In Color Order

New Sewing Room Tour

2026-03-18T05:30:00.002-04:00

I'm excited to share a look into my new sewing room! We moved into a 70s split level home in November and I've been slowly building out a space for crafting. The room is part of the main living area of the house, which makes it really convenient to pop in and out of all day. I believe the previous owners used it as a formal living room. For us, it has become a room that we spend a lot of time in, especially my daughter and I. Either sewing, crafting, coloring or just playing; we are in here all day! I'm sure it will continue to evolve as we settle in, but I wanted to share how we've arranged the space for now!

See tours of my previous sewing room here: 2019 Sewing Room Tour, Big Sewing Room Changes

This room is quite a bit larger than my previous sewing room, so I've been working on adding a few more pieces of furniture. I have been able to find two great pieces for this room from a local thrift store called Centre Peace. Lucky for us, they deliver! And they have a great mission, it's a win-win. My most recent acquisition is this wood dresser! It's holding most of my art and craft supplies: paper, paint, stickers, washi tape, stamps, etc. There is a lot crammed in there!!

My fabric cabinet moved just fine and I got my quilting cotton all organized by color again. To be honest, I'd love to replace this cabinet at some point with something wood. For now though, it's what I've got! I'm really making it a priority to buy furniture that we need secondhand, which just means being patient and always having a list! I am happy to have room for my yellow vintage store display stand again. It was stored in our attic the last few years. Right now it has mostly vintage pillowcases and scraps in it!

Another thrifted piece of furniture for office supplies and pattern shop inventory. I believe this was a dresser originally, but I'm using it as more of a credenza or sideboard. A little feed-n-wax brought this piece back to life and it's been working great at containing my online shop stuff!

My two wooden schoolhouse tables fit perfectly under this big bank of windows. I immediately filled the window sill with plants and set up a cat bed for Dusty. Definitely still need to work on this corner a bit, but it's coming along!

Machine is up and running! I set up my sewing machine in a pretty similar orientation as my last space. I am missing my wall shelves behind it though, it was nice to keep the table space behind it open. We'll see if I do anything to change that in future. I am using this wooden organizer from ikea to store tools and notions for now. It was a relief to get my ruler storage pegboard up! It needs a fresh coat of paint, but I can't decide on the color!

Ironing set up is pretty basic, just my board and an ikea cart to hold my iron and water.

The previous owners left lots of ceiling hooks near the windows, so of course I had to take advantage of that right away! I ended up making all the hangers from thrifted materials or stuff I already had. They're all a bit different. They're made from colanders, plastic pots, baskets, and tins. I've never had space for hanging plants before, so this is fun for me! I used nylon paracord for the hanging part.

We repurposed the table from our office/library in our last home as a coloring table for our daughter! I swapped in adjustable legs and set them to the lowest height. We keep a sheet of paper on it all the time so she can color anytime she wants. It's been great having a dedicated space for her to play in here too.

The expedit shelf survived another move, relatively unscathed! I'm using it in basically the same way as my last space. Storage for notions, patterns, interfacing and my vintage sheet collection.

Last but not least, I hung up my thread shelf! At first I wasn't sure I'd like having it so far from my machine, but honestly it's been fine. I sew with white thread like 95% of the time, so it's really not a big deal. I am just happy to have my thread out of a box! I do have a tutorial for this shelf if you're interested: My DIY Thread Storage Shelf

That's it for now! I know this space will continue to change to fit our needs, but for now we're loving it! I am very lucky to have such a beautiful space. I think I'm most excited about all the empty floor space. I love being able to spread out on the floor and I was missing that in our last home. Plenty of room for basting quilts here! We'll see if that translates into more quilting by me!

Happy Sewing!

SEW Pincushion Tutorial

2026-03-04T05:30:00.001-05:00

As promised, today I have a tutorial for this SEW pincushion to share! I originally designed this pincushion for a publication back in 2013! It didn't end up getting included in the book, and I've been wanting to share it here ever since. The first pincushion I made has sun damage, so it seemed like a good excuse to make a new one!

The piecing for this pincushion can be a little tricky, since the strips are so narrow, but it still comes together quickly! One advantage of the small pieces is that it's really great for using scraps. For the newer version I added some fusible fleece interfacing and light quilting. It's totally optional, but I think it gives it a nice look and a little extra stability. Anyways, enjoy the tutorial for this fun wordplay pincushion!

SEW Pincushion Tutorial
Have questions about making pincushions? Check out my All About Pincushions post.

Sewing Level: Intermediate
Finished size: 7.5”x3.5”

Materials:
- 1/8 yard of fabric for letters (or scraps)
- 1/8 yard of fabric for background (or scraps)
- (2) 10"x6" pieces of cotton batting or fusible fleece interfacing (optional)
- Pincushion filling (fiberfill or crushed walnut shells)
- Coordinating thread
- Hand sewing needle

Cutting:

From letter fabric, cut:
(8) 1.5”x1” A pieces
(2) 2”x1” B pieces
(3) 3”x1” C pieces

From background fabric, cut:
(6) 1.5”x1” D pieces
(1) 2”x1.5” E piece
(4) 3”x1” F pieces
(2) 8”x1” G pieces*
(1) 4”x8” backing piece*

*You may want to cut these pieces a little extra long (ex: 8.5" instead of 8"). With so many seams and small pieces sometimes the piecework can end up a little larger than expected! Easier to trim it down after the fact than have a piece that's too short.

Instructions:
*1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise noted*

1. Letter S: Sew together two pairs of A and D pieces, along the long sides. Press seams open. Sew an A piece to the left side of one pieced pair, press seam open. Sew an A piece to the right side of one pieced pair, press seam open. Sew both pieces together according to the diagram, press seam open. Sew a B piece to the bottom to complete the letter S, press seam open.

