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Well this might be my last pattern of 2016, and also the first.  Last year was one of those years we all have from time to time, and it was full of major distractions all the way through, and I didn't get many (any?) patterns written in 2016!  But the distractions are all in the past now, so I'm ready to move on to 2017 and hope to have a number of new patterns this coming year. 

This pattern has a few things going for it--the pouches are quick to make, don't take a lot of supplies, and the box bottom has an amazing flat base!  This flat base might be one of my main contributions to the sewing world.  Haha...time will tell (but it really is amazing!).  

The stitching on the bottom here is YLI Jeans Stitch in off white, which is a color I'm currently out of, but these colors are available.  This is the chambray used for the exterior.
 

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Scrap Bag Time

One new scrap bag is available here.  A few new fat eighths and remnants are posted in the fabric section of my etsy shop. 

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Modified Size 4 Intro to Improv Zip Pouch

Here's my finish for the day...a zipper pouch with a zip pull and a beautiful flat bottom base!

This pouch started out as Size 4 from the Intro to Improv Zip Pouches pattern, but I've messed up trying to make this flat bottom a number of times, and this was another time it just didn't work out.  In order to salvage the work I'd already done, some trimming had to happen.  So here we are with a shorter pouch.  

The good news is I figured out where I was going wrong, and stopped trying to make it happen like I was trying to make it happen because it's not going to happen!

Besides being a flat base, this bottom will hide any seam matching issues, and you can make it in a contrast fabric, which can be a cute detail.

I'm working on instructions for adding this type of bottom to any box bottom pouch or bag, and hope to have them done next week because you are going to want to put this bottom on all your box bottom pouches and bags! 

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Pink and Black Pincushion Cuff

 

Is everyone surviving the lead up to Christmas?  I don't blog about the holidays much (ok, ever), but still think about them just like everyone else.  I'm not super into them (dysfunctional family...), and they come fast and furious if you want to blog about them and I'm just not organized enough with my blog posts to keep up!  So I've made the executive decision to not blog about them at all. 

But real quick, if you are still entertaining thoughts of making some Christmas gifts, here are two pattern suggestions:

1. Grocery Bags - Super duper fast to make, good gift for just about anyone, make them in denim/cord/canvas for the guys, the small ones for lunch bags, and a good end of the year stash buster to boot.
2. Card Wallets - Make Size 1 and get a gift card.  These are less than an hour project and if you use a snap (like this one) it goes even faster.

Now about these photos...I finished this rose pincushion today.  It's available in my etsy shop right here.  There's still time to order for Christmas and it will ship Priority mail.  During this last week before the USPS Christmas shipping deadline I upgrade shipping automatically if you spend $10 or more. 

And of course, you can also get the pattern and make one yourself.  I'm guessing, but think it would take 2 or 3 hours to make one the first go round.  I can hustle one of these out in one hour, but conditions have to be absolutely perfect--no messing up and no breaks!

 

 

 

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3 New Fabric Scrap Bags

Quilting Cotton Scraps

Denim Scraps

Tiny Scraps

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Extra Large Crewel Zipper Pouch

Extra Large Crewel Zipper Pouch

Here's something I finished earlier in the week...a very large zip pouch made from a crewel upholstery fabric. 

It turned out amazing and wasn't difficult to sew. I was a slightly concerned adding a zipper to this heavily embroidered canvas fabric would be a pain, but it ended up not being a problem.  I did make sure to cut the pieces so the thick embroidered flowers didn't intersect the zipper. 

To make this pouch I used this pattern piece, which is designed to be used with the Intro to Improv Zip Pouches pattern.  This is quite a large pouch--notice the file folder inside--and in lighter fabrics this size pouch needs some seams for support and to help any interfacing remain adhered to the fabric. 

In case you were curious, interfacing is a standard width of only 20-22" wide because it's meant to be used on smaller fabric pieces.  It will start to come off if it's used on large expanses of fabric and there aren't seams or some sort of stitching to hold it down.   

But if you use upholstery fabric, you can skip the seams and make a very large zipper pouch from just two pieces of fabric.  Patchwork with light batting would also be perfect! 

 

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