Quilt Con is less than a month away and I keep thinking of projects I need to make for the big weekend! Most recently I've been revisiting my bag situation. I decided the best bag to carry would be my Edelweiss backpack, but I starting worrying about having to take the bag off and on to access my wallet, business cards, phone, etc. Some kind of wristlet wallet seemed like a good solution.

I can be really picky about my bag choices and wallets seem to be the worst. After several weeks of pattern hunting (and a few less than stellar improv attempts), I finally stumbled across NapKittenPattern's Accordion Wallet. 

After lots of waffling over fabric choices (you can read more about that in my previous post), I got the idea to use my hoarded selvedges to make the wallet exterior. You can read my tutorial on how to make a selvedge panel here. For the interior, I used some of my new love, Essex yarn dyed linen in flax which I had leftover from my Patchwork City Quilt (still need to blog about that). After the selvedge panel was complete, I selected Cotton + Steel Neotorious in mint/metallic gold for the accordion folds, Free Spirit Designer Essentials in Teal Rhinestones for the binding, Michael Miller's Glitz for the card slots, and some of Kim Kight's Cookie Book for the wrist strap.

Picking my favorite selvedges to use was a blast and I love seeing all the names of my favorite designers in one place. I did my best to flip the orientation of the selvedges so they'd all be right side up, but I had difficulty determining exactly where the folds would be some parts are a little off. 

NapKittenPattern's pattern was one of the best bag patterns I've ever used. She provides photos for every single step of the project. Even with Noodle Head and Sew Sweetness patterns which have lots of photos and diagrams, I inevitably come to a point where something doesn't have a photo and I just can't make sense of what they're trying to say. After a lot of examination, I eventually figure it out, but having photos for everything is priceless.

Another thing that I personally appreciated is that her pattern doesn't have you cut everything out at the beginning (although she does give material requirements) because it will be easy to confuse a bunch of rectangles. So true. 

While the pattern is in English, I get the feeling that English may not be her native language. There are a few places where her wording is a can be a little odd but it doesn't interfere with the pattern's integrity. For example, she tells you to "rub the corners" of the cover panel which what she's try to say is finger press the fold. When I first read that I just pictured myself tickling the corner of the rectangle and was seriously confused what that would accomplish. She also says to "clip" certain pieces, which I would usually think means to cut it. However, her photos show that she's literally clipping the layers together with binder clips. 

I was nervous about sewing the accordion folds, but her approach makes it a breeze. Even the final construction steps were not bad at all despite so many layers. 

The only things I didn't like about the pattern was the lack of a complete lining. The instructions only tell you to line the inside of the flap and the back (in the form of the card slots), but the front half of the wallet has no lining. She just says, "you may line the cover with interior fabric if you don’t want to see the stabilizer when you take out stuff from the wallet." I used fusible web to attach a complete lining. 

Her instructions also say you need 1.5" - 2" wide binding tape. You need it at least 2" wide, trust me. She makes double fold bias tape, but I just attached mine like regular quilt binding. 

All in all, I'm super happy with this pattern and the finished project. I'll definitely be checking out more of NapKittenPattern's patterns.

How to Make a Selvedge Panel

To me, attending Quilt Market this past October was a lot like getting backstage passes to a rock concert. It can be difficult to "act cool" while you're meeting your favorite fabric and pattern designers and bloggers.

One thing that helped me feel more confident was wearing handmade garments and accessories. It's an silently obvious way to convey my admiration for the designers. One of my favorite moments was when meeting Rashida Coleman-Hale, she noticed my handbag and shouted "WASHI!" as she recognized her fabric. 

As I'm prepping for Quilt Con, I've been having an unusually tough time selecting fabrics for various garments and accessories. I can't help but feel my choices are making some kind of statement, like a Pokemon trainer cry of "I CHOSE YOU!" The problem is, I want to show my support and admiration for so many designers that I hit a wall with my fabric stash.

Luckily, I found the perfect solution: selvedges! What better way could there be to show support than to have all their names spelled out on my project? 

Making selvedge panels for bags and pouches is a simple, resourceful way to use up those skinny scraps.

You will need:

• A nice pile of selvedges (if possible, cut them at least .25" above the top edge of the selvedge)
• A piece of muslin or white cotton (cut to the desired shape/size of your panel) or batting (add 1 inch to each side of your panel in case of warping)
• Neutral color thread that will blend well with your selvedges
• Optional: Interfacing of your choice (cut to the desired size of your panel)

1. Fuse your interfacing. You can fuse your interfacing to the wrong side of your muslin either before or after you make your panel. Fusing it beforehand will help minimize warping, but if you are using a thick interfacing like Peltex Ultra Firm, you'll want to leave that for last. It's up to you.