Letter E: Sew together two pairs of A and D pieces, along the long sides. Press seams open. Sew pieced pairs together, press seam open. Sew an A piece to the bottom of this pieced unit, press seam open. Sew a C piece to the left side to complete the letter E, press seam open.

Letter W: Sew together an A and D piece, along the long sides. Press seam open. Sew a D piece to the end of the pieced pair, so that the A piece is in the middle. Press seam open. Sew piece E to the top of this pieced unit, press seam open. Sew piece B to the bottom, press seam open. Sew a C piece to the left and right sides to complete the letter W, press seams open.

2. Arrange the pieced letters according to the diagram, with an F piece between each letter and on either side. Sew together in order, press seams open. Sew a G piece to the top and bottom of the pieced letters. Press seams open.

3. Optional: Layer pincushion top with batting or interfacing, quilt as desired. Layer pincushion backing with batting or interfacing, quilt as desired. Trim both pieces to 4"x8".

4. Place pincushion top right sides together with the backing piece. Sew around all four sides, leaving a small opening for turning on one of the short ends.

5. Turn right sides out, poking out the corners with a dull pencil. Fill pincushion with desired stuffing and close the opening with a whip or ladder stitch.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I have lots of other tutorials for everything from quilts, pillows, bags, and holiday items to informational series and techniques. Find all my tutorials here: Tutorials. My online shop is filled with patterns for quilts and bags. Find my patterns here: Jeni Baker Patterns

Tag me @jenib320 on instagram if you make something from this tutorial, I'd love to see it!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!

Happy Sewing!

What I've Been Working On

2026-02-24T05:30:00.001-05:00

Ever since our move in mid-November, I've been working on the most random projects! The lined drawstring bag sew along started right after we got here, so I haven't really shared what I'm working on since November! So this is going to be a bit of a catch-up post of things I've sewn and crafted since then, starting with some holiday projects.

It should come as no surprise that I love table linens. I have a couple drawers full of thrifted tablecloths, napkins and placemats. My stash is the most lacking in placemats, most of the ones we use are handmade. This year I decided to sacrifice a vintage Christmas tablecloth that was too small and turn it into placemats! I made six placemats and still have plenty leftover!

My daughter has discovered the joys of perler beads. She's a bit young to do them on her own, but she loves telling us what to make her! We started by making a bunch of colorful ornaments but have also made cats, bows, hello kitty and friends, etc. It's been fun to revisit this craft.

I didn't hang up my collection of paper snowflakes this season, but I did make some new tiny ones! These are made with 2.5" squares of paper.

I usually make a few new holiday lined drawstring bags outside of the ones I make for the sew along tutorials. This one used a scrap of postage stamp fabric that my friend Jacey gave me many years ago. I love how it turned out!! I was able to use thrifted fabrics for the accent and lining too, which is nice! This is the everything size from my pattern.

I made my daughter another Christmas quilt! Looking back I don't think I ever shared the one I made her the year before, oops! I'll be sure to share them both in full soon. This one is bigger and just simple patchwork. I even managed to finish it before Christmas!

Speaking of quilts, I bound three that I had quilted by Katie this past fall!

We were long overdue for a new potholder, as our old one was looking a bit rough. I actually ended up repairing the old one too, I'll share more about both of these soon!

Another peek at a project that will show up in full here in the coming weeks, a zipper pouch made with old fabric samples!

The last little tease of an upcoming post. I remade the "SEW" pincushion I made for a publication long ago. I'm writing a tutorial for it!

This month I finally made myself one of these stuffed geese with the Silly Goose pattern by Woolly Petals*. What a hilarious and fun project this was. I love how it turned out, I think it's adorable! I used about half of a vintage pillowcase and the orange print was pulled from my scrap bin. Thankfully I had some safety eyes on hand to finish it off. I will definitely be making more of these!!

I have plans to change out some of the light fixtures in our new house, but I've only just started the process of sourcing new fixtures so I know it will be a while before we actually make the changes. So for now I decided to dress up the light in the dining room a little. I painted it green (it really needs another coat!) and made these little shades for it out of vellum. It had no shades previously, so the light was pretty harsh. These simple pleated shades help diffuse the light and make it a lot more pleasant to have the light on! It took some experimenting to get the shades right, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I think it kind of looks like flowers now! To head off any concerns: the bulbs are LED so they don't get hot and the shades don't touch the bulbs.

Lastly, I started a new junk journal. This one is really simple, it's a "stamp" collection!! I saw someone doing this on instagram (here) and the idea really spoke to me. I already had the punch in my stash, so it was an easy choice! I love real stamps, so it feels like it was meant to be. And it's very low effort, which is what I need right now. It's been fun!

Okay, that's a pretty good recap for now! I hope to be back soon to share a little tour of my sewing space.

Happy Making!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Recent Knitting Projects

2026-02-20T05:30:00.001-05:00

I haven't had a ton of time lately for sewing, but I have been doing a lot of knitting so far this year. It's something I can take around the house with me and work on while my daughter plays. I have also been using it to unwind at the end of the night while listening to an audiobook. Last month I was really feeling the stress of the last few months. Michael started his new job (which was been quite stressful) and we're still navigating our new home/life/town. It's been a few years since I've knitted seriously and it felt like the right time to pick it back up. There is something about counting the stitches and the repitition that is very relaxing.

My favorite thing to knit is hats, so that's what I've been making! I'm working on my fourth hat of the year already!! I wanted to document the ones that I've finished so far.

First up, a new Astra hat! This is the Astra Hat by Ambah O'Brien, my very favorite hat pattern to knit. It's really enjoyable and I love how it looks too, win-win! I knit this one for myself.

This is the Scrappy Marl Pattern by Beata Jezek (Hedgehog Fibres), which is free. It was my first time marling, you hold two strands of sock yarn. Loved knitting this one and it was nice to be able to use up some sock yarn! Despite the fact that I am not a sock knitter, I have a lot of sock weight yarn. I am looking forward to more marling in the future! Michael claimed this one.

