Today I’m bringing you something a little special, the Strawberry Tote from Cozy Quilts for the Modern Home, a brand new quilt book by my friend Abby Luchsinger of Abby Maed!

If you’ve been here any length of time, you probably have noticed that I love strawberries. And I’m a bag maker. So when I looked through Abby’s book to see what I wanted to make, it was a no-brainer to choose the Strawberry Tote.

Clear and Easy Directions

Since I’m usually more of a whip-it-out type of maker, I had to pay close attention to the pattern to make the strawberries. Fortunately, all of the cutting and piecing directions are clear and easy to follow. Making it easy to piece the blocks without mistakes. In fact, I made four instead of just two, so the tote would have the same on both sides.

I loved the cute little blossom blocks too! I cut into some of my favorite Liberty of London fabrics for this tote. And I’m so glad I did. I paired it with my favorte Stamped print from Amy Sinibaldi for Art Gallery Fabrics. The background is Essex Linen in Flax.

Special touches for my Strawberry Tote Bag

I added some black hand stitching using perle cotton thread, and a leather handle instead of fabric. This cute tote is definitely my favorite thing I’ve made in a while.

Abby’s whole book is full of darling projects just like this. There are 10 throw size quilts plus six smaller projects: a floral bunting, a rainbow zipper pouch, a strawberry tote bag, a take-along checkers/chess board, a fall table runner, and a tree skirt. There’s sure to be a few projects for everyone!

The post Strawberry Tote: Cozy Quilts For The Modern Home Book Tour appeared first on Clover & Violet.

Australia / New Zealand

Canada Quilt Shops

Mexico Quilt Shops

United Kingdom Quilt Shops

EU

Asia

I know there are sooo many more shops out there. If you have any more quilt shops around the world to recommend, please leave a comment here. I would love to add to this list.

The post Best Quilt Shops from Around the World appeared first on Clover & Violet.

For my #SewPink project, I made the Olivia Jewelry Case, which uses ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable to give it shape. I admit I had been using a different brand of foam interfacing for a while, mostly because I had it on hand, but the difference between the other brand and ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable was so noticeable, I’m a convert!

Sizing Your Patchwork

When using ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable, one thing I’ve come to see is that quilting your fabric to the Soft and Stable causes shrinkage of the finished piece. This happens with batting and fusible fleece to a small degree. It is much more noticeable with any type of foam interfacing.

You can see in the image above, there are three patchwork pieces that I will be using for three Olivia Jewelry Cases, two have been quilted and one has not. Now let’s layer them to see the size difference:

The bottom, unquilted, piece is larger than the other two by about 1/8″. The second, which is quilted in both directions, shrinks in both directions. The top piece, quilted with more quiting lines in only one direction shrank more parallel to to the quilting.

What to do about shrinkage

There are two easy ways to deal with shrinkage when quilting to foam:

1. Make a larger piece of patchwork and then cut it to the size of the finished piece or pattern piece.
   • Pros: Your piece will be exactly the size called for in the pattern
   • Cons: This can be a little wasteful depending on how oversized you need to make the piece
2. If you have a specific patchwork layout like I do here, make your patchwork and prepare for the piece to be about 1/8″ smaller, that’s ok! With C&V Patterns you can just trim the rest of teh pattern a little bit to fit.
   • Pros: Your patchwork will be even, with no edges cut off
   • Cons: The piece may be a little smaller than the pattern

The Olivia Jewelry Case – SewPink but make it gold

Now let’s take a look at what makes the Olivia Jewelry Case – SewPink but make it gold – special! I took some closeup photos of all the details!

• Necklace Holder: this will prevent your chains from getting tangled, you can string one or several and then easily access them!
• Gathered Pocket: For those bulky things that won’t fit in a flat pocket like watches, beaded bangles, or other chunky jewelry.

• Earring Holder: Perfect for stud or hook earrings, keep each set together and no risk of earrings accidentally slipping out with other jewelry.
• Ring Cushion: Keep your rings from sliding off or accidentally getting lost!
• Vinyl Zip Pocket: Perfect for flat jewelry so you can easily see what you have with you.

Sew Pink but Make it Gold

It’s heartbreaking that there are so many cancer cases in our world today, but promoting research and early detection can help tremendously. As I said at the beginning, I chose to #SewPink but Make it Gold to help raise awareness of Childhood Cancer in honor of a sweet girl born around the time of my youngest who battled childhood cancer but is thriving today!

The #SewPink Initiative’s mission is to raise awareness for cancer throughout the year.

Efforts culminate in an annual blog hop during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote self-care, awareness, early detection and support for those affected by breast cancer.

To learn more and see the calendar of events visit: https://www.ByAnnie.com/SewPINK

The post #SewPink 2025 but Make it Gold appeared first on Clover & Violet.

If you’ve been wanting to learn to sew with clear vinyl, this Ultimate Guide to Sewing with Clear Vinyl is here to help! Clear vinyl is great for adding a special edition to your projects, like this Olivia Jewelry Case, as well as other sewing cases and quilty projects.

Sewing with Clear Vinyl Tips

Sewing with vinyl is easier than you might think! Here are some details to help you with your vinyl sewing:

• Vinyl is available for purchase at fabric stores in the home dec section, but I also repurpose the plastic packaging some bedding comes in, it works perfectly as well (Top Left Pic).
• Use clips instead of pins to hold the vinyl in place, any holes you put in the vinyl will stay, they won’t self-heal the way fabric does.
• Sew with a longer stitch length, I use 3.0 instead of 2.5 on my machine.
• Use a Teflon foot or put a piece of scotch tape or masking tape on the bottom of your presser foot to help it glide over the vinyl (Top Right Pic).
• Use a piece of tissue paper or notebook paper on the under side of the vinyl piece so it doesn’t get stuck on the machine side, then just tear it away after sewing (Bottom Left Pic).
• Cut a 2″ by width of the pocket panel piece and fold it as for bias tape, sew that on the top edge of your vinyl piece instead of elastic (you could also use bias tape)
• Sew over your vinyl as few times as possible, otherwise you risk perforating it and it tearing out.
• I really love sewing with printed vinyls, scroll to the bottom for links (Bottom Right Pic).

Sewing with Vinyl Video

If you enjoy videos, I also have an Ultimate Guide to Sewing with Clear Vinyl videos, head over to YouTube and watch to get an idea how to easily use any type of clear vinyl.

Where to Buy Clear Vinyl

There are may great sources for clear vinyl, including recycling, as I mentioned above. I have a few trusted sources for purchasing clear vinyl:

United States:

• Sassafrass Lane – I shopped here at Quilt Con and loved their vinyl

Canada

• Zipper Valley – Shipping is paused to the US during the Canadian Postal strike, but I love their vinyl

I’m still working on gathering more sources, as I often bought my vinyl for sewing at Joann, so please share your favorite place to get vinyl in the comments as well.

The post Ultimate Guide to Sewing with Clear Vinyl appeared first on Clover & Violet.

I taught teen beginner quitlers to quilt this summer, and in the process, I learned a few things I hadn’t really thought about since I’ve been sewing and quilting for a long time. So I wanted to take some time and share my 6 Things Every Beginner Quilter Should Know with you. Maybe this will help you with your quilting or sewing, or maybe you’re wanting to teach someone else but haven’t started yet!

Choose a Simple Pattern

We went with these three, from L-R, and they were attainable, interesting, and still easy:

• ​Folk Fables Quilt by Remi Vail Studio​
• ​Always Together Quitl by Remi Vail Studio​
• ​Happy Scallops by Quilty Love​

By choosing a pattern that was easy to follow and beginner-friendly, we were able to concentrate on repetition and not get distracted by tiny pieces or complicated piecing.

Starch is Your Best Friend

I’ve never really used much starch. I usually prefer Best Press, Flatter, or even the homemade Best Press. But when you’re quilting with someone for the first time, the crisper that you can make your fabric, the easier it is to sew!

