Studio Kat Designs

PPC35: a Peach FlowerBed

Kat — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 12:28:17 +0000

So... in our last post I showed you a sample we made up in fabric from "Another Dimension" by Funny Girl for Studio E Fabrics, and today I'm showing you a sample made up in yet another fabric from that same collection.

I'll tell you more about it later on in this post, but in the meantime, let me give you a quick tour!

I loved the way ALL the fabrics in this collection have a 3-dimentional quality, and this fabric in particular looked real enough to pick for a bouquet!

The only zippers I could imagine using here was our black & white striped zips since they virtually can be used with almost every fabric on earth!

This bag can be worn several ways:

as a one-armed sling bag (worn on your chest), as shown above left.
as a one-armed sling bag worn on your back).
as a true backpack as shown above right.
or... as a shoulder bag

The unique zippered strap, along with the clip rings located on both sides of this bag make it possible to carry it these various ways.

And this feature is one that I particularly enjoyed including! For years our customers have requested a fun way to carry a water bottle and at long last... we figured out a unique way to comply with their wishes.

I think you'll find that this water bottle pocket is plenty deep enough for almost any water bottle you may want to carry with you, and the cord-locked top band will keep it securely in place.

In the photo (above-left), is a view of the extremely roomy main compartment! I think you could easily store a small umbrella and maybe a light sweater here in addition to your everyday supplies!

And in the photo (above right), is a shot of the smaller front pocket. This is a perfect spot to store your phone or other important items you need quick access to. (For this sample I included a small credit card holder.)

And as promised, here's the info you need to know about this wonderful fabric!
It's called "A Peach Flower Bed" and you can procure some for yourself and your project by clicking HERE!

I found it delightful to work with, and I'm thinking you may feel the same!

And finally...We decided on a name for this design!

We're calling it...

the AeroSling

I'm relieved to finally have the naming thing done and I hope you like it! Additionally, we only have one more sample to show you before the real fun begins, and we'll do that next week! In the meantime...

Happy 4th of July, stay cool if you can!

Check out the best sewing pins with me on Pinterest, join in on discussions or show off your work in our FaceBook Group, or get your daily sewing fix on our Facebook Business Page or the behind the scenes scoops on Instagram! And don't forget to check out our video tips & tricks on our You Tube Channel and be the 1st to know about new patterns, discount codes and sample sales by signing up for "Bag Making is Fun", our bi-monthly newsletter.

The post PPC35: a Peach FlowerBed appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

PPC35: A Wavy Dimension

Kat — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:09:14 +0000

So...

in our last post I showed you a color-intensive sample of our new design, but today, I'm highlighting a new sample in much more muted tones, and I'm really quite taken with it. I'll tell you more about the fabric I used here in a bit, but suffice it to say, I only used a small portion of it, (as it is quite a LARGE print, but just seemed to be perfect for this particular style ).

One of the main features of this design is the cord-locked bottle pouch. In this photo, I've placed a standard sized bottle of AquaFina water and as you can see, it fits perfectly & securely here.

And here's a closeup of the Bottle Pouch in an empty state. I love the way this Cord Lock adds a totally unique touch to this feature.

This bag is another in a long line of "convertibles" that we've created. In these photos you can see (in the photo at left above), that the "zippered strap" can be unzipped in order to create a back pack option.
(And in the photo at above right), you can see that when the zippered strap is rezipped, and when both snap hooks are hooked in place on the same side of this bag, then you can carry as a one-shoulder Sling Bag!

And in this photo, I pushed the straps out of the way so that you can get a better look at the back side of this Bag, which features a zippered, semi-circular pocket, which is actually large enough to accommodate a full-sized smart phone in a case.

And OK- here's another look at the Bag Front (above left), as well as the Credit Card Holder, which I decided to place on the inside of the semi-circular pocket on the Bag Back for this sample. (Alternatively, it could also be placed inside the front triangular pocket on the Bag Front.)

Here's two different takes on how this design looks on a body (mine). It's a good-sized bag, yet its lightweight & soft to the touch!The perfect sidekick whether you're traveling to and from work, or to and from your cruise boat overseas!

Finally, the amazing fabric which I used for this sample is called "Fabric Waves", and it's from a collection called Another Dimension by Funny Girl for Studio E Fabrics.

And for your convenience, this fabric is now available on our "Fabrics" page, & if you'd like a closer look, or to pick up some for YOUR next project, please click HERE!