I used the same yarns in this woven scarf a few years ago!

Finally I made a hat for my daughter. This is the Bells Beanie by Ambah O'Brien. It was my first time knitting with handspun yarn! This one is from Spun Right Round, years ago! A really fun knit, another one I'll knit again!

And now I'm making another Astra hat, this time for my Mom! You can find more of my knitting projects on my Ravelry. Hopefully I'll be back soon to share some sewing projects!

Happy Knitting!

2026 Crafty Goals

2026-01-16T05:30:00.001-05:00

Today I wanted to share my 2026 crafty goals! Similar to the last few years, my goal list for this year is short and simple. I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to crafting or my work right now, so I'm trying to keep my goals manageable. I am trying to focus more on consistency this year. Consistently carving out time to do something craft or art related. Staying focused on the types of projects that are making me happy which are projects made with secondhand materials and/or projects made with scraps. Here are my crafty goals for this year:

2026 Crafty Goals

- Continue to prioritize using secondhand or repurposed materials.

- Use up more yardage than I bring in for both fabric and yarn.

- Finish up 1 or 2 long-term projects in progress.

- Release 1 new pattern.

- Make a mini Making Backpack.

- Complete one small scrap project per month.

- Try a new craft! I have supplies to try out marbling, natural dyeing, weaving (with a simple flat loom), bleach dyeing, etc.

- Put my loom back together and weave a new scarf.

- Try to do something crafty (sewing, knitting, painting, drawing, crocheting, etc) most days.

- Have an indigo dyeing day this summer!

If you're looking for some advice for making crafty goals, I wrote a post about my general approach to crafty goals a few years ago, you can find it here: Tips for Making and Keeping Crafty Goals.

Happy Making!

My 2025 Garden and 2026 Garden Plans

2026-01-13T05:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday! Today I wanted to spend some time looking back on my 2025 garden and looking forward to my 2026 garden plans! See past gardening posts here.

Before the season really started (end of March) we found out we'd be moving at the end of 2025, so I knew going into this season that it would be our last in CT. I'm grateful we had one more full season in our garden. I took it as an opportunity to try out some new-to-me things and use up old seeds. One thing I finally had success with this year was sugar snap peas! I had tried growing them before, but always in containers that would go on to have tomatoes in them, so I would have to pull them out to make room for those before they really had a chance. I only had a few plants in a small pot, but they did great! And I loved how cute the flowers were, they took me be surprise. Will definitely grow some again!

A last hurrah for our container driveway garden. It served us well for many years! We skipped the peppers this year and did less tomatoes than usual since we wouldn't be freezing any. We grew sungold, chocolate pear, and patio choice yellow bush cherry. We tried to grow golden jubilee tomatoes, but ended up with a red roma tomato, must have been an error when they were packing the seeds! This year I'd really like to branch out from the cherry varieties and grow a slicer. We were able to enjoy some of our neighbors heirloom slicers when they were on vacation and they were delicious. I haven't decided on a variety yet, but I'm excited!

I grew green beans for the first time! I planted them on a whim in amongst our tomatoes that were growing in galvanized tubs. I really didn't expect much, but we got a couple of great harvests! I'm really excited to grow green beans again.

Last in the veg category was pumpkins! I grew a few different small pumpkin varieties this year. Some in ground and some in containers. They did okay. I got maybe six pumpkins? Not sure how I feel about doing them again to be honest. They just take up so much room!

Something I will definitely be growing again are nasturtiums. I've had pretty mixed luck with them in the past, but always tried growing them in containers. This year I grew this trailing variety in ground as a border. They were SO vigorous! I still can't believe how well they did. I was able to collect a ton of seeds from them to stash away and share.

On the note of sharing, that was one of the great joys of our garden in 2025. At the beginning of the season and towards the end, I collected and shared tons of seeds through our little free library. It was so fun and even our 2 year old got excited to help collect seeds. At least one person in our neighborhood said they grew something from seed for the first time from our library, which made me so happy. I look forward to our library going up here in our new home so that I can keep filling it with fun stuff like seeds.

Onto perennials! I finally got a lupine to bloom and thrive! I had tried in the past, but didn't give it enough sun. I think I got 4 or 5 spikes off of this small plant this year? I was thrilled. And the color, so pretty! I saved seeds from this and brought them with me, I hope I can have success again!

Our front yard perennial patch has really established over the years. The echinacea kind of took over, but that's okay. I slowly moved other things out of this space and just let it run wild. I'm happy to say it has become a goldfinch haven!! It was also a great year for the hydrangeas. So blue! I am curious to see what color the hydrangeas will be here. In seven years I never amended ours in CT, they were that blue with the native soil, which is so cool.

I really love how this little shade garden came together in the backyard. Over the course of the season it changed as I dug plants out to take with us and moved plants from other parts of the yard to fill it back in. It won't look like this again, but I hope it will still look good for the new owners of our house.

On that note, early in the season I dug up all the mini hostas I knew I'd want to take and arranged them into three big pots. I love collecting the minis and they can be difficult to find (beyond the classic mouse ear). I did it for practical reasons, but they really were so adorable all together like this.

Of course I grew lots of dahlias this year! I only purchased three new tubers this year and all from a local farm (Two Meadow Farm in North Haven, CT). I also grew some other new-to-me varieties from my friend and neighbor Halina! We made a day out of our dividing this year on her driveway, which made what can be a tedious task so much fun. Highly recommend making gardening friends, they're the absolute best.

I really pushed the limits of the tubers I planted this year, because why not! This teeny tiny tuber grew into a full size plant with blooms!

One of the varieties I bought this year, Zaaling. I wish I had more photos of it that really showed off the color variations. Every flower is different on this plant!

