{michellepatterns.com}

Lots of Fat Quarters (and Some Remnants Too)

Cassandra by Skipping Stone Studio

In the last few weeks a number of fat quarters and remnants have been added the fabric section of my etsy shop. 

These are mostly from my personal stash so for many there is just the one FQ.  There are a few where I do have yardage available and there is a link in the listing description to where yardage can be found.  

Come take a look at what's available!

 

Lily Pads from the Orangerie Collection

Cotton Linen Fabric with Striped Cats

 

 

Divided Grocery Bags

Divided Grocery Bag in Garden Serenade

Please Note: Links to fabric in this post are affiliate links.  

Those of you with the Grocery Bag pattern might already be aware of this, but if not, there are lots of ways to customize these super simple to sew bags!  If you take a look at the pattern description here there are links to the various ways I've changed things up with these bags.

Today let's revisit the "divided bags" mod because I just finished up three of these awesome bags and want to give you a few additional specifics about how I make them so they turn out a little more robust than the basic Grocery Bag (i.e. what is made in the pattern). 

But first, let me give you some other general info:

• All three shown here are the medium size in the pattern. This is my go to size for this mod. These bags turn out lovely and are really quite sturdy, so they make great project bags, lunch totes, shopping bags, or even your everyday purse.  
• The fabric dimensions are in this blog post.
• The denim fabric can be found here. Links to the floral fabrics used are given below the bag images. 

Divided Grocery Bag in Roseberry Cottage

Below is my special recipe of what goes where in this bag to make them very sturdy.  These instructions assume you are using quilting cotton for the top of the bag and an 8-10 ounce utility fabric like denim or canvas for the bottom and handles.    

1. Cut fabric pieces using dimensions in this post.
2. Back the top fabric with a piece of muslin. Cut the muslin layer about 1/8" smaller all the way around so you can see the edges of the exterior fabric while you sew. Interlinings should be cut smaller so you can see the edges of the exterior fabric while sewing to help you sew everything together accurately.  
3. Back the lining pieces with a layer of muslin. Also cut these about 1/8" smaller all the way around. 
4. Interline the handles with a layer of muslin. You can also use interfacing in the handles, if you'd like. Interfacing for the rest of the bag is ok, but not something I personally recommend if you want to wash the bag. When the bag is washed, the interfacing might separate from the fabric and the bag will never quite look right again.  

Divided Grocery Bag in Chrysanthemums

Striped Denim Basket Bag

Striped Denim Basket Bag

Please Note: Links to fabric are affiliate links.

Denim paired with a floral fabric always works for me and here it is again in this bag.  

This is Size 2 in the Basket Bags sewing pattern.  

The exterior fabric is this 10-ounce railroad stripe denim.  I'm making all sorts of bags from this fabric because it looks good with everything!

The floral fabric, which is quickly becoming an all-time floral favorite for me, is available here.  But get over there fast because its on the way to being OOP, and right now I can find only one yard here.  The print name is Garden Serenade and it's from the Carry a Tune collection by Michael Miller.  

Scrap Bags + #sewthescrapoutofmarch

Quilting Cotton Fabric Scraps

Just a quick post today to let you know/remind you on Instagram #sewthescrapoutofmarch is a happening. 

By "happening" I mean people are making things with scraps and posting them on IG. Not sure there is more to it than that, but it just might be the motivation some of us need to get started on a project. 

Speaking of scraps, if you need to add a bit of variety to your scraps, or just need little pieces of fabric for something, there are new scrap bags in the fabric section of my etsy shop.  

New PDF Sewing Pattern - Basket Bags

It's been a long time since I've written a new pattern (long & boring story), but here's a new one now!

Let's start with where to find the pattern and that would be here on my website, or here on etsy.  

Now about these bags...these are fantastic storage bags and like the Grocery Bags, they are simple to make and take only an hour or two from start to finish.    