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

I'd love to get some feedback on how you feel about this design thus far! If you have comments you'd like to share, suggestions you'd like to make, or questions you'd like to ask about this design in general or this sample in specific, (and I hope you do), please feel free to leave any or all in the space provided below.

The post PPC35: A Wavy Dimension appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

PPC35: DragonFly Dance

Kat — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:22:02 +0000

So... in our last post, I told you that we we were pretty-well satisfied with this design as it stands right now. I do want to take the Bottle Pouch height down, just a tad, but other than that & some other minor picky-icky stuff, we're pretty much ready to roll now!

And here's a couple of shots of the aforementioned Bottle Pouch. At left it's empty, but at right it's housing a full-sized AquaFina water bottle. In our last post, this pouch pretty much swallowed this bottle whole, but I'm much happier with the sizing now!

I couldn't help but include a closeup of this cord-stop area. This is the first time I've used this particular notion and I really like it! It's easy to install and adds such a FUN, and unique look to this bag!

I'm really pumped about this feature with its Cord Lock! Our customers have been asking us for a Bottle Pouch feature for years now, and I really like the way this one looks! It's functional, but still very distinctive and stylish... don't you think?

I love this shot! And I think it shows that this bag can ALSO be carried as a flat-out "shoulder bag", in addition to a "sling bag" and as a "backpack".

And here's a couple of shots at the Bag Back.

(at left)- This photo features a generously sized slip pocket which can accommodate even the largest smart phone on the market.

(at right)_ this photo shows the versatility of the zippered strap, which can be utilied as a sling strap as well as a backpack strap simply by zipping it closed or unzipping it open!

And since you've been asking for interior shots, I tried hard to provide that this time!

(at left)- this is a shot of the expansive main compartment

(at right)- this is a shot of the back slip pocket where I decided to place a credit card holder this time. (this CC Holder can also be installed instead or in addition to inside the front slip pocket).

I loved this fabric from the moment I saw it. It's a very large print but I felt that this design was large enough to carry it off, and it WAS!

It's called "Dragonfly Dance" & Sue Penn designed it for Free Spirit Fabrics. And if you like it like I did, you can get some for yourself on our website, HERE!

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

Does this bag seem like one you might enjoy carrying? And if you have comments you'd like to share, suggestions you'd like to make, or questions you'd like to ask about this design in general or this sample in specific, please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

And remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

The post PPC35: DragonFly Dance appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

the June ’26 Eye Candy Showcase

Kat — Fri, 29 May 2026 12:15:29 +0000

So... summer's here! That means school's out, folks are off on vacations (or maybe staycations this year)?

But at any rate, it sounds like you might like to feast your eyes on a few beautiful things today, like maybe the June Eye Candy Showcase for example!

So let's get started!

Here's Linda Ellis' "western take" on our Sling Along design. She did a remarkable job on the make of her bag and I'm sure she's enjoying carrying it and getting reactions from people who see it! Great job Linda!

I'm enthralled by Ann Powell's totally stunning Gemini FlightBag! Ann said she purposely didn;t use her best fabrics for her 1st try at this design 7 considering how fabulous this bag turned out...I'm looking forward to seeing her next!

And this fantastic Wrapsody was created by Debbie Clear. Don't you jst LOVE the faux leather exterior & the pipingalong the flap edge!

and Linda Ellis used pre-embroidered fabric to create this ourstanding Sling Along. There's something about paisley that will always be in style, right?

Karin Arts created this Sling Along and thinks its a beautiful bag and that it could even be suitable for men! It's nice & large enough for travel and this particular sample is her favorite!

This Sling Along is Melissa Marvin's 1st SKD bag. She said it was lots of fun to make and can't wait to make another! (And I can't wait to see it!)

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

Did you feel inspired by any of these beauties? And would you like to see one of YOUR creations on display here for everyone to admire & aspire to? If so…that can happen in either of these two ways.

Attach picture(s) of your SKD creation to an email & send it to me here- info@studiokatdesigns.com
Join our FaceBook Sewing Group HERE, and post picture(s) of your SKD creation there (with the extra added benefit of getting some well-deserved applause from our members).

And remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

The post the June ’26 Eye Candy Showcase appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

It’s Easy to Transform Your Zipper!

Kat — Tue, 26 May 2026 12:10:32 +0000

So... in our last post in this series, I showed you how I transformed our zippers so they would be the ultimate PERFECT match, for the fabric we used!

and I promised you I would work up a tutorial so that you could do the same thing for a future project of yours!

Because just think... now you'll be able to ALWAYS have the perfect zipper for your project, regardless of how unique your fabric is, because you'll be able to transform your zippers so that they're ALWAYS a perfect match!