2. Sort through your selvedges. Select selvedges that are at least as wide as your panel. Separate ones you really want to feature from ones that can act as "fillers."

3. Study the pattern of your bag. Are there going to be any snaps, buttons, pockets, or zippers? If so, mark their placement lightly with a pencil on your muslin so you can be sure not to put a prized selvedge somewhere it'll be marred. 

Also take note of the fabric's orientation on the bag. My bag was an envelope style, meaning the direction of the selvedges would need to flip if I wanted them all to be right side up. Mark approximate locations of any folds that will change the orientation of the fabric. I also drew arrows to indicate the orientation of my selvedges.

Make a mental note where each part of the panel will lie on the finished bag. You don't want your favorite selvedges on the bottom of your bag, so use the "filler" pieces in less prominent areas. 

4. Position & sew your selvedges. When sewing your selvedges, you want to start from the bottom and work your way up as to cover the raw edge of the fabric. The selvedge itself will not fray, but the side you cut will. 

Lay your first selvedge on top of your muslin, letting the bottom of your selvedge overhang your muslin a little. Remember to take your seam allowances into account (the first and last couple selvedges may be hidden in the seam allowance so use the "filler" pieces here). I also try to keep the desired text on the selvedge about an inch from either edge of the muslin.

Place a second selvedge on top of the first, overlapping the top of the first one by about .25". Now, stitch them down by sewing just above the edge of the second selvedge. 

5. Add more selvedges. Continue adding selvedges in this way, overlapping the top of the previous one by .25" and stitching along the bottom of the current selvedge. 

I don't pin anything when I sew selvedges. I prefer to get the seam started and pull the selvedge into the desired position as I sew.

After I've added a selvedge, I like to trim off the excess with my scissors about .5" from the edge of my muslin so I don't have a bunch of loose pieces swinging around and getting in the way.

If the bottom of your selvedge has a little frayed "goatee" (a lot of linen blends do) you can can give it a haircut with your rotary cutter. Just dont cut into the actual selvedge.

6. Changing directions. When you get to a fold that requires your selvedges to flip upside down, you'll need to change your approach. Lay the selvedge that will be start of the "flip" (I'll call this your "Flipped Selvedge" or FS) on to of the previous selvedge with the right sides together. Align their raw edges and sew them both down with a .25" seam allowance. Fold your FS so the right side is now facing up and press with a hot iron.

Previously when we added selvedges, we put the current selvedge on top of the previous one before stitching them down. Now we're going to do the opposite. Take your next selvedge and slide it underneath the FS, letting the bottom of the FS overlap the top of your current selvedge by about .25" Now, stitch them both down by sewing along the bottom of the FS. Give this part of your panel a press with your iron, then topstitch along the top of your FS. 

Continue to add selvedges by sliding them under the previous one and stitching along the bottom of the previous selvedge. 

7. Changing directions again. If you need to flip the direction of your selvedges again, it's a little simpler. Make a "Flip Selvedge" like you did in step 6 by placing your selvedge on top of the previous one with right sides together, sewing, and folding the selvedge down. Now, instead of slipping your next selvedge, under the FS, place it on top of it so that the bottom of your current selvedge overlaps the bottom of your FS. Stitch them both down and then topstitch along the top edge of your FS.

Continue adding selvedges as you originally did in step 5.

8. Finishing the panel. When you've covered your entire panel with selvedges, press the entire panel with a hot iron, starching if desired. Place the panel right side down on your cutting mat and trim away the overhanging selvedges with your rotary cutter and ruler. If you like, you can stitch around the entire panel with a straight stitch & small seam allowance or a zigzag stitch to keep things neat and clean when you assemble your bag.

Your panel is now finished! Continue sewing your bag as you normally would.

I turned this panel into a little business card wallet!

Toucha Toucha Touch Me Fabrics

I have a shamefully shamelessly confession to make: I'm 24 years old and I still sleep with my baby quilt. It's far from display worthy, but even after all the lovely quilts I've cranked out, I can't go to sleep without it for one simple reason: it's the softest thing I've ever felt. Woven from the hairs of a unicorn and moonbeams. It's probably the years of wear that made it that way, but it's fueled my obsession with finding fabric with a super soft hand. It's totally my fetish.

