Hi Swappers! Are you guys ready to get into all things tote-ish and zipper-y? Ok! Let’s get straight to it.

Tote bags are fun and quick to make and can be used in so many ways. Bring your lunch, go to the library with one, reuse them over and over for groceries. Tote bags also make great gifts and you can make one in an afternoon.

BASIC LINED TOTE

Here is a link to a simple and easy reversible lined tote and a great place to start if you haven’t made a tote before. This blog post is great because you learn how to ‘box’ the bottom of the tote (which means to create a squared off bottom) and also has a link to a zipper pouch. You use two coordinating fabrics and off you go, no special hardware or anything needed.

I really can’t go any further with this post without letting you know about the treasure trove of information and creative inspiration that is Anna Graham of Noodlehead. Her website is rich with tutorials and patterns and information on different areas of sewing, but is heavily focused on bag-making. The Summer Madras Tote pattern is a great tote bag that has pockets and is a bit roomier to stow away your things for a day at the beach or would also make a great diaper bag for a new mom. Take a long look at her site and find wonderful information on Bags, wallets and zips. Another great resource is her informational page. She also has many for purchase bag patterns available locally and online. Truly, you cannot go wrong with her well-written patterns. She even sells leather straps and bag hardware! (For those of you making zipper pouches, she also has tutorials on those!)

Another great bag-making blogger is Sara Lawson from Sew Sweetness. This website has really nice picture-heavy sections on very specific areas of sewing bags such as setting rivets, magnetic closures, putting in piping, sewing with vinyl and an important section on selecting interfacing. She also has an online shop with bag-making supplies including thin cork, which is all the rage lately in making bags.

For those of you making zipper pouches, it’s time to get familiar with your zipper foot. The Seasoned Homemaker has a great intro to the zipper foot and at the end of her post, there is a link to her free Craftsy class on zippers. Go have a look! Your fear of putting in zippers will be a thing of the past. She also has a Box Pouch tutorial you can check out.

The Sewing Chick has a great tutorial for a zipper pouch that covers great finishing details such as zipper tabs, getting your lining to fit well and has a nice patchwork option. This post wins for fantastic pictures, and makes clear all the different steps in making a small, zippered item.

So, if you can make a quilt, then you can make a tote or a zipper pouch. We know you can! Bag or pouch swap will be at the June meeting and we cannot wait to see what you all make!

We have so many fun and exciting challenges going on this year at SBAMQG that I wanted to write up a quick blog post to tell you about them so you have somewhere to reference all the fun!

#SBAMQGWIPITGOOD 

At the beginning of the year members were encouraged to post on Instagram photos of works in progress (WIPs) that they planned to complete by the December 2017 Guild Meeting and to update us when their quilts were completed with both posts using #SBAMQGWIPITGOOD. Fast forward 6 months and we have had new member join at each meeting (we’re so popular and we love it!) and now we want to open up a new opportunity. Missed your opportunity at the beginning of the year? Want to start the challenge now? Here are the guidelines:

• Post up to 3 WIPs by July 18, 2017 using #SBAMQGWIPITGOOD
• WIPs are considered anything from a pile of fabric with good intentions to a finished, but unquilted top
• Post pictures of your finished work using the hashtag throughout the year (no progress shots using the hashtag, please)
• For every WIP finished by November 30, 2017 you’ll be entered to win a fabulous Quilty Celebrity prize

Here are some clues as to what this delightful prize might be:

• The Quilty Celebrity equivalent of Indiana Jones’ fedora (or Don Johnson’s jacket, I am not letting that go and you cannot make me)
• Bigger than a seam ripper
• Currently decorating my sewing studio
• NEW CLUE: Red and white and aqua blue all over

Make it Modern 

Our next challenge will be to take one of the traditional quilt blocks pictured below and recreate it using modern quilting elements. Finished quilts can be any size.

Some examples of modern quilting elements include, but are not limited to:

• Use of bold colors and prints
• High contrast and graphic areas of solid colors
• Improvisational piecing
• Minimalism
• Expansive negative space AKA expensive negative space for those quilt-by-check gals
• Alternate grid work

Guidelines: Quilts must be finished by the December meeting and will be displayed at the 2018 PVQA Quilt Show. All quilts must be submitted with a 4” wide hanging sleeve stitched to the back. Quilts should be labeled using the official PQVA label. All quilts must be finished (quilted and bound); no tops or partially finished quilts will be allowed to hang. No more than two entries per member.

**Edit: The Morning Star Block is also known as the Weather Vane Block.

We always enjoy the quilts our members make, but are especially excited to see the WIPs you finish this year and the challenge quilts you dream and stitch up!

See you all at the next meeting!

Chelsea