Looking toward the 2026 gardening season I know this year (and probably the next few) there will be a lot of trial and error. There is a lot of space in this yard and we should get a lot more sun. But until we live through a season here, I can't be sure what all is already here, and where the best spots will be for things like the dahlias and a vegetable garden. There are a lot of beautiful mature bushes and trees here, but generally the gardens are overdue for maintenance so that will be an ongoing project. We are not starting from scratch like we did in CT, but there will still be lots and lots to do. First order of business will be removing as much landscape fabric as I can and just generally cleaning things up and evaluating. Definitely a lot of opportunity for planting here in the future, just need to do some groundwork first (literally, haha). Looking forward to getting started, that's for sure!!

Happy Gardening!

2025 in Review

2026-01-07T05:30:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! It's time to officially wrap up my creative year for 2025. This is my 17th year writing these wrap up posts, see previous years here. (That seemed like way too high a number, so I went back and counted. Can confirm!)

Wow! 2025 was challenging. At the beginning of the year, Michael was interviewing for academic jobs, but we had no idea what to expect or where we might end up. Fast forward to the present and we are in our new home in State College, Pennsylvania and he started his new job this week! It was a year of change and a slow goodbye to our life in Connecticut. It was much harder to leave than I would have expected when we first moved there in 2017. We really put down roots and fell in love with our area, home and our neighbors. Hamden (New Haven) will always hold a special place in our hearts, that's for sure. Needless to say, the last six months especially have been tough. Trying to pack, show/sell our house, and move out of state (with a toddler and a kitty) was a lot!! I am glad to be on the other side of all that. We have been settling into our new home and exploring our new town.

Just like last year, I didn't think I made that many things this year, but looking back I made more than I thought. Our daughter dropped her only nap in March, so my crafting time decreased considerably. That combined with needing to pack/move meant I often didn't have enough energy left to sew. Somehow I managed to make some fun things, share some tutorials and host my annual Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along! Let's dive into some of my favorite projects from the year and then evaluate how I did on my 2025 crafty goals.

My favorite quilt finish: Vintage Sheet Schoolhouse Quilt

The most used quilt of 2025: Hello Kitty Patchwork Quilt

My favorite lined drawstring bag: Upcycled Tea Towel Drawstring Bag

My favorite bag project: Upcycled Towel Boxy Pouches

My favorite home decor project: Quilted Tea Towel Pillow Cover

This year I shared 9 free tutorials here on my blog and hosted a sew along:

Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along
DIY Seed Germination Book and My Seed Starting Setup
My Favorite DIY Stain Remover for Oil Stains
Jeni's Dahlia Growing Guide
HST Leftovers Free Baby Quilt Pattern
Upcycling Materials for Lined Drawstring Bags
Tree Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Scrappy Color Blocked Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Leftover Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

I also released a new pattern this year:
Starflower Quilted Zipper Pouch Pattern

Let's check in with my 2025 Crafty Goals:
Use up more yardage than I bring in for both fabric and yarn.
I don't think I bought any "new" fabric or yarn this year. Anything I brought in was secondhand and even that was minimal. I got rid of a huge amount of fabric, especially ahead of our move.

Finish up 1 or 2 long-term projects in progress.
I feel very good about how I did with this goal! I put together two quilt tops out of two stacks of super old blocks and sent them out for quilting. I also finally put together my Night Sky quilt which has been in progress for many years. All of those quilts are quilted and one is bound!

Release 2 new patterns.
Made it halfway to this goal, I released one new pattern this year: Starflower Quilted Zipper Pouch Pattern

Destash fabric and yarn I don't think I'll use.
I destashed a lot of fabric, vintage sheets and yarn this year. Somehow I still have a huge stash, but I feel good about what I was able to part with.

Make a mini Making Backpack.
Bummed that I didn't get to this project in 2025. Top of my list in 2026!

Host another quilt along! Hopefully this Spring, keep your eye out.
Maybe this year? I think this was quite an ambitious goal considering how chaotic 2025 ended up being!

Work on a pair of colorwork mittens.
I started the Snowfling Mitts by Tanis Lavallee. I loved knitting her Sweet Nectar Mitts pattern a few years ago!

Try a new craft! I already have supplies to try out marbling, natural dyeing, weaving (with a simple flat loom), bleach dyeing, etc.
I did not try any new crafts this year! Hopefully in 2026.

Continue to experiment and make things with repurposed textiles.
This applies to most of the sewing I did in 2025! I made a bunch of pouches from towels, two vintage sheet quilts, some drawstring bags from napkins and a towel, plus some pillow covers too.

Finish a crochet project.
I don't think I finished any crochet projects this year. I did knit a hat!

I'll be back soon to share my 2025 garden wrap-up post and some 2026 crafty goals. I always look forward to writing the garden post, especially since it's the middle of winter! A great excuse to spend time pouring over gardening photos and dreaming about the next season.

Happy Sewing!

Leftover Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

2025-12-17T05:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the fourth and final week of the Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along!

I'll be updating the Sew Along Page each week with all the posts so that you can easily catch up or reference these posts after the sew along ends!

