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Wednesday, November 22, 2023

10 Quilt Patterns for $19.99 / Beauties Pageant 237

 

EDIT: This bundle is no longer available.
 
Calling all crafty gift givers, quilters who appreciate an easy sew, and makers who like a good deal! The Bountiful Bundle is just what you’re looking for ...

This collection from top designers includes 10 quilt patterns for $19.99 (or $2 per pattern). Many of the quilts come in multiple sizes, and all are geared toward confident beginner quilters and above.

Are you looking to ...

  • Start—and finish!—a project before the holidays?
  • Bust through your stash fast?
  • Discover new-to-you pattern designers?

Then this bundle is for you! But hurry ... It’s available now through November 27, and then it’s gone forever. Sorry, this bundle is  no longer available.

I am sure you’ll recognize some favorites in the collection. In the picture at the top of the post, you’ll see (clockwise from upper left-hand corner):

  • My own Irish Twist!
  • Cheryl Brickey’s Broken Frames
  • Yvonne Fuch’s Flight Path
  • Emily Dennis’s Quilty Trees
  • Shannon Fraser’s Etched Diamond
  • Kirsty Cleverly’s Radiant
  • Julie Cefalu’s Arrow Stone
  • Mariana Diaz’s Full House
  • Heather Briggs’s Goodnight Garden
  • Laura Piland’s Exploding Heart

Please note: This is one of the rare situations where I receive compensation when you click through this link and purchase a bundle. (Actually, it’s the only affiliate link on my site.) Thank you in advance for supporting my little pattern business.


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The pageant rules are simple:
  • Post your finish in the linky tool. (No links to your own giveaway or linky, please!)
  • Point your readers back here with a text link or use the button above.
  • Visit and comment on other participants’ finishes.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Friday, November 17, 2023

More Pouch Patterns for Gifting / Beauties Pageant 236

 
 
So many of you reached out to me here, on Instagram, or in person to share that last week’s post might as well have been written about you. What can I say? We like to complicate things, but our gift giving is the better for it, right? 

In my last post, I sang the praises of Jeni Baker’s Lined Drawstring Bag pattern and an accompanying sew-along that starts next week. Just to make sure you have some ideas in your back pocket, waiting for an opportunity to level up the presentation of a holiday gift (or 12), I have a few additional patterns to introduce you to. 

In true let’s-complicate-things form, you could wait until you have a gift on hand before embarking on your next pouch-making journey. There is something to be said, however, for setting up your own little production line and banging out a few at a time, so there’s always one at the ready.

Sotak Handmade’s Drawstring Bag Tutorial

I first made Sotak Handmade’s Drawstring Bag tutorial back in 2015. The casing for the drawstring is unique and is what I think makes the bag something special. The directions walk you through making a 8-inch by 9.5-inch pouch, but it’s a pattern you could easily modify for the gift on hand. I recommend using a fun contrasting fabric for the casing and finishing these beauties off with a little faux leather cording.

Tinkalong Pouch

Cheri Lehnow’s Tinkalong Pouch pattern comes in two sizes: small and large. During a past sew-along, I printed the small size at 65%, making it perfect for holding a gift card. I used OG Cotton and Steel fabric and black cotton cording in the four bags I sewed to give them a polished look.

Popcorn Pouch

I found Amista Baker’s Popcorn Pouch to be a fast and easy sew, even for zipper newbies (not that I am one, but if you wait long enough between zipper projects, it’s easy to feel as if you’re tackling zipper for the first time again). I’ve been known to make several at a time ... I’ve used my Popcorn Pouches to wrap presents. I’ve slid a card into one, presenting the pouch itself as a small token of thanks. I’ve even packed my charging cords into that blue and mustard beauty, below, as I headed out the door on a quilt retreat.

I think a call to action is in order, so go forth and sew some pouches! And when you’re done, please report back to us about your triumphs. : )

Coming Soon

I have so much to share with you before the end of the year ... my Legendary quilt (pattern by Elizabeth Hartman), my Patchwork Sky quilt (Camille Roskelley), my Sandhill Sling (Anna Graham). So. Many Projects!

I am also participating in a specially curated bundle and wanted to get that on your radar screen today. The Bountiful Bundle will be available next Wednesday, November 22, through Monday, November, 27 (that’s EST, or GMT-5). 

It includes 10 PDF patterns for $19.99 (or $2 per pattern). Each design is beginner friendly and comes from a different designer. I am sure you’ll recognize some favorites in the collection, including Laura Piland’s Exploding Heart, Emily Dennis’s Quilty Trees, and my own Irish Twist. Stop by next Wednesday (or newsletter subscribers, keep an eye on your inbox) to get your bundle!


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The pageant rules are simple:
  • Post your finish in the linky tool. (No links to your own giveaway or linky, please!)
  • Point your readers back here with a text link or use the button above.
  • Visit and comment on other participants’ finishes.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Friday, November 10, 2023

Let's Complicate Simple Tasks! / Beauties Pageant 235

One of my special talents is turning a simple task into a more complicated and time-consuming one. I truly excel at this, friends.

Exhibit A

Let’s consider the case of my niece’s 14th birthday gift.

I decided to get her a Crumbl Cookies gift certificate because she’s such a fan of the store’s sugary offerings.

Most people would order the gift certificate online and call it a day. But do you know what’s better than an emailed Crumbl gift card? A physical gift card and a fancy pink Crumbl cookie cutter.

And do you know what’s better than a physical gift card and a fancy pink Crumbl cookie cutter? A physical gift card and a fancy pink Crumbl cookie cutter … in a handmade drawstring pouch! (Darn you, presentation—you get me every time!)

In other words, what I could have accomplished in two minutes at my computer (and what would have arrived on my niece’s actual birthday) ended up requiring a trek to Crumbl, a sewing session, and a trip to the post office … two days after her special day.

And that’s how I roll!


Project Specifics

If presented with a comparable wrapping conundrum, you may be tempted to draft a quick pouch pattern yourself. Do not bother: The Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern from Jeni Baker of In Color Order has all the math we need. It includes many different sizes, so it’s easy to home in on one for the gift at hand. 

I sewed the snack bag size, tweaking the measurements for boxing the bottom so that the fancy pink Crumbl cookie cutter would fit.

I wish I could give you information about the fabric, but all of it came from a collection of fat eighths I won through my guild, and there wasn’t a printed selvage among them. Perhaps the star of the project isn’t the fabric, though—it’s that awesome mint-colored flowery twill. My niece prefers black, gray, and white, so that twill tape adds a subtle and sweet bit of color to the project. 

If you find yourself in need of some mint-colored twill, it’s available for purchase through the designer’s website. Check out KP Creates for all the details. (All of my stash suggestions are just to enable your purchases. There is no affiliate anything on my site.)

The Lined Drawstring Bag is a well-loved pouch pattern. It was released a full 10 years ago, and I know that I am not the only sewist who considers it her go-to for making pretty pouches. It just so happens that Jeni announced a Lined Drawstring Bag Sew-Along on her blog recently. The fun begins on November 22. Both the original pattern and expansion pack are on sale through November 28. (Again ... just here, aiding and abetting your sewing purchases. You’re welcome!)

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The pageant rules are simple:
  • Post your finish in the linky tool. (No links to your own giveaway or linky, please!)
  • Point your readers back here with a text link or use the button above.
  • Visit and comment on other participants’ finishes.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter