Spring Quilt Market 2017 by the numbers

I'll admit to not being the most consistent blog updater, but this year has already been a whirlwind and not in the best way.  I thought I'd pop in and give you a quick recap of some of my highlights from Spring Quilt Market 2017.

• 2,000  - the number of followers that I finally broke on Instagram (this is totally blowing my mind)
• 6 - the number of brand new patterns that I edited (there's more on the way)
• 1  - the number of books that I edited 
• 7 - the number of existing patterns that I edited (that's just the count of what's been released)
• 2 - the number of quilts made by me that were displayed (quilted by Teresa, of course)
• 5 - the number of bags made by me that were displayed
• 5 - the number of pouches made by me that were displayed (+ a tutorial for making them)
• 7  - the number of FQ bundles that I purchased
• 4 - the number of patterns acquired (not including copies of patterns that I edited)
• 3 - the number of schoolhouse sessions that I worked
• 1 - the number of schoolhouse sessions that I attended
• 21.97 - the number of miles walked from Wednesday-Saturday in the boot
• 7.28 - the number of miles walked on Sunday without the boot
• 1 - the number of national historic landmarks visited
• 1 - the number of airport evacuations that experienced (it turned out to be a false alarm)

With all of that said, there were some highs and lows as expected.  I made some awesome new friends, and I had a chance to reconnect with some others.  The countdown is already on to Fall Quilt Market in Houston (157 days until Schoolhouse - eek!).  I'll be back to work tomorrow after a self-imposed 2 day break to decompress.  

Cell Phone Pouch Tutorial

When I heard that my friends at Timeless Treasures were looking for a cute way to hold a phone (or other goodies) and would work well with some smaller print fabrics, a tutorial was born!

This pouch is sized to hold an iPhone 7 Plus without a case, an iPhone 6 or 7 in a case, or pencils/pens.  With the swivel hook, you can quickly clip this to a lanyard, on your bag or backpack, or on a belt loop for quick access.

Supplies:

• ⅓ yard Main Fabric (FQ is OK) – I used Emoticons – (FUN-C5505-Multi) by Timeless Treasures in the step-by-step pictures
• ⅓ yard Lining Fabric (FQ is OK) – I used Studio Basic (Studio-C3096-Ash) by Timeless Treasures in the step-by-step pictures
• ⅛ yard Fusible Fleece - I used Sew Lazy Dreamy Fusible Fleece by Lazy Girl Designs
• ⅛ yard Woven Fusible Interfacing - I used Sew Lazy Face-It Soft by Lazy Girl Designs
• 1 ½” of ¾” wide sew-in hook-and-loop tape
• 1” swivel hook
• Chalk marker or other removable marking pen (I used an air erasable pen by Clover.  It leaves a purple mark that disappears on its own or can be removed immediately with water.  As always, test your specific fabric to make sure that the marks can be easily removed.)
• Rotary cutter, ruler, and mat
• Coordinating thread
• That Purple Thang, a chopstick, or a similar tool that may be used to help you push out the corners
• Washable school glue stick (optional, but handy for holding hook and loop tape in place while stitching)
• Hand sewing needle (optional)

Cut:

From Main fabric: Cut 1 – 10 ½” long by 4 ½” wide for Pouch Back Cut 1 – 6 ½” long by 4 ½” wide for Pouch Front From Lining fabric: Cut 1 – 10 ½” long by 4 ½” wide for Pouch Back Lining Cut 1 – 6 ½” long by 4 ½” wide for Pouch Front Lining Cut 1 – 3” long by 4 ½” wide for Back Strap Cut 1 – 4” long by 3” wide for Hardware Tab From Fusible Fleece: Cut 1 – 10 ½” long by 4 ½” wide Cut 1 – 6 ½” long by 4 ½” wide From Fusible Woven Interfacing: Cut 1 – 10 ½” long by 4 ½” wide

Fuse (for best results, follow the manufacturer’s instructions):

• Fuse the 10 ½” x 4 ½” Fusible Fleece piece to the wrong side of the 10 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Back (main fabric)
• Fuse the 6 ½” x 4 ½” Fusible Fleece piece to the wrong side of the 6 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Front (main fabric)
• Fuse the 10 ½” x 4 ½” Fusible Woven Interfacing to the wrong side of the 10 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Back (lining fabric)

Mark:

On the 10 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Back (main fabric), mark a line 5” up from the bottom edge.   Tip:  If you are using a fabric that is directional like the one I used for the main fabric, rotate the fabric 180 degrees before you mark your line so that it is facing the correct direction when you view the finished pouch from the front. On the 6 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Front (main fabric), mark a line 1 ⅛” down from the top edge. On the 10 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Back (lining fabric), mark a line ¾” down from the top edge.