I hope you'll sew along with us! Sew from the tutorial or the patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern

This week's task is finishing our bags! Tackle those drawstring casings, make fabric ties or prep twill/paracord ties. Pull ties through the bags and finish them off with a simple knot or some fun beads! A few posts you might find helpful this week:

- Marking the drawstring casings can be time consuming, especially if you're making a lot of bags. I have a video tutorial for an alternative marking technique that is my go-to method. Find it here: Alternative Method for Marking the Drawstring Casing

- If you're like me and you don't have a free-arm on your sewing machine, I have a video tutorial for how to sew the drawstring casings. Find it here: How to Sew a Drawstring Casing Without a Free-Arm Sewing Machine

- Using beads and want to take them to the next level? I have a tutorial all about how to customize unfinished wooden beads. Find it here: How to Customize Wooden Beads with Paint, Stain, and Dye

- You've made your bags and now you're ready to gift them, why not use some reusable gift tags too! I share five different ideas for tagging your bags in this post: Reusable Gift Tag Ideas for Drawstring Bags

- Working with Paracord can be intimidating if you've never used it before, I've got a post that breaks down the basics for you: Tips for Working with Paracord

- I also have a similar post for using cotton twill tape for ties: All About Cotton Twill Tape and How to Use it for Drawstring Bags

- Dress up plain cotton twill tape with some dye: Tie-Dye Twill Tape Tutorial

Today I have a new bag size to share with you, to finish off the sew along! This is a flat bag without any gussets, which means it comes together really fast. This bag uses up one (or two) leftover 12" quilt blocks. Most of us have a few kicking around our stash, so I thought it would be fun to make a bag that uses those up! Especially if you're making bags for wrapping gifts, it can be nice to have a few flat bags on hand.

Sewing Level: Beginner Friendly
Finished Size: Approx. 16.5" tall by 12" wide

Materials:
- 12.5"x12.5" unfinished quilt block
- 1 fat quarter for exterior main (or a second quilt block for the back!)
- 1/4 yard for accent (or fat quarter)
- 1/2 yard for interior
- 1/8 yard fabric or 2 yards of twill tape for ties
- Coordinating thread

Cutting:
From Exterior Main Fabric:
- Cut (1) 12.5"x12.5" piece

From Exterior Accent Fabric:
- Cut (2) 5"x12.5" pieces

From Interior Fabric:
- Cut (2) 17"x12.5"

If using fabric for ties:
- Cut (2) 36”x2” strips

If using twill for ties:
- Cut (2) 36" pieces

For bag construction, refer to the free tutorial or the lined drawstring bag pattern. You'll be using the quilt block as an Exterior Main piece.

The depth for these bags is 0, so you can skip steps 6-8 and proceed to step 9. If you need extra guidance on the construction, please refer to the video tutorial.

The other side of this bag is totally different! I combined this week's tutorial with the Scrappy Color Blocked Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial I shared last week. All the canvas I used for the back and the accents was from my scrap bin, yay!

Here is another block bag I made when I was testing this idea, this one is made with all fabrics from my Curiosities collection.

I hope you've enjoyed this post! I can't wait to see your bags! Please share them with me on instagram @jenib320 or via email (jenib320 @ gmail.com)!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!

Happy Sewing!

Scrappy Color Blocked Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

2025-12-10T05:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the third week of the 2025 Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along!

I'll be updating the Sew Along Page each week with all the posts so that you can easily catch up or reference these posts after the sew along ends!

I hope you'll sew along with us! Sew from the tutorial or the patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern

Before we dive into the post, let's talk about our to-do list for week 3 of the sew along!

This week's main task is sewing. Sew your bags through step 10. If you're making a lot of bags and you're short on time, I highly recommend making them assembly line style. A few posts from the archives you might find helpful this week:

- I recorded a video tutorial that covers making the bags from start to finish. It's a bit long, but it's meant to be comprehensive! It covers everything from cutting to finishing. Find it here: Lined Drawstring Bag Video Tutorial

- If you need a little extra guidance when it comes to the gussets, I have a video for that too! Find it here: How to Put a Gusset on a Bag Video Tutorial

- Want your bags to have extra structure? Check out this post: Tips for Sturdy Lined Drawstring Bags

- Add a special detail to your gussets with this tutorial for exposed gussets that I think is rather cute: Exposed Gusset Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

- Check out this post that will help make your drawstring casing openings extra tidy: Tips for Tidy Drawstring Casing Openings

Today I want to share my scrappy color blocked bags with you! This idea has been kicking around my brain for a while, just waiting to be sewn up! I think there are a lot of directions you could take this, it's a great way to use up small pieces of stash or even scraps.

Make Your Own: The concept is pretty straightforward and will work with any of the sizes from the free tutorial or the lined drawstring bag pattern. Simply use a different color or fabric for each piece! My bag uses 6 fabrics, one for each accent piece, one for each exterior main piece, and one for each interior piece. You could even take it a step further and use two different colored ties!

For my first color blocked bag I decided to use all solids to really show off the idea in a high contrast way.

For my second color blocked bag I used prints. Instead of using all different colors for the two sides of the bag, I chose one color for the Exterior Main and one color for the Exterior Accent.

At first glance it looks pretty much like a typical lined drawstring bag.

I hope you've enjoyed this post! I can't wait to see your bags! Please share them with me on instagram @jenib320 or via email (jenib320 @ gmail.com)!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!

Happy Sewing!

Tree Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

2025-12-03T05:30:00.003-05:00

Welcome to week two of the 2025 Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along!

I'll be updating the Sew Along Page each week with all the posts so that you can easily catch up or reference these posts after the sew along ends!

I hope you'll sew along with us! Sew from the tutorial or the patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern

Here are a few to-do items for week two of the sew along!

The main task for this week is cutting! Finalize your fabric choices and cut out all the pieces for your bags. Here are a few posts from the archives that you might find helpful:

- If you're not comfortable using a rotary cutter, or just want to streamline your process, you won't want to miss my post on making templates for cutting out your bags. Find it here: Making Templates for the Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern

- Looking for ways to dress up your bag? Check out these tutorials: How to Use Trim or Ribbon to Embellish Your Drawstring Bags and Adding an Exterior Pocket.

I'm excited to share that shipping in my online shop has resumed! I have limited inventory of Cotton Twill Tape, Nylon Paracord, Round Wooden Beads, and Beehive Wooden Beads available.

Almost every year of the Sew Along I share a tutorial for a holiday themed quilt block to add to the front of a drawstring bag! This year I decided on a Tree Block! This is a simple paper pieced block.