Ready to get started?

Just click HERE to download our "Zipper Transformation" tutorial & you'll be well on your way to ALWAYS having the perfect zipper for virtually ANY project or fabric you're working with!

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

I'd love to get some feedback on how you feel about this method of transforming zippers! Do you think you'll try this sometime in the future?

And if you have comments you'd like to share, suggestions you'd like to make, or questions you'd like to ask about this technique in general or this sample in specific, (and I hope you do), please feel free to leave any or all in the space provided below.

The post It’s Easy to Transform Your Zipper! appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

AQS Paducah ’26: My Favorite Quilts

Kat — Wed, 20 May 2026 12:05:16 +0000

So… as you might expect, the competition among the quilt entries at AQS Paducah is always TOUGH! To even have a quilt accepted to be shown at this prestigious show is quite something!

But having said that, I really enjoyed walking among these outstanding beauties. They were a lot of fun to see, and it was a hard choice, but below you will find “My Nine Favorites”!

"A Calm Day at Sea" by Linda Neal of McKinney, TX
achieved 2nd place in the "Wall Quilts" category

"Confabulation" by Caryl Bryer-Fallert Gentry of Port Townsend, WA
achieved 2nd place in the "Large Stationary Quilts" category

"Mystique Lillies" by Claudia Pfeil of North Rhine- Westphalia, Germany
achieved 3rd place in the Large Quilts category

"Ruth's Treasure" by Marilyn Badger of St. George, UT
achieved 2nd place in the Large Quilts category.

"Color my World" by Karen Kay Buckley of Carlisle, PA
achieved BEST of SHOW in the LArge Quilts category.

"Kaleidoscope Garden" by Judy Ballance of Huntsville, AL

"Beauty in the Broken" by Kathy K Wylie of Ontario, Canada
achieved 1st place in the Wall Quilts category

"East Meets West"by Molly Hamilton & YanGe-Gong of CotodeCaza, CA
achieved "Best Movable Machine Workmanship'

"Cathedral Trees" by Angie Tustison of Arcata, CA
achieved 1st place in the Wall Quilts-Modern category

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

Which one of these amazing creations "speaks" to you?

And remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

The post AQS Paducah ’26: My Favorite Quilts appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

AQS Paducah’26: the Recap

Kat — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:14:56 +0000

So... rather than giving you the usual play by play of the AQS Paducah'26 show... I thought that this year I'd give you some idea of how we got to where we are at this show, and why the AQS show in Paducah, KY is still the show I enjoy and value the most!

Truth is, for the 1st four years that we were in business, we didnt venture away from the studio. Why? Because I just didnt know what to do or what to expect!

So in 2007, I volunteered to help one of my distributors in her booth. It gave me a risk-free chance to check out the International Market (in Houston), to see what what was involved in setting up a booth display, and gave me some great ideas as to how I could best display my bag samples & patterns!

So in 2008 we started vending at both the Spring & Fall Quilt Markets every year & that was the only place we vended until 2013. WHY? Because the very idea of retail scared me half to death!

But all we kept hearing from our vending friends was... "You NEED to stay in Houston for the International Quilt Festival (which was the week AFTER the Quilt Market), but let's face it.... The International Quilt Festival is literally the LARGEST retail quilting & sewing show on the planet! So... rather than just jump in cold & possibly unprepared... we decided to first test our "retail chops" in a far less intimidating venue... in our own backyard!

the "Original Sewing & Quilt Expo '13"
in Raleigh, NC

And you know what? We learned a lot at this little show... mostly how much we still had to figure out! Nonetheless, when we headed to Houston in the Fall, it was with the intention of staying & vending at the International Quilt Festival, which turned out to be an amazing show for us! Did everything go smoothly... NO it did not! But I came away determined to figure out how to incorporate a barcode scanner into our checkout experience!

But you know what? As successful a show as Houston has always been for us, it has NEVER been a stressfree, easy show for us. It's a HUGE city that I we've never wanted to navigate with a car & the downtown area is a little scary, particularly after dark. What few restaurants that are open after dark are VERY expensive... too expensive to be eating at every night for 2 weeks anyway, & we always seemed to be hungry, tired or BOTH the whole time we're there!

All of which only served to make Paducah, KY a totally refreshing venue when we first arrived in April of 2015! We were first assigned to the 2nd floor & made some long-lasting friendships up there! (Here's how our booth looked back then!)

