Appleton Dance

A friend at the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild told me about this method for setting the Disappearing Nine Patch block so make a four-patch with sashing and cornerstones ( sample tutorial at Pennylane Patchwork ). To make a Disappearing Nine Patch, sew a nine-patch block and then cut it into four equal pieces and then rearrange the pieces. In this faux-sashing setting, you lay out the original nine patch with a dark square in the center and place the same light-colored squares at the north, south, east and west positions. The corner positions should be filled with fabrics that contrast with each other because these will become a central four-patch after cutting the nine-patch block apart. (My initial choices, above, were not so great because there is not enough contrast between the four-patch blocks that are initially placed at the four corners of the nine-patch.) Lay out the block with the cornerstones in each corner of the block, and you have a ready-made four-patch with sashing. ...

Alisa ordered the "Coffee & Croissant Bag" from the U-Handbag site and I made one using the material from an old sheet. I love this bag! The directions were very good, but inserting the handle was too much for my machine and I had to have the machine adjusted after making two of these bags. (I am interested in learning a technique for sewing multiple layers of fabric by hand instead of ruining my machine.) The handbag how-to directions were clear and included both metric and English measurements. Instead of the "Puffy Padded Calico" required in the materials list, I substituted "Soft & Stable" By Annie . This U-Handbag site is really nice, with lots of patterns, articles, and special materials for making purses and totes, but it only takes PayPal payments for orders.