Make the tabs:

Fold the 3” x 4” Hardware Tab piece (lining fabric) wrong sides together so it measures 3” x 2”.  Press. Open the piece and fold the raw edges toward the center.  Press. Re-fold on the original pressed edge to create a piece that measures 3” x 1”. In a similar manner, fold and press the 3” x 4 ½” Back Strap piece (lining fabric) so it finishes at ¾” x 4 ½”. Topstitch ⅛” from the folded edges on both pieces. Insert the 3” x 1” tab into the bottom of the swivel hook.  Fold in half so the raw edges are aligned and baste the ends together approximately ⅛” from the bottom.

Prepare and Assemble the Pouch Components:

Center the prepared swivel hook unit approximately ⅛” above the line marked 5” up from the bottom on the 10 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Back (main fabric).  Sew just above the basting stitches to hold it in place.  Align the bottom edge of the ¾” x 4 ½” Back Strap piece above the line marked 5” up from the bottom.
Following the existing lines of topstitching, sew the Back Strap to the 10 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Front (main fabric) ⅛” from both edges.  Sew one more line ¼” away from the topstitching (this line will be centered on the piece).  Set aside.
Center the loop (soft) side of the 1 ½” hook-and-loop tape piece below the line marked 1 ⅛” from the top edge of the 6 ½” x 4 ½” Pouch Front (main fabric) piece.  Sew around the perimeter of the piece twice to secure.  Set aside. Center the hook (scratchy) side of the 1 ½” hook-and-loop tape piece below the line marked ¾” from the top edge of the Pouch Back Lining (lining fabric).  Sew around the perimeter of the piece twice to secure.  Set aside.
With the right sides together, match the top 4 ½” edges of the Pouch Front pieces (the hook-and-loop tape should be at the top).  Sew pieces together with a ¼” seam allowance.  Press seam open and with the wrong sides together match the bottom raw 4 ½” raw edges.  Press seam and topstitch ¼” away from the edge.

Assemble the Pouch:

With the Pouch Back Lining right side up on your table (the hook-and-loop tape should be at the top), place the Pouch Front (main fabric side up) on top of the Pouch Back Lining aligning the raw edges on the bottom and sides.  Baste the Pouch Front in place ⅛” from the edge.  This will make it easier when you are turning the pouch out in a later step.
Place the Pouch Back right side down on top of the unit that was finished in the previous step (the swivel hook should be facing the top edge and the right sides of will be together). Leaving a 2 ½” opening that will be used for turning, sew along all 4 edges with a ¼” seam allowance pivoting at the corners and back stitching at the beginning/end.
Trim the 4 corners of the pouch being careful not to cut your stitching.
Turn the pouch right side out through the opening.  Carefully poke out the corners using That Purple Thang or a chopstick. Rock the edges of the seam back and forth with your fingers to make sure that the fabric layers are flat and press the seams. Fold the raw edges (from the gap you left open to turn the pouch) into the bag aligning folded edges and press.  Slipstitch the opening closed by hand or by machine stitching close to the edge to complete the project.

You have now finished your pouch!  Congrats!

If you love the Timeless Treasures fabrics featured in these pictures, ask your local quilt shop for Mini Butterflies on Leaves (Mini-C5319-Multi), Mini Frogs (Gail-C5416-Turq) which is lined with Polka Dot Basic (Dot-C1820-Lime), Emoticons (FUN-C5505-Multi), Mini Foxes (Mini-C5420-Navy) which is lined with Spin Basic (Spin-C5300-Earth), Mini Unicorns (Gail-C5610-Pink)