When I first began purchasing designer fabrics, the higher price (comparable to Jo-Ann's stuff) was instantly explained once I touched the stuff. All the fabric I've purchased from the big box craft stores just can't compete. Not all designer fabrics are created equal though, and I have some strong opinions on my favorites and not so favorites.

All ratings are based on my personal opinions of the manufacturer's quilting cottons. Ratings range from ★ (meaning I wouldn't want to snuggle this fabric) to ★★★★★ (meaning I want this fabric all over me). Also be aware, these ratings are based on fabrics I have in my stash which may be older or newer. Manufacturers may have changed mills or materials which could result in different product quality.

Art Gallery Fabric: ★★★★★

Art Gallery Fabric's slogan is "Feel the Difference" for a good reason. The first time I purchased AGF, I had never heard of the company. I just remember picking up a fat quarter and going, "damn that's some softy goodness." I've noticed a lot of quilters regard it as the holy grail of softness in the industry, and I can't argue with them. Right off the bolt, they are soft as can be.

Michael Miller Fabrics ★★★★★

Michael Miller's fabrics are totally underrated in my opinion. Right off the bolt, AGF feels slightly softer, but after a wash, they come out ahead. The blouse I made for Patty Sloniger's blog tour is buttery soft. For clothing and things that are going to be washed a lot, MM's cottons are dreamy.

Clothworks Organics ★★★★★

Clothworks only has a few lines of organic quilting cottons (mostly those by Penguin & Fish), but they are super soft off the bolt and even softer after washing.  For organic fabrics, they're also very affordable (only $10.95 per yard on Hawthorne Threads). My crazy cat lady dress was made from this cotton and it's probably the softest garment I've made from quilting cotton.

Windham Fabrics ★★★★½

Windham is another unsung hero in the softness arena. It has a nice fine weave and feels comparable to MM off the bolt. However, it doesn't dramatically improve with washing like MM's cottons. 

Cotton + Steel ★★★★ 

Cotton + Steel is taking over my stash. I've used it for quilts, dresses, accessories, etc. and it falls in the middle of the pack with a lot of other manufacturers. It's a little thicker than my top three, but average thickness for quilting cotton. It softens up nicely after washing and I like that it does have a little more weight to it for some garments. Besides, C+S has amazing cotton lawn and double gauze so they bring out the big guns for snuggling with those substrates! 

Cloud 9 Fabrics ★★★ ½

Cloud 9's quilting cotton is a little quirky. Off the bolt, it feels a little unusual. It's smooth like Windham but has less drape. It's more pronounced on darker prints which makes me think it's the result of the sizing or some part of the printing process. Whatever it is, it disappears in the wash and is comparable to C+S post-washing.

Free Spirit Fabric ★★★

Free Spirit's cottons are tricksy. They feel smooth and silky off the bolt (I'd put them on par with Windham), but post-wash, they fall behind C+S. They're by no means poor though. They're solidly average in terms of softness.

Alexander Henry, Andover, Blend, Moda & Riley Blake ★★★

These manufacturers are solid average in softness with no surprises after washing.

Robert Kaufman ★★½ to ★★★

I'm not sure if it's my imagination, but I feel a difference between the Kona cotton solids and printed designer fabric from RK. The Kona feels a little stiff off the bolt, but feels fine after a trip through the washing machine. The designer prints on the other hand feel somewhat coarser both pre and post-wash. 

Dear Stella ★★½

Dear Stella's quilting cotton doesn't feel that much nicer than Jo-Ann's Fabrics in my opinion. It has a finer weave, but the overall quality doesn't match up to the rest of the above brands.

Birch Fabrics ★½

Birch is definitely my least favorite of the designer pack. After I got my Acorn Trail bundle, I noticed the fabric felt completely different from Fort Firefly, which had a great hand. I send an email to ask about it and this is the response I got:

"The quality of the woven cotton itself I can assure you is the same quality that we always used. Except for the first Teagan White collection Fort Firefly which was printed in China instead of India on greige goods from Pakistan. That is the only time we ever used a different quality from our original quality."

It turns out my baseline comparison was a complete exception to the rule. Welp, that sucks. Their standard quilting cotton feels more like a cheap poly-cotton blend to be honest. It's strangely stiff despite its thinness, meaning it has poor drape. It also has a odd texture to it that's altogether hard to describe. Like a humid, sticky feel? I used mine for one bag so far because I refused to make a quilt with something so un-snuggley. I'm not sure how it feels post-wash so I'm not sure if that would change my opinions. To add insult to injury, it's the most expensive at $16/yard.

What about you? Do you have a favorite brand of quilting cotton?