We used the Fautless Heavy Starch, took the fabric outside, laid it on a bedsheet and sprayed it down, let the starch dry, and then pressed it. It made sewing a dream, and I’m a starch convert forever. I’ll be using this for any large quilt project in the future.

Shorten Your Stitch Length

Shorten the stitch length on your machine. There’s a lot of talk about how different thread types and stitch length affect your seam allowance, but for beginner quilters, having secure stitches, especially when chain sewing blocks, is the most important thing. I noticed quite often that the blocks were starting to come apart near the ends from handling, especially when we were dealing with larger sections of the quilt. By shortening the stitch length, we reduced that a lot.

Pin Every Seam

Especially when sewing blocks together, pin everything. There are a lot of things to focus on when quilting, so make it easy on your beginner quilter by helping them get things in the right place before starting to sew. By pinning the seams in the direction I wanted them to go, especially when joining blocks, my teens were able to focus on keeping their seam allowance even and worry less about the seams.

Get a Quarter-Inch Foot

Grab a quarter-inch foot; my favorite is the Original Little Foot. This will really help your new quilter keep the seam allowance on track! Make sure to emphasize consistency, then trim any blocks if necessary.

Fix Some of Their Mistakes

If you’re helping somebody new at quilting, fixing some of their mistakes, especially if there’s a string of blocks that need to be redone, is so helpful to keep the project feeling positive and moving forward. I would take out the stitches and have the quilter redo the block, or occasionally, I’d just fix a handful of blocks all the way if we were getting off track. Having to fix things can be discouraging and feel like a step backwards.

Celebrate Their Progress

Make checkmarks on the patterns for completion. Counting up how many blocks were finished. Lay out the portion of the quilt that was done. Take pictures of the progress. Looking at the progress and celebrating it went a long way toward keeping up the motivation.  

Overall, teaching my teen beginner quilters and making these quilts together was a fun experience and hopefully won’t be their last. The quilts are currently on their way to Sandy at Thai Charm for quilting, and then we’ll be binding them. I’ll post again a final wrap-up, but I wanted to share what we’ve learned!

The post 6 Things Every Beginner Quilter Should Know appeared first on Clover & Violet.

I’ve got a tutorial for you! Make your very own travel thread catcher so that you can hand stitch on the go without leaving threads everywhere or having them migrate all over your project case!

Gather Supplies for the Travel Thread Catcher

• Wool Felt — 3 ½” x 4 ¼”
• Clear Vinyl — 3 ¾” x 9″

I got my wool felt from Benzie Designs, you can check them out here. The cute daisy clear vinyl is from Sassafras Lane, you can find it here.

Make the Thread Catcher

To make the thread catcher, just fold your vinyl in half, matching the short edges. Slip your wool felt in the middle and then sew 1/4″ from the top edge.

If you’ve never sewn with clear vinyl before, I have some sewing with vinyl tips here, and a video to help you get started as well.

Keep your threads from drifting everywhere

If you’ve ever sewn anywhere in public, you know that keeping track of those trimmed threads can be difficult, I’ve had them blowing away from me at the pool and am always afraid I’m going to leave threads everywhere.

But this convenient travel thread catcher will keep them all together and tidy! It fits perfectly in the Rosa Supply Case to keep all those clippings from getting lost!

Watch the video

If you make one of these, I’d love for you to let me know! What’s your favorite travel project to make on the go and do you have any storage hacks to keep things organized?

The post Tutorial: Travel Thread Catcher for Sewing on the Go appeared first on Clover & Violet.

If you just made one or two small Foundation Paper Piecing projects, save the sewing machine needle you used for FPP in this cute little paper matchbook so that you can use a sharp needle for regular sewing but reuse your FPP needle for your next small FPP project.

Gather your supplies:

• 2” x 4 1/2” paper – I used paper from an old Rifle Paper Co calendar
• 1 3/4” x 2” felt – I love Benzie Designs for premium wool blend felt, but any felt will do for this project
• Hera marker or butter knife
• Stapler

Matchbook Needle Case Step 1:

Mark your paper 1/2” from one short end. Using a Hera marker or table knife, make an indent in the paper at that 1/2″ mark as seen below.