And Paducah is such a welcoming place! The whole city seems to turn out for this show! There's LOTS of cool restaurants & the show has ALWAYS been good for us, which became all the better when we were moved to the elite Expo Center in 2018!

But here's some things that maybe you didn't know about our booth location in Paducah, (which is way easier to notice in this less-busy picture)!

- They kinda "made room" for us in the Expo Room! Look closely & you'll see that our booth had to be squeezed into a corner of the room. First off there's an "alley on the left side of our booth to maintain access if necessary to a fire extinsuisher!
- The booth "foot print" blocks ~1/2 of the roll-up access door! This is the very door that literally EVERY Expo vendor loads their supplies in & out thru! Which means we're kinda in everyone's way on the 1st and the last day of the show! And to make things even MORE interesting, it's perpetually windly in Paducah, which means at times there's gale force winds whipping thru our booth when the roll-door is open when we're setting up or loading out... enough to make our curtains (AND THE STEEL RODS) sometimes fall down.
- But here's the deal... we love our spot in the "hot" corner (& actually, it's never hot, because of the breeze when the door is open). Firstly, our spot REALLY IS a hot corner. because as people turn this corner, the natural inclination is to look to the right... at US! And Secondly- we've got GREAT neighbors- Havel's Sewing to our left, and corkandcloth to our right. And lastly, we have a picture perfect view for the opening day Parade, which I LOVE!"

So... is it any wonder that we LOVE going to Paducah, KY?

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

Is there a place in this world that YOU just love going to? If so, I'd love to hear about it, because we might just enjoy going there as well! And remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

The post AQS Paducah’26: the Recap appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

PPC35: Back to Tucson

Kat — Fri, 08 May 2026 12:22:29 +0000

So in our last post... we had finally accomplished most of the improvements we felt HAD to be made before we could go forward finalizing the instructions & making show samples... but there was still one area that needed a generous tweak, and that was the bottle Pouch area. Due to some excellent reader feedback, we decided to make this pouch deeper, and if you check the pictures above, you can see that we DID... (maybe a bit too deep?) I might shave just a bit of this height down, considering that this is a standard-sized Aquafina water bottle in place, and it's almost swallowed whole!

The above pictures should give you a good idea of this bag's size (I'm still contemplating a name for this bag... any ideas?) And just so you know... I generally do all of my own photography, which should explain why the bottle pouch instantly jumped over to the opposite side of this bag!

And SURPRISE!!! This time I decided to add an optional card holder to the front pouch area! I put it in sideways, because that's probably the way you'll be accessing it, especially if you're carry this bag as a sling bag.

It could however, be easily added instead, or in addition, to the back circular pocket instead (or also). Maybe in our next sample, I'll give you an idea of how it would look there?

Pictured above, are the various ways the zippered strap can be configured so that it can be carried as a shoulder bag, a sling bag, or as a backpack!

And speaking of that circular back pocket... here it is at left. I sized this pocket so that it can securely accommodate any smart phone currently on the Market and additionally... if you place your phone in this pocket, it will be held housed safe & sound against your body, regardless of what configuration you choose to carry it!

Here's two closer looks at the way I "doctored" these zippers to match the contrast fabric I used for this sample. This was my first foray into transforming zippers this way and I had a lot of fun, I'm proud of the result, but if I had it to do over again, (which I most assuredly will!), I would have chosen a solid turquoise fabric rather than the dotted turquoise I used.
As it turns out, even though this contrast matched the exterior perfectly, it was probably a little too busy for this complex exterior.

It's OK! as they say... live & learn!

But if you're interested in using this technique on one of YOUR upcoming projects, I've written up a nice little tutorial for you to use free of charge, and I'll share that in the next post in this series, so stay tuned for that?

And finally... here's a few words about this fabric! It's called "Gold Blanket Stripe" and it's part of the Tucson Collection from Elizabeth's Studio.

I'm not carrying this fabric on my website, but if you Google that info above, I'm sure you can find some! It comes in several colorways!

BUT---Here's a word to the wise!

I purchased 1/2 yard of this fabric, and by the time I got through fussy-cutting the exterior, I literally only had the scraps in the picture left (above right), and several of the smaller pieces had to be pieced and sewn together! YIKES! So maybe go for 3/4 of a yard>

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

I'd love to get some feedback on how you feel about this design thus far! If you have comments you'd like to share, suggestions you'd like to make, or questions you'd like to ask about this design in general, or this sample in specific, (and I hope you do), please feel free to leave any or all in the space provided below.

