Appleton Dance

by Linda Theil Diane Spencer-Ogg, owner of Spencer-Ogg, Ltd. in Greater Manchester, UK, released a new mini-duffle pattern she calls "Arch Zipper Pouches" in two sizes with printable pattern pieces and video tuturial. Her video introduction can be viewed at the end of this post. As always, Spencer-Ogg has hit the ball out of the park with the elegance of her design and the precision of her process. I have made two of the 10x8x4-inch large-sized Archies -- as her  fans have dubbed the new pattern. The bag shown above is made of Mora Faux Leather in grape from Emmaline Bags of Alberta, Canada. The interior, shown below, is cotton from the "Art History" collection by Marcia Derse for Windham Fabrics. For my second Archie, I quilted a panel from the "Guess How Much I Love You" collection by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram for Clothworks. With this new design, Spencer-Ogg debuts an updated pattern-production method that provides printable pattern pieces and a c...

by Linda Theil A bagmaker from the Kandou Patterns Community on FaceBook posted a bag featuring the Kandou "Mini-Traveler Sling" pattern using a Starbucks coffee bag as part of the fabrication. I am from Pittsburgh, so perhaps it comes naturally that I am intrigued by the use of iconic advertising in works of art, so I asked Alisa to please buy me some Starbucks coffee so that I could sew with the bags. I am also a fan of this slim, six-by-twelve-inch sling pattern that has three pockets and no inside! Alisa was particularly fond of the "Brown Sugar Cinnamon" limited edition bag, so I used this pink and gold bag for my first Starbucks sling. For the body of the bag, I used a cotton from the "Seedlings" collection by Katarina Rocella for Art Gallery Fabrics. The lining is Roccella's "Stacked Stones" design from her "Abstract Art" collection, also for AGF. "Stacked Stones" from "Abstract Art" collection by K. Rocc...

Mini-camper bag charm by Linda Theil This small duffle is the fourth Weekend Bag from the "Escape Pod Travel Collection" by Diane Spencer-Ogg that I have made. The bag is a gussetted duffle made using a double-birthing method that is, in my experience unique to Spencer-Ogg designs. The small 16x12x6-inch size was designed specifically to fit the carry-on requirements for ultra-low-cost, Irish airline, Ryanair. This "Journey Duffle" was made for a Michigander traveler who needs a roomy stash for haircare products and equipment, The jaunty bag is made from the "Joy in the Journey" collection by Dani Mogstad for Riley Blake Designs. The front and interior pocket panels are from the "On the Road Again" four-placemat panel by Katie Doucette for Wilmington. The straps are 1.5-inch-wide Tula Pink designed webbing. The rumpled look of the bag exterior is due to a mistaken use of a "craft" type interfacing that I mistook for my regular Pellon no...

by Linda Theil This little Lewis Men's Wallet pattern by Diane Spencer-Ogg is one of the quickest and cleverest wallets I've ever seen. The single-pattern-piece construction folds  together like a work of origami. The wallet features several card slots and a slip pocket. Of the many fastening options available, I like the Velcro hook-and-loop fastener for security and ease of use. This little wallet is especially nice for kids. Back of wallet with AppletonDance badge applied.

by Linda Theil  Australian Ali Philips of Arabesque Scissors recently updated her "Smart Sofa Station" pattern, and begins a sew-along event to make this convenient couch pocket for craft accessories tomorrow, February 10, 2025. I began preparing for the sew-along before Christmas, and prepared so well that I found myself with a completed project yesterday. My efforts are less elaborate than the extensive pattern provides, but I think my version will be a great convenience for stitching while watching BritBox. My working interior was made using fabrics from the "Peas & Carrots" collection by American Jane Patterns/Sandy Klop for Moda in 2005. The exterior fabric is from "Sewing Mends the Soul" collection by Laura Claire for Henry Glass & Co. The binding is "Scarf Stripe Red" from the "White as Snow" collection by J Wecker Frisch for Riley Blake. The completed project measures 10 x 22-inches and features multiple options for...

by linda Theil I made several adaptations to Noodlehead's "Plover Pouch" for Emerson's birthday present. I had previously given her a medium-sized "Plover Pouch" that she added a cross-body strap to, so thought I'd make her a larger, sturdier bag with the crossbody strap built in. I modified the zip-end detail featured in the pattern to allow me to insert the strap ends into the top of the gusset. The "Plover Pouch" pattern includes three sizes with the largest measuring 12 x 7.5 x 4-inches. For the large bag, I used "Hedgehog Hollow" cottons by In the Beginning fabrics for the front and back exterior panels and the lining. I machine quilted the front and back panels to increase the stiffness of the bag, and I interfaced the lining with iron-on fleece as well. That was actually an accident, but the fleece interfacing in the lining worked out pretty well. The side-panel and bag-base gusset are made of Mora faux leather. I used a #5 dou...

  Velma Swaddle Theil & Stephen A. Theil, Jr. 1945 by Linda Theil When we were married, Steve's mother gave us an ornament from his first Christmas tree in 1944 to adorn our first Christmas tree in 1969. Steve was almost a year old on his first Christmas, but he had never met his father because his dad was in Europe fighting in the Second World War. His father was over thirty-years-old when he had been drafted into service; and he would not meet his son until another year had gone by. His first Christmas tree ornament was a tiny drum made from a tuna can, adorned with decorative paper decals proclaiming "Goodfellows Drum Corp". Two small wooden drumsticks were attached, but only one remains. Since our granddaughter, Emerson, is a percussionist in her middle-school band, I gifted her the drum this Christmas in remembrance of the grandfather and great-grandfather she has never known. Although my husband's father never spoke of his time in the service, recently Alisa...

  by Linda Theil Alisa gave me Girardelli chocolates and pre-cut fabric as tiny gifts in my 2024 Advent calendar celebrating each December day leading up to the holiday celebration. By Christmas I had an entire "jelly-roll" of 2.5-inch-wide strips of fabric from the "Holiday Flourish-Festive Finery" collection from Robert Kaufmann fabrics. I pulled some background and a blender from my stash and started researching block options so that I would be ready to sew once holiday festivities were over. One of the options I explored is a beautiful book, I Love House Blocks: 14 Quilts from an All-time Favorite Block , published by Martingale & Co. in 2017. A house block with a shed-like addition called "Little Country Home" caught my eye. The layout was adaptable to my 2.5-inch-wide strips, so I made a sample block as proof of concept. The block has a barn-like quality that I liked, so in  honor of my snowmobile-builder son, I decided to put a snowmobile in th...