Here are the corresponding tutorials:
- Present Quilt Block Drawstring Bag Free Tutorial
- Patchwork Star Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
- Gingerbread House Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
- Wreath Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Tree Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Sewing Level: Intermediate
Finished size: Approx. 10" tall, 7" wide, 3" deep

Tree Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Materials:
- 1 Fat quarter for Exterior Main*
- 1 Fat quarter for Exterior Accent
- 1 Fat quarter for Interior
- Scraps for paper pieced block
- Tree Paper Pieced Block Pattern
- 2 yards of 1/2" twill tape, nylon paracord or 1/8 yd fabric
- Coordinating thread
- Acrylic ruler
- Large safety pin
- Pencil

*I would recommend using a non-directional fabric for the exterior main, which also serves as the background in the gingerbread house block.

Looking for supplies? Check out my Pattern Supplies and Resources post.

Tree Quilt Block Cutting
Tree Trunk:
- Cut (1) 2.5"x2" piece for spot 1

Tree:
- Cut (1) 5"x6" piece for spot 4

Background (Exterior Main):
- Cut (2) 2.75"x2" pieces for spots 2 and 3
- Cut (2) 4"x8" pieces for spots 5 and 6

Tree Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Cutting
From Exterior Main Fabric:
- Cut (1) 9”x10.5” piece
- Cut (2) 6.5"x2.5" side pieces
- Cut (1) 1"x10.5" top piece
- Cut (1) 2.5"x10.5" bottom piece

From Exterior Accent Fabric:
- Cut (1) 4”x21” strip
- Subcut into (2) 4”x10.5” pieces

From Interior Fabric:
- Cut (1) 12.5”x21” strip
- Subcut into (2) 12.5”x10.5” pieces

If using fabric for ties:
- Cut (2) 32”x2” strips

If using twill for ties:
- Cut (2) 32" pieces

Tree Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Instructions:

*Use a 1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise noted*

1. Before constructing the bag, we first need to make the Tree Block. The block is paper pieced, you can download the free block pattern here: Tree Paper Pieced Block Pattern

If you're new to paper piecing, be sure to check out my paper piecing tutorial.

2. Remove papers from block and trim to 6.5" square. Press well.

Now it's time to add the borders to the Tree Quilt Block.

3. Sew the two 6.5"x2.5" side exterior main pieces to either side of the block. Press seams away from block.

4. Sew the 1"x10.5" top side exterior main piece to the top edge of the block. Press seams away from block. Sew the 2.5"x10.5" bottom side exterior main piece to the bottom edge of the block. Press seams away from block. Trim piece to 9"x10.5" if necessary. This is the Exterior Main piece for one side of the bag.

Optional: You may choose to add additional structure to your patchwork with a lightweight interfacing. I would recommend something like SF101 by Pellon, and interfacing both Exterior Main pieces.

For the bag construction, refer back to the free tutorial or the everything size in the lined drawstring bag pattern, start at step 1.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I can't wait to see your bags! Please share them with me on instagram @jenib320 or via email (jenib320 @ gmail.com)!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!

Happy Sewing!

Shop News: Thank You Pattern Sale

2025-11-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! I'm popping in quickly to let you know that I'm having a sale in my online shop this weekend! Save 20% off all PDF Patterns now through Monday night (11/28-12/1). Discount applies automatically, so just checkout as usual!

Thank you for all the ways that you have supported me and my work this year (and beyond). Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, your comments, pinning my content, sharing it with a friend, and for your orders. I really appreciate it!

See you back here on Wednesday for week two of our Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along!

Have a Great Weekend!

Upcycling Materials for Lined Drawstring Bags

2025-11-26T05:30:00.004-05:00

Welcome to week one of the Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along! I'm excited to finally kick off our annual sew along today! Sew along with us for the next four weeks and make some gift bags for the holidays! Today's post is all about using upcycled materials.

I'll be updating the Sew Along Page each week with all the posts so that you can easily catch up or reference these posts after the sew along ends!

I hope you'll sew along with us! Sew from the tutorial or the patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern

Here are a few to-do items for week one of the sew along!

The main goal for this week is to plan out the bags you'll be making. Figure out how many bags you'd like to make, which sizes and choose fabrics. Here are a few posts from the archives that you might find helpful:

- My tips for choosing fabrics, specifically for drawstring bags. This post includes a bunch of sample fabric pulls too. Find it here: Tips for Choosing Fabrics for Drawstring Bags

- Guidance for making drawstring bags for wrapping gifts. There are also some gift ideas for each size, to give you an idea of what would fit in all the different sizes: Tips For Using Drawstring Bags to Wrap Gifts

- There are a few other bag sizes outside of the tutorial or pattern, you don't want to miss then! The Book Drawstring Gift Bag Tutorial, Wine Bottle Drawstring Gift Bag Tutorial and the Knit Drawstring Shoe Bag Tutorial.

- Can't decide what to make? I recommend checking out my Lined Drawstring Bag Pinterest Board. You'll find lots of finished bags to inspire you!

The last few years I have really been enjoying the challenge of upcycling material for my sewing projects. For me personally this means both purchasing fabric second hand and salvaging fabric that has another purpose. It's been really satisfying and has helped make my craft more sustainable. Today I want to share some upcycled drawstring bags that I've made to inspired you to upcycle for your next drawstring bag!

Unlined Tote Bags

I have had a small stash of unlined tote bags in my closet for years that I just don't reach for, but can't bear to get rid of. This Fall I realized I should cut them up and turn them into drawstring bags! I know they'll get a lot more use for me like this.

Tablecloths

Tablecloths make great fabric for drawstring bags, especially the larger sizes! Typically they're made of fabrics thicker than quilting cotton, so you get some added structure as a bonus!

Napkins

I've used a few napkin pairs to make small bags, since I typcially like to have 4+ in a fabric to actually use at the table. I belive these napkins were older ikea!