You'll come up will all sorts of things to stash away inside them, and of course, they are perfect for knit or crochet or other craft project bags. Here are some ways I'm using my bags:

• Size 1 for the clean face masks. It sits by the door and when they are fresh out of the wash, I press out the worst of the wrinkles and then stash them in the bag. Then it's obvious which ones are clean because they in the bag for the clean ones.
• Size 2 for fabric scraps!  I have three (and probably need more) where the different sizes and types of scraps are sort of sorted. When it's time to put together scrap bags, I just grab the bags and take them to the cutting table.    
• Size 2 for plastic lids for jars.  I have a whole bag of these darn lids!  But they are super useful for storing things in jars so I appreciate this annoying little plastic disks.  They are even easier to appreciate now that they have a pretty bag to call their home. Besides containing these wiley little round disks, the bag fits in a tight spot in the cupboard thanks to it's squishy sides. It just shoves right in there and conforms to whatever space is left over.     
• Size 2 for storing random small things in the cabinets under the bathroom sink. These are the tubes of things used only from time to time where it doesn't make sense for them to take up space in the medicine cabinet or on the counter, but I still want them nearby.   
• Size 3 for scraps/remnants/small cuts of batting, canvas, flannel, interfacing, and other interlinings.  
• Size 3 for rags. It sits on top the fridge and looks lovely, but holds the towels too ugly to put out, but still useful for the worst cleaning jobs.  

So about the bags...they are floppy bags.  Yes, you can make them stiff if you like, but their floppiness has some benefits:

• They are washable since they aren't interfaced. More about interfacing down below.
• They'll sit just about anywhere without tipping over. The unique corners (they are like the Grocery Bags) provide a base that conforms nicely to whatever surface it's on. 
• They'll squeeze into places a solid bag won't go since their sides are soft and squishy.
• They'll fold down somewhat flat if you aren't using the bag and want to store the bag away.
• If you are selling them, they'll gently fold into a shape so you can get them in a small box (I use 6"x6"x6" boxes) and survive the journey without being crumpled to death.    

Here are some questions you might have or that others have already asked:

Can you use interfacing? Sure, but I'd only use it on the handle. I'm not a fan of using it for the bag body because if the bag gets wet (you might want to wash it someday), it's going to get all wrinkly and ugly. The less detail oriented among of us might not notice, but to everyone else it's going to look kinda ruined.  

What kind of flannel do you use?  Most flannel is 100% cotton, but some--especially vintage flannel--might have some poly. Don't use a blend. The point of the flannel is it's soft and has a nice drape and acts like thin batting.  Poly blend flannel can be stiff, so skip the blends.  I have some flannel for sale here or just look for something at a reasonable price.  It's not visible anywhere on the finished bag so you don't need designer quality flannel.  White or off-white is your best bet for colors so it doesn't influence the color of the lining fabric.  

Can I use quilting cotton?  Yes, you sure can!  I recommend backing the exterior with another layer of muslin (just like how the lining is done in the pattern) to bulk the quilting cotton layer up.  

What other kinds of fabrics are good for this pattern?  Denim, corduroy, light to medium weight canvas, duck cloth, Oxford, twill, or other washable fabrics (if you plan to wash it) are going to be fine.  Wool would also be ok.  It can we hand washed if needed.  If you want to use something like upholstery fabric or heavy canvas, sew the bottom corners as box corners.  Making them the way they are done in this pattern is going to be bulky with thick/heavy fabric.

One last tip/mention:

The seams are double stitched and this is optional--with the exception of the bottom seams. The bottom seam should be double stitched to reinforce the gusset at the corners. I double stitched all the seams just out of habit from sewing Grocery Bags, and then considered it might not be necessary, but came back to it because these bags are nice for heavier things too.  At one point, I had 14 yards of fabric stashed in one and it was quite the load.  With double stitched seams, they are more durable and able to handle heavy loads.  

Scrap Bags

Quilting Cotton Scraps at michellepatterns.com.

Quilting Cotton Scraps on etsy.

Tiny Scraps at michellepatterns.com.

Tiny Scraps on etsy.