Appleton Dance

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 ...

  by Linda Theil Ever since I made Alisa a set of Spencer-Ogg packing pods five years ago, I have wanted to try to make a set out of mesh. Since I had some really nice, fine-weave, non-stretchy, white mesh from a discarded drying rack, I finally put aside my fear of working with mesh, and sewed a set of the large pods for Alisa's birthday present. They worked out great! The pods are so light and compact, they add nothing to luggage weight -- they pack flat when empty, or roll into a ball the size of a small pair of socks. The large-sized Spencer-Ogg packing pod is approximately 12x8x4-inches and  can hold, for example: four pairs of underpants four bras four camisoles, and  four pairs of lightweight socks! I used cotton in shades of gray from Brigitte Heitland's "Filigree" collection for Moda to make the gusset, hinge, and binding. The directions for the lightweight pods don't require seam-binding; but, I thought binding was a good idea to make the mesh seams as s...

   by Linda Theil I am a big fan of Minki Kim. I find her precision fascinating. And soothing. And delightful. Yet her aesthetic is not my aesthetic. Although I greatly admire her choices, that sweet style does not come easily to me. So, when I saw this pre-printed project-panel for her Lodgepole Backpack design in fabrics from her "Sunsetridge" collection, published by Riley Blake Designs, I could not resist! The panel includes pattern pieces for two backpacks; I chose the light-colored one to begin. An hour-long video is available on YouTube featuring Kim teaching the process of creating her backpack from the pre-printed project panel. The video is titled "Simple Quilting with Minki Kim - Quilted Backpack Tutorial". The maker must provide their own lining and webbing for the project. I used a cotton from Brigitte Heitland's "Filigree" collection for Zen Chic/Moda for my lining. Since the backpack is small -- 8x10x3-inches -- and light, I simply adde...

by Linda Theil I saw this really cute desk organizer online this spring and could not be happy until I had tracked down the pattern and checked it out! I was curious about the construction method and when I got the pattern my curiosity was satisfied, but I was not immediately inclined to try it out. The pattern is Simplicity 2450 by Georgia Manning Lewis published in 2010. Simplicity, among the Big Four sewing pattern brands. has recently been sold to a liquidator. I found my pattern on eBay. Having satisfied my curiosity, and not being enamored of the bulky construction method, I put the pattern aside. Alisa noticed it when she visited last week, and she asked me to make one for her. So, of course, I did. And, of course, it's cute! Here is a picture of the mug cover -- made with scraps of quilting cotton -- in its finished state before fitting to a mug. The hook-and-loop tape on each side secures the cover to most mugs.  This photo shows the position of the folded mug cover befor...

  by Linda Theil Alisa picked me up a four-yard cut of blue and white cotton print at the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild fabric sale in May, so I decided to make another "A Little Somethin' Jacket" by CNT Pattern Company. I have made a few of these wonderful jackets, most recently the "Pseudo-boro Jacket"   featured on this weblog in December 2022. Although the pattern does not feature a lining, I lined and quilted my jacket, giving the garment a shabby, teddy-bear quality. Update July 30, 2025 I made a matching "Plover" pouch by Noodlehead using leftover cuts from the jacket fabric and Grape colored Mora faux leather from Emmaline Bags, Inc.  I made the small size 8x6x3-inches, and added D-rings and a wristlet strap.

by Linda Theil Alisa made me a beautiful Advent calendar long ago and every year she fills it with goodies in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. Last Christmas, every pocket contained two rolled-up strips from a "jelly roll" precut package of "Holiday Florish Festive Finery" by Robert Kaufman. I wanted to use the fabric right away and not allow my gift to disappear into my tub of holiday galore. After searching my patterns for a block that could be made with "jelly-roll" strips, I decided to redraw a "Christmas Star" block in a size that would use the 2.5-inch-wide "jelly roll" strips. This redraw resulted in a 10-inch block before finishing, and not including the 2.5-inch sashing I added later. For construction I used the method described by Brigitte Heitland in her "Christmas Star" pattern. This was a free pattern that I no longer find available through her website. The block looks very intricate, but Heitland's con...