Sheets/pillowcases

Of course I've made lots of bags from vintage sheets and pillowcases! And I'm sure I'll make many more. I was afraid the fabric would be a little too thin to make good bags, but I was wrong, they're great!

Button Down Shirts

These two bags were made from thrifted button down shirts! I had fun reusing the pockets for the fronts too. So many possibilities here!

Aprons

Another repurposed pocket opportunity with this sweet vintage apron!

Leftover Quilt Blocks

I had a few blocks leftover after making this quilt, so I stitched them together and cut the Exterior Main pieces from it. A fun way to use them up.

A few other ideas I'd like to try out: tea towels, jeans, t-shirts, curtains, seasonal flags, receiving blankets, towels.

I hope you've enjoyed this post! I can't wait to see your bags! Please share them with me on instagram @jenib320 or via email (jenib320 @ gmail.com)!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!

Happy Sewing!

2025 Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along Schedule

2025-11-20T06:00:00.005-05:00

This year's Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along starts in one week! I wanted to share the schedule for the sew along so that you know what posts you can expect from me starting Wednesday, November 26th! If you'd like to break up your bag making across the sew along, I'm also sharing a schedule for making that you can choose to use if you'd like! Here are the posts I have planned for each week:

Week 1 - November 26th
Tutorial post: Upcycling Materials for Lined Drawstring Bags
To do: Plan your bags! This week your task is to decide how many bags you'd like to make, what sizes, and pick out fabrics.

Week 2 - December 3rd
Tutorial post: Tree Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
To do: Cutting! Now's the time to finalize your fabric choices and cut out all the pieces for your bags.

Week 3 - December 10th
Tutorial post: Scrappy Color Blocked Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
To do: Sewing! Sew your bags through step 10. If you're making a lot of bags and you're short on time, I highly recommend making them assembly line style. This isn't quite as fun, but it's definitely more efficient!

Week 4 - December 17th
Tutorial post: Leftover Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
To do: Final touches! Tackle those drawstring casings, make fabric ties or prep twill/paracord ties. Pull ties through the bags and finish them off with a simple knot or some fun beads!

Each week's post will go up on Wednesday! I'll update this post and the Sew Along page with the links as we go. You can find all of the previous year's sew along posts on that page too!

Participating is easy, we'll be using Instagram to share our progress. Not on Instagram? That's okay! Feel free to sew along and if you'd like, share your bags with me via email!

Sew from the free tutorial, the pattern or the expansion pattern! Shop here:

Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern

Happy Sewing!

Announcing the 2025 Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along!

2025-11-05T06:00:00.001-05:00

Are you ready to sew some gift bags this holiday season? It's almost time for our annual Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along! Using drawstring bags to wrap your gifts is a great way to reduce the amount of single-use wrapping paper you need. Every year is an opportunity to build up your stash of bags and use up some of the beautiful fabrics you probably have kicking around in your fabric stash! Within our immediate family, we keep reusing the same bags year after year. I love pulling my older bags out and adding new ones to the mix. I hope you'll sew along with me and make a few bags this year!

This year's sew along is going to look a little different, since we're moving in the middle of November. I have pushed the start date for the sew along one week and most notably, I am not currently shipping any notions. I hope that after we land in PA I can reopen that part of my shop, but that's a bit up in the air at the moment. I'll be sure to update you all if I'm able to make that happen. Now, onto the details!

When:
The Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along will officially kick off on Wednesday, November 26th and will run for four weeks!

Where:
Each week of the sew along I'll publish a blog post with a new tutorial or informational post. Here is the dedicated sew along page, which I'll update as we go along. It's a great place to find all the posts from previous year's sew alongs, there is so much good information and inspiration there, so be sure to check it out.

How to Participate:
As always, this sew along is casual and no-stress. Participating is easy, we'll be using Instagram to share our progress. Please tag me @jenib320 too, I love sharing your projects throughout the sew along! Not on Instagram? That's okay! Please join in the sew along and if you'd like, share your bags with me via email! (jenib320 at gmail.com)

Patterns & Tutorial:

Sew from the free tutorial, the pattern or the expansion pattern! Both patterns are 20% off today through 11/19/25. Prices are already marked down.

Shop Patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern

Thank you for your continued support. Can't wait to sew bags together!

Happy Sewing!

Shop News: Moving Sale!

2025-09-19T14:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! Things have been a bit busy behind the scenes over here as we prepare to move to PA. We're in the process of finding a place to live (fingers crossed), listing our current house on the market, decluttering, packing and managing regular life with a toddler. I'm also working on our annual Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along, because I just can't miss it!!

This has left very little time for sewing lately. I wanted to destash a lot more stuff before our move, but I'm quickly running out of time I did want to share what I have been able to list in my online shop! I've lowered the prices of most of it, so there is something at most price points! And all physical orders still come with free mini patterns while supplies last!

I have a couple of scrap bags left, specifically solids and flannel scraps. US shipping is included in the prices on those.

I just reduced the prices on all of my remaining vintage sheet fat quarter bundles! There are some good ones still left.

If you'd like a surprise, I have mystery fat quarter bundles too.

And mystery seconds fat quarter bundles that have noticeable stains, holes, etc.

And finally a few more scrap packs of narrow hems. Make yourself a wrapped wreath with one!

All of these things can be found here: Jeni Baker Patterns. I would say hopefully I'll be back soon with some sewing updates, but who knows! It's going to be a wild next couple of months!

Quilted Tea Towel Pillow Cover

2025-08-27T05:30:00.002-04:00

I have another recent pillow project to share! I thrifted this vintage tea towel so long ago that I can't even find a photo of it! Honestly, it could have been 15 years ago for all I remember. I know I've had it for a really long time. Last month I decided it was finally time to make it into something! This idea was fueled by thrifting a long rectangular pillow form. I realized that this tea towel was pretty much the perfect size for a cover.