Matchbook Needle Case Step 2:

Fold the paper up at the indent and place the felt inside. Staple the felt inside the 1/2″ fold to create the lip of the Matchbook Needle Case.

Matchbook Needle Case Step 3:

Fold the paper above the felt over and tuck the remainder of the paper inside the fold. Crease the paper at the top and you are done!

I hope you are able to try this simple storage solution for your Sewing Needles! I love reusing little scraps of paper (like the calendar) and leftover felt to make these cute little matchbooks for all kinds of needles, not just sewing machine needles This is a quick, easy solution that is also pretty. Who doesn’t like that? Let us know if you give it a try!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you purchase using my link. I only recommend things that I fully endorse and would buy myself. I appreciate your support if you choose to use my link for purchase.

The post Make a Matchbook Needle Case: Quick Sewing Needle Storage Solution appeared first on Clover & Violet.

What is #SewPink with ByAnnie?

The #SewPink Initiative was created by ByAnnie.com LLC to raise awareness for breast cancer throughout the year. Efforts culminate in an annual blog hop during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote self-care, awareness, early detection and support for those affected by breast cancer.

To learn more and see the calendar of events visit: https://www.ByAnnie.com/SewPINK

To find screenings available near you:

• Breast Screen (Australia)
• CDC.gov (US)
• Komen Foundation (More info)

SewPink Sewing Projects: The Rosa Supply Case

For my #SewPink sewing project, I decided to share my favorite pink Rosa Supply Case for a few reasons. Travel sewing cases are some of my favorite projects because they give the perfect way to pack your supplies for sewing on the go.

The very first ByAnnie product I discovered was Soft & Stable, and it has been my go-to choice for all my travel cases since I first used it. Not only does one layer give this case all the sturdiness it needs, but don’t you just love the way it puffs when quilted?

I used the Modern Hexie method to applique my hexies on top of the front of the case. I’ve done this before and everyone wanted to see how to do it, so I made a video for adding applique hexies to the Rosa Supply Case for you as well, this should help you add these fun hexies to any project!

Create Your Own Modern Hexies for Any Project

Inside there are plenty of pockets for all your supplies, which would be great for traveling or taking to appointments and waiting rooms. My favorite hand project of choice is EPP, but it would be a handy holder for any kind of on-the-go stitching.

Learn to Sew English Paper Piecing

If you want to learn more about EPP, you can check out these videos to help you get started:

• Making Hexagons for EPP
• Sewing EPP Hexagons Together

Some of my favorite EPP supplies:

• 1″ Hexagon Papers
• 1″ Hexagon Template – I prefer the 3/8″ seam allowance
• SewLine Glue pen – or use a washable glue stick
• Millners Needles – makes hand sewing so easy
• Aurifil 50wt Thread – if you thread baste
• Aurifil 80wt Thread – for sewing the shapes together
• SewFine Thread Gloss – strengthen and condition your thread

Giveaway!

Of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share a giveaway with you all. Instead of givign away a prize that has to be shipped, I’m giving away a $50 Gift Certificate to the online shop of your choice, and this giveaway is open internationally. To enter, fill out the form here.

More SewPink Sewing Projects

If you’re just now checking out the blog hop, make sure to stop at the ByAnnie #SewPink home page to learn more and follow along with the rest of the blog hop, here’s a look at all the of participants:

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and I hope you enjoy the blog hop and the #SewPink initiative to raise awareness and promote early detection for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you purchase using my link. I only recommend things that I fully endorse and would buy myself. I appreciate your support if you choose to use my link for purchase.

The post #SewPink And Bring Your Favorite Sewing Projects On the Go appeared first on Clover & Violet.

We’ve all been there – it’s summertime. Suddenly we are driving our kids around from place to place, switching bags like the lanes on the highway. From our tote bag to the pool bag to a smaller handbag for dinner out, it can take ages to find the essentials to move to the next bag. And chances are all of our stuff is covered in cracker crumbs or smashed candy (just me?)

