Appleton Dance

  by Linda Theil A cute bag kept popping up on my Internet feed that looked a lot like Diane Spencer-Ogg's "Arch Zipper Pouch" pattern with a lot of extra bells and whistles. Having made so many of this brilliant pattern (see list below) , I challenged myself to create a Fat Archie to rival the manufactured bag I admired. What I ended up with was a kind of small backpack, bowler-style bag of no great distinction -- but amusing and satisfying to work on. I designed my Fat Archie using J. Wecker Frisch's "Mad Masquerade" for Riley Blake Designs published in 2022. I originally bought the fabric to make a tote for a friend who is a fan of John Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland drawings. The fabric featured several large panels that I could use for all the extra pockets. The base and zipper gusset are made from Mora faux leather from Emmaline Bags . The finished size of this bag is 11 x 10 x 3.5-inches. I will describe how I created Fat Archie, but since the pro...

"Daily Essential Pouch" top by Linda Theil I have always admired Minki Kim's beautiful videos of her elegant designs, but felt intimidated by the magnificent precision of her sewing. I have purchased a few of her patterns, but had not tried making one until I bought her pre-printed panel that produced a simple backpack, and had some success with it. Please see my post "Minki Kim pre-printed panel" on AppletonDance.  I saw Minki Kim's video about a darling little box that she calls the "Daily Essential Pouch" and bought the PDF pattern. When Alisa needed a container for Emerson's birthday gift, we thought this 7 x 5 x 2-inch zippered box would fill the bill. Daily Essential Pouch top For the quilted exterior I chose "Kirtland Warbler" , a discontinued Charlie Harper licensed fabric published by Birch Fabrics. This fabric was part of Birch's second volume of illustrations that Charlie Harper created for the Ford Times magazine....

by Linda Theil To add to my collection of recycled advertising packages, I made a sling out of the muslin bag that Zingerman's Bakehouse in Ann Arbor used to package their holiday stollen. The bag was just the right size to fit my well-tested "Sandhill Sling" by Noodlehead Sewing Patterns; but since I had just purchased a similarly sized "Triple Sling Bag" by Kandou Patterns, I thought I'd give that pattern a try instead. All the Kandou patterns that I've tried have been well-written and beautifully designed, and this "Triple Sling" was no exception. I made a minor change to the pattern by inserting the strap directly into the top strap-connector, instead of using the rectangle ring prescribed in the pattern since the additional hardware seemed superflous to me. I could have substituted a D-ring and an extra swivel-hook on the strap to make a detachable strap, but I wanted to reduce the weight of the bag, not increase it. I didn't have a ma...

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 ...