Appleton Dance

by Linda Theil This month Diane Spencer-Ogg is highlighting some of her quick-and-easy, free patterns for holiday giving . Her no-hardware "Easy Coin Purse Travel Wallet" caught my eye because I thought this little four-by-six envelope would be perfect to feature some of my favorite holiday prints. These festive little purses would be delightful favors holding individually wrapped, hand-wipes for holiday-luncheon guests. The lined coin purse features a large central pocket, a smaller front pocket, and a strap to secure the rounded flap closure. I used 3/4-inch nylon webbing for the strap, but the pattern includes directions for making a strap from coordinating fabric. The pattern pieces for the  Easy Coin Purse  may be downloaded free from the Spencer-Ogg webpage, and a  detailed video tutorial  is available on the Spencer-Ogg YouTube channel. The directions feature topstitching on both pockets, and topstitching around the arc of the closure flap. They also include...

by Linda Theil Ever since I saw Shay Henderson's "Buffalo Check Quilt Pattern" almost a decade ago I have been fascinated by the idea of creating a  trompe l'oeil plaid pattern out of fabrics. I made an original post about this process in 2016 "Buffalo chex patchwork", and a follow-up post in 2023 "The white buffalo" . So in October when I saw a Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial titled "Make the Mini Plaid-ish Quilt with Erica Jackman" I watched the video,  took notes, and tried to make the plaid quilt top for myself. Jackman gives the measurements and instructions for building the plaid-ish pattern in the Missouri Star tutorial, and complete instructions for the quilt are available to purchase on her website and online retailers. Jackman uses a scrappy approach to her original quilt, but I was afraid my choices would not result in a plaid-ish quilt, so I tried to stick to the buffalo check idea of using three colors: a dark, a ligh...

by Linda Theil I found a small piece of coarse cotton in my holiday-stash bin and decided to make a medium sized Plover pouch patterned by Noodlehead Sewing Patterns.  The finished pouch measures about ten-by-seven inches and features a three-inch-wide gusset, maing it a very roomy bag. I modified the pattern to include a D-ring for attaching a wristlet grab-handle and the addition of a full-width slip pocket to the exterior. The pouch lining was made of cottons from the "Seedlings" collection by Katarina Rocella for Art Gallery Fabrics; and the pouch base was fashioned of tan Mora brand faux leather purchased from Emmaline Bags, Inc.   in Alberta, Canada. Update November 27, 2025 Sweet baby Plover The medium-sized Noodlehead Plover at ten-by-seven inches was really too big for a wristlet strap, so I used my little bit of leftover vintage cotton fabric to make a small sized Plover of about eight-by-six inches. In addition to the Mora faux zipper ends and leather base, I ...

by Linda Theil One of the blocks in the 2026 Fat Quarter Shop's Sewcialites 3  free, sew-along is a very cute, log-cabin house designed by Robin Pickens. I couldn't wait until March to try the log-cabin house so I designed my own simplified version to make into a birthday card this week, but it came out too big for a card, so I made it into a 16x16-inch, birthday pillow! All the quilting is done on my domestic machine, but I did a little hand quilting on the house motif for textural interest. Here is the back of the pillow. The removable pillow-cover is fastened with a white, number-five zipper. Here is the inside view with bound, interior seams. My version of the design features a basic, log-cabin block with half-square triangles for the roof. I intend to refine my version of this block; but, I am also looking forward to making the Robin Pickins' original when it is released for Fat Quarer Shop's Sewcialites3 in the Spring! Resources Fat Quarter Shop free, sew-along S...

  by Linda Theil I saw this cute "DIY Milk Box Pouch free pattern and tutorial by Miko Craft" on YouTube and decided to gave it a try. I had to transcribe centimeters to inches, and draw the pattern from directions in the video; then I gathered some fabric and heavy-interfacing scraps to make this little bag-charm that is about the size of an eight-ounce, cardboard, milk container -- 3x5x2.5-inches. I used a simple round ring hung on lightweight, 3/4-inch-wide nylon webbing to hold a carabiner or a leash. I moved the placement of the ring from the top of the pouch to the side seam to make insertion easier. The pattern also calls for a 3-1/4-inch piece of 3/4-inch-wide, hook-and-loop tape to use as a closure across the top of the pouch. There are only three pieces in the pattern: a large piece for the exterior and lining of the pouch; a four-inch-square bottom piece, also cut from exterior and lining fabrics; and a 2x2.5-inch piece cut from non-woven material for the decor p...

Spencer-Ogg "Sail Sling" back by Linda Theil Diane Spencer-Ogg has just released a new pattern -- her first-ever sling bag, and it is a beaut! The "Sail Sling Bag"  is a modest-sized sling with a multitude of feaures including interior and exterior slip pockets, interior and exterior zipped pockets, a strap keeper, and optional strap attachments. S-O creations are always carefully designed to be constructed on a domestic sewing machine. A clever "spine" feature, shown above in coordinating color, strengthens the bag and allows the bag maker to keep much of the construction out of the gussetted seams, which are finished with binding. I made my sling at 95-percent pattern size, which was not recommended by the designer! I also made a very slight modification in the shape of the bag. My sling measures aproximately 11x7x1.5-inches. The interior and binding is cotton from the "Grunge" collection by BasicGrey for Moda. The exterior is cotton from the ...