Life is so much easier with a handy bag organizer, and by making one yourself, it can be chicer as well.

Our Iris Handbag Organizer is a perfect option for making your day more streamlined.

Why a Bag Organizer?

If we were to lay out everything we must have on us when leaving the house, chances are we’d have:

But in a rush, how often do we dig around the bottom of our purses searching for one of these? It can be nearly impossible to find our lipstick when it is surrounded by old receipts or a wayward pacifier.

Having a multifaceted bag organizer can ease headaches and make your response quicker, especially when you cannot physically look to pull out a snack.

The Iris Handbag Organizer

The advantage of making your own bag organizer is you can customize it to your liking. Maybe you have a favorite fabric that you’ve been holding onto. Maybe you have a bag with wonky dimensions that an internet search of organizers cannot accommodate. Also, you can modify the organizer to serve multiple purposes. I’ve even made one to store my sewing supplies when I’ve gone on trips or to sit by the pool and do some handstitching.

The Iris Handbag Organizer, in particular, has a lot of awesome features – a loop to hold a water bottle; a spot to clip your keys; eight separate pockets; and more.

A Simple Zipper Pouch – A Travel-Time Hero

If the idea of making a somewhat complicated organizer for your tote bag seems daunting, a simple zipper pouch will do. These do not take long to whip up, and you can have a separate pouch for different things, particularly during travel:

(I’m also a little partial to the Katie Book Sleeve to keep my book and journal safe and sound)

One of the great things about making your own zipper pouch is not only can you customize the fabric, but there are so many interesting choices for zippers out there beyond your usual boring suspects.

By taking time at the sewing table, you can easily have a collection of bag organizers to help keep your sanity this summer. Whether its on a cross-country flight, road trip, or trip to the swimming pool, an organized bag that is easy to access without much thought will keep you cool during this hectic season.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you purchase using my link. I only recommend things that I fully endorse and would buy myself. I appreciate your support if you choose to use my link for purchase.

The post Unique Bag Organizers to Keep You Together This Summer appeared first on Clover & Violet.

Double Fold Bias Tape is one of the most popular bindings for your sewing and quilty projects. Whether you make your own or buy them premade at big box store, bias tape binding adds a clean edging that makes your creation pop.

What is Double Fold Bias Tape? It is a type of edging used to finish quilts, sewing cases, table runners, and other projects that have curved edges.

However, a simple internet search will provide several options for finishing – single fold vs. double fold bias tape…single fold vs. double fold binding…it can be overwhelming!

In this post, we share with you:

What is Double Fold Bias Tape?

What sets bias tape apart from other bindings?

Unlike straight binding which is cut along the grain or selvage to selvage, bias tape is cut on a 45-degree angle.

Cutting on the angle gives the bias tape “give,” or the ability to stretch around a corner. This ease is especially important when going around curves like in our Rosa Supply Case or Flora Supply Case. Straight grain binding does not have the same kind of flexibility and is best for projects that have right corners or squared edges.

How Do You Make Your Own Bias Tape?

Whereas you can purchase pre-made bias tape at your favorite big box store, making your own can enhance your project. You can use stash fabric that perfectly matches your color story and save money in the process.

Using a bias tape maker like the one I prefer can make the process even simpler.

Double fold bias tape is made by cutting a 2″ strip of fabric to your desired length then doing some folding. Fold both raw edges into the center of the strip, and then fold the entire strip in half and steam. This creates the flexible binding you desire at a fraction of the cost.

What About Store-Bought Bias Tape?

If the thought of making your own bias tape is daunting, big box retailers have plenty of options. The video below breaks down four types of bias binding I found a local fabric store:

So, if you are working on a project with a curved edge, double fold bias tape is the way to go. Not only will its flexibility ease your frustrations, but you can customize it to make it your own. Try making it from your favorite stash, and you’re bound to be impressed with yourself!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you purchase using my link. I only recommend things that I fully endorse and would buy myself. I appreciate your support if you choose to use my link for purchase.

The post All About The Binding: Double Fold Bias Tape appeared first on Clover & Violet.