (shown below) here, here, here and here. And if you're attending QuiltCon this year, please go say hi to her - she was juried into the show which is enormously exciting!

I recently wrote about the process of making one of my recent finishes, Flow. Again this quilt started as a pile of fabric and a very vague idea (as in, I knew I wanted to use improv curves), but the design came together through trial and error.

Although I'm much better at starting and finishing projects than I used to be (which isn't to say I don't have any WIPs - there are lots of those!), I work best when don't feel like I *have* to work on a particular project. Which is probably why I make FAL lists and then largely ignore them... Having said that, I have several projects that have been ignored for far too long that I do want to finish this year, so next quarter you can expect me to fully participate and knock over some very long term WIPs!

Thanks for letting me introduce myself (and my quilts!), and I look forward to cheering you all on this year as you work through your FAL lists!

xx Jess

My snail is loving life, it has its glad rags on and is heading into town for a night out! With flecks of metallic in its shell and a dusting of glitter on its body, this snail is ready to boogie!

This block is from the Garden Snails Quilt Pattern by Pen + Paper Patterns and I'm joining Angie, Gnome Angel and friends for #snailday Sunday as part of the Snail Paced Slow-Along Sew-Along!

The pattern includes this bonus foundation paper pieced block and I couldn't resist that swirly shell. I enjoyed a root through my scrap bag and ended up picking out some bright greens and fuchsias mixed with black and a little bit of coral. I absolutely had to use that Brownstones, Gramercy by Leah Duncan print for the background and it pairs so beautifully with the Essex Yarn Dyed Metallic I used for the body.

This is such a fun pattern and there are lots of fabulous snails popping up each Sunday on Instagram, check out #gardensnailsquilt for more inspiration! You can join in with the slow paced sew-along any time, all the details can be found here at Gnome Angel.

Purchase the Garden Snails Quilt Pattern and create your own unique snails, there are lot of cool possibilities for quilting with this one too. What fabrics would you chose? 

Exciting, mildly terrifying and busy is how I would describe my life recently! I am thrilled to share the news (for those of you that aren't following me on social media) that I am one of the designers on Sewing Quarter - a new shopping channel dedicated to sewing and quilting.

You can watch Sewing Quarter online or on Freeview channel 78, it is also live streamed on  YouTube and you can catch up on previous shows there. Sewing Quarter is live from 8am - 12pm every day, there are loads of tips and projects from all the designers - from dressmaking and quilting to soft toys and home furnishings. There are also some cute and useful projects and guides on the website too!

Appliqué Apron and Plant Pot Holders

Envelope Clutch Bags and Patchwork Pincushion

I also designed and made this 'Hearts and Kisses' baby quilt using the Sweetheart Fat Quarter Bundle by Tilda and Sweetheart Ribbons:

Of course this TV business is all new to me, I am learning a lot and working hard to create interesting projects for both beginners and intermediate sewers. Those of you following my blog know that last year saw a big change for me, I had a lot of anxiety about my youngest starting at school. Now she's settled so well and I am adjusting to not having kids at home all day, it feels good to be able to focus more on work. I am grateful to have this opportunity, to be working with such a great team and to be able to inspire people to make and sew. A couple of people have shared their finished projects on the Sewing Quarter Facebook Page and that is so awesome!

I will be sharing more finishes soon! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend :)

linking up to finish it up friday at crazymomquilts

I am hand sewing all my blocks, switching between hand piecing and English Paper Piecing. I do find hand piecing to be quicker but I still enjoy cutting up papers occasionally. Recently I saw a link on Miriam's instagram to a tutorial by The DIY Addict for a different kind of stitch and I really wanted to try it out. I know some of you are already using it and really enjoy the result it gives. To see The DIY Addict's Flat Back Stitch tutorial video, click here!

Here's what I found trying the Flat Back Stitch for the first time:

⬝ Use tape! It really does help keep your seams straight. I used some washi tape and it worked really well.
⬝ My stitches are really tiny and close together, I did this when I started doing whip stitch too, I think it's my natural anxiety making me overly cautious.
⬝ It was slow. Again I was really slow when I started epp and, like anything new, I am sure I will speed up a little with practice (though all hand sewing is slow!)
⬝ It was tricky to sew together the sections, not being used to the stitch made joining the component parts together a bit difficult. I think this is just me getting used to a different way of doing it and finding out the best way to jiggle those points to meet.
⬝ You really can't see the stitches from the front!! This is a huge bonus for me, especially when my epp blocks are going to sit with my hand pieced blocks. You can't see the stitches on my hand piecing blocks either but the ones I have whip stitched you can. Now I'm not saying that's a bad thing, after all it is handmade work but it is satisfying to have them be invisible.
⬝ I have only made one block but the stitches seem strong. I have tried doing ladder stitch and variations before but felt the stitches didn't hold up as well as whip stitch. The flat back stitch does in my opinion.

I am going to make more blocks using this stitch, I would love to get quicker and the end result really impressed me!

#58 Martha
This letter is all about the "delightful memories" of being raised in the country. I chose the lighter brown fabric to represent the "cool dust pushing up between my bare toes", the brighter fabric in the centre for "bursting a red-ripe watermelon over my knee" and the mellow dots for "turning somersaults into the deep, fragrant hay in the newly filled mow".

One of the aspects of quilting that brings me so much joy is trying new things! I really enjoyed making a block with this new stitch and learning a different way to epp. If you try it please let me know what you think!

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W; RRP $28.99 – Click here to purchase.

One very beautiful addition to my stash this week, a gorgeous neutral charm pack from Karen Lewis Textiles. I love her new prints and I will be adding these to my collection of Karen's fabrics! 

We have had a really busy weekend with lots of family fun as it was Lois' 4th birthday! I can't believe how quickly they grow. I loved seeing her joy in small things like cake and banners but her favourite thing had to be the humongous unicorn my sister got her!! My Dad and Nan came over to take us for a pub lunch, then we went to my mums for some games and cake. We also went to see Moana, which was really good and I might need to get the soundtrack.

I am working on lots of secret sewing at the moment, some of which will be revealed later this week!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend :)

Hi !  My name is Nicky Eglinton and I'm one of the global 2017 Finish-A-Along hosts.  This is my second year as co-host so I should know what I'm doing.  

I live in the South of England but was born in bonnie Scotland and after a few years studying in Aberdeen and Glasgow, I came to London to get my first job!   I loved the theatres, cinema, restaurants, walking across Waterloo Bridge and looking one way at the Houses of Parliament and the other way at St Paul's.  Life was good!

Houses of Parliament to the left,  the dome of St. Paul's to the right

Meet Dandelion - I still have him!