The post PPC35: Back to Tucson appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

AQS Paducah’26: Seen at Show

Kat — Tue, 05 May 2026 12:15:34 +0000

So… even though I’ve been in business for 20+ years, I still get a BIG kick out of seeing our customers carrying bags they’ve made from our patterns! And what better place to “spy” these customers than at a retail trade show, right?

And you know what? we only “spied” SEVEN of our bags “walking the floor” of the AQS Paducah Quilt Festival ’26! I'm not sure why there's this few, except that it seemed like there were SO MANY brand NEW customers this year!

Whatever the reason,
here they are, & they're ALL AMAZING!

First off- here's Pat Trapp with her Sling Along,
with an excellently placed medallion print!

And look how totally coordinated Judy Avant's Sling Along looks with her show outfit! She's runway PERFECT!

And year after year, this duo sews together and always brings something brilliant to the show!

At left, is Fumiyo Stuvengen & her peacock-themed Sling Along, & at right, Pat Burtness' Sling Along is giving off "Northern Lights" vibes!

And look at these beautiful gals, all family members, and how dumb is it, that I let them get away without getting all of their names???

I do know that Mom is on the left, the daughter is in the middle, and she created this Sling Along with the help of Mom & the aunt (at right, who I know from past show's is named Sharon Campbell), who helped her sister & neice create this amazing bag!

And here's Marie Dieckmann and her Springtime Katalina! Is this bag beautiful or what?

And finally... just when the show was about to end, Barb Flowers came in to show me her fantastic batik'ed Cignet Phone Pal!

Barb has been a follower of our Blog for many years & it was fun to finally meet & talk to her after all this time!

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

Do you have a favorite amongst these beauties? And if you have comments you'd like to share, or questions you'd like to ask about these samples in specific, please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

The post AQS Paducah’26: Seen at Show appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

the May ’26 Eye Candy Showcase

Kat — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:15:08 +0000

So... now that warm weather is here, it's time to share with you, our Eye Candy Showcase for May 2026!

#Mamajay55 says that the Cignet Phone Pal is great for a Fiesta bag, keeping your hands free, while navigating around the various booths! I LOVE the beaded zipper pulls!

Marjorie Baker used "Flight of Beauty" by Camelot Fabrics for her Expand-o-Matic, and she LOVES the way it turned out! (I do too!)

Here's the Everyday Attache that #funwithtotes created with just a few changes of her own & she just can't wait to use it! And you know what? I crazy over her "rick-racked zipper"!

Maureen Hawkins embroidered a rooster on the front pouch of this Sling Along for her daughter who's plumb crazy for chickens and roosters! The result? AMAZING!!

Here's Deb Piereman's Sling Along which she said was "SEW much fun to make", & these have to be the most colorful & interesting peacock fabrics I've ever seen!
GREAT job Deb! I'll just bet she's turning heads everywhere she goes!

Spectacular is the only way to describe this Sling Along which Nancy Rosa created for a friend who originally wanted neutrals, but changed her mind when she saw Nancy's stash of amazing bold colors!

Paula Blass created a truly delightful Porta-Pockets PLUS Purse Insert! Now she can use each one of these units alone, as a duo, or as shown! It's an organizer's DREAM!

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

Attach picture(s) of your SKD creation to an email & send it to me here- info@studiokatdesigns.com
Join our FaceBook Sewing Group HERE, and post picture(s) of your SKD creation there (with the extra added benefit of getting some well-deserved applause from our members).

And remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

The post the May ’26 Eye Candy Showcase appeared first on Studio Kat Designs.

Studio Kat Designs

PPC35: a Peach FlowerBed

And finally...We decided on a name for this design!

We're calling it...

the AeroSling

Happy 4th of July, stay cool if you can!

PPC35: A Wavy Dimension

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

PPC35: DragonFly Dance

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

the June ’26 Eye Candy Showcase

So let's get started!

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

It’s Easy to Transform Your Zipper!

Ready to get started?

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

AQS Paducah ’26: My Favorite Quilts

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

AQS Paducah’26: the Recap

the "Original Sewing & Quilt Expo '13" in Raleigh, NC

So... is it any wonder that we LOVE going to Paducah, KY?

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

PPC35: Back to Tucson

It's OK! as they say... live & learn!

BUT---Here's a word to the wise!

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

AQS Paducah’26: Seen at Show

Whatever the reason, here they are, & they're ALL AMAZING!

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

the May ’26 Eye Candy Showcase

And now.... it's YOUR turn!

the "Original Sewing & Quilt Expo '13"
in Raleigh, NC

Whatever the reason,
here they are, & they're ALL AMAZING!