Appleton Dance

Pyramid Pouch I recently wanted to make a gift bag for some Troll beads I gave to Alisa for her birthday and thought of the Pyramid Pouch I posted in this blog several years ago . When I went to the post I discovered that I had linked to a source for the description of how to make the pouch, but the directions were not very clear, so I thought I’d do the how-to with photos for this blog to make assembly easier. You can make the pouch in whatever size you like, as long as you begin with a piece of fabric twice as long as it is wide and with a zipper that is as long as your fabric width. For example, if your fabric measures 8 x 4 inches, you need a zipper that is 4 inches long. The seaming is very simple, but hard to describe. The pouch has only three seams: bottom, side, and zipper installation.   I’ve done my best to describe the process below, but you may wish to practice with a piece of paper and tape a few times to get the overall picture before beginning to seam...

Handi-book for giftcard presentation There are lots of cute paper books that you can make, but here is one that is fast and easy to fold without needing a lot of knowledge about paper folding. This one uses clear or decorative tape to form the book and hook and loop dots to keep it closed. I got the inspiration for this folded paper book from Whimsey Square Quilts’ Tea Book directions for making a fabric envelope of pockets to hold tea. I thought the little book of four pockets would be perfect for gift-card presentation to include a card or two, a handwritten note or poem, and a small item that coordinates with the gift card, such as a teabag with a card from a tea shop, or a book of needles with a card from a fabric store. You can choose paper or decorate your paper to coordinate with the gift idea. Note: typing paper or butcher paper works better than wrapping paper which tends to be too flimsy. Materials Paper 11 x 17 inches Clear or decorative tape to coordinate w...

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. 

Nametag/Document pouch to wear around your neck Cynthia Wilsher of the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild shared her pattern for her "Gotta Have It Bag" that she uses to hold her guild nametag. The little bag has three pockets and a clear pouch on the front to hold a nametag or entrance ticket to an event. I made eight of these bags for the goodie bags we distributed on our friends trip to the Shipshewana Quilt Festival in Shipshewana, Indiana on June 26. The construction technique is fast and easy and the little bags are fun to make from scrap fabrics. I changed the design to make my bags slightly larger than the original, about 5 x 7-inches; I also added interfacing and used a different finish for the binding. I rewrote the directions and photographed the process; see below. All the how-to photos were taken by Alisa. Materials: Cut from clear plastic 5.5 x 3.5-inch piece (Note: you can use document covers available at office supply stores, or you can use hea...