I knew I wanted to use an invisible zipper for this cover so that it would be a double sided pillow. Lucky me, I had this geometric canvas print by Ellen Luckett Baker in my stash that coordinated nicely in color and design to the tea towel. I started this project by quilting both pieces. After cutting them both to size, I used my serger to finish all the edges.

Ta-da! The finished result! I love how it turned out. Such a simple project, but so satisfying. The tea towel is so funky, I am very glad that it is out of storage and living its life as a pillow cover!

And the other size is fun too. I started working on this pillow after our local JoAnn fabrics closed and honestly had a hard time sourcing an invisible zipper that matched and was long enough. My Mom brought me one from her stash, but while she was visiting we went to Ecoworks, our local craft thrift store and they had the perfect match! It's the same color blue as the back of the pillow and the length was just right. It's like it was meant to be. My application of it could have been better, but that's okay. I haven't installed that many invisible zippers in pillows, so I just need some more practice!

If we're keeping track, this project used a thrifted pillow insert, thrifted tea towel, and thrifted zipper! :)

Happy Sewing!

Quick Note for My Email Subscribers

2025-08-21T08:40:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends, I realized today that my email subscription service has not been working properly. For the last few years I have been paying for a service (Follow.it) to be able to send you full blog posts via email without ads. Unbeknownst to me, my account was reverted back to the basic free plan which simply sends a notification email with ads. I was still paying into my account every month, which is why I did not notice the change sooner.

I have (hopefully!) fixed this issue. Future posts should show up in full in your inbox again, without any ads.

Take care,
Jeni

Vintage Striped Sheet Quilt

2025-08-21T06:00:00.004-04:00

Happy Thursday! I have a finished quilt to share today. This quilt has been in progress most of the Summer, and I'm excited that it's finished!

Whenever I rip up a vintage sheet for fat quarter bundles, there are always leftovers. Either a long strip that wasn't wide enough or pieces that are just under fat quarter size. After I made striped sheet bundles this Spring, I decided to cut into all those leftovers instead of folding them into my stash.

There are still some striped sheet bundles available, find them here: Vintage Sheet Fat Quarter Bundles

My inspiration for this quilt was strip quilts. Quilts like Scrap Happy by Amy Smart, and this quilt by Steffi Troy. Obviously these kinds of quilts used strips pieces together, but I wanted to play with achieving a similar look with a striped fabric. I used the block from the free Tessellation Quilt Pattern I shared when Geometric Bliss came out. These blocks are smaller, I cut the stripe squares 4.5" and the background squares 2.5"! I cut all the stripes on the bias so that I would get the look I wanted.

I paired the stripe sheets with a plain white sheet that I also thrifted! I've picked up a few recently but this is the first one I actually cut into. I like that all the fabrics in this quilt are reclaimed!

All the stripes! I love how this turned out. I kept the palette strictly to the sheets I used when I made the bundles, but now I'm tempted to make another all stripes quilt with my whole collection. They're so fun all together.

Quilting is simple as usual, I followed all the vertical and horizontal lines with 1/4" quilting on each side.

For the back I used this incredible striped sheet! It feels very 80s to me, especially the colors.

I honestly struggled with choosing a binding for this quilt. I knew I wanted it to be a stripe of course, but finding something that went with the very specific color palette on the back as well as the front was tough. In the end I made a scrappy binding from sheets I used in the top.

Always a win when I remember to use one of my tags!

Dusty cat (and baby girl) really likes this quilt! She was trying to lounge when I was trying to take photos. Such a silly goose!

Vintage Striped Sheet Quilt
Pattern: Modified Tessellation Quilt Pattern (free)
Fabrics: Vintage Reclaimed Bedsheets

Happy Quilting!

What I'm Working on Right Now

2025-08-05T06:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Tuesday! I wanted to share a little bit of what I'm working on right now. I'm mostly working on moving prep and taking care of our toddler, but there has been some sewing too. Not as much as I'd like, but I know that is temporary!

When going through my closet a few weeks ago, I pulled some handmade shirts that I haven't worn in a long time. One was a tunic made from this excellent dot from Habitat by Jay McCarroll. I decided to chop it up for the fabric instead of letting it continue to languish in my closet. Right away I turned it into a drawstring bag! This is the bottom accent from the expansion pattern. I used a scrap of leftover sparkly cotton by Robert Kaufman for the accent, a purple blender for the lining and some cotton twill that I dyed last year for the ties! (In case you missed it: Tie Dye Twill Tape Tutorial) This is an everything size bag. I used my Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern and Expansion Pattern to make it.

Another drawstring bag! I had the fabrics pulled for this one for years! I was cleaning out my WIP storage and found this combination. It was perfect for an afternoon where I didn't have much time, but wanted to sew. I don't work a lot with black fabrics, but I really like how this bag turned out! I love how the black ruler twill tape looks with these prints.

I can't stop making towel bags!! I need to write a dedicated post about working with towels, they're just so much fun. I found this incredible mustard/gold plaid towel at the outlet and knew it would make some great bags. I was able to squeeze two boxy bags, made using my Triplizip Pattern, plus a plain flat pouch. I was so glad that I had some matching zippers on hand.

I've been working on a new quilt for the last month using all striped vintage sheets. Actually, I used scraps leftover from putting together these stripe bundles. I'm hoping to share more when I share the finished quilt soon!

Another project made from a vintage quilt, a giant bow! I didn't have a seasonal wreath to hang on the door for Summer, so I made this bow! It has a bit of random interfacing to give it a bit of structure. I serged the cut ends and hung it up with a zip-tie. Easy peasy! And I love it.

Saved some little half-square triangles leftover from making my Starflower zipper pouches, turned into a few random blocks!

I have started slowly adding things to my online shop as a part of a moving sale! I'll continue to do so through the Fall. These will be a dedicated post about it hopefully in the next month or so!

I'll leave you with a photo of Dusty cat helping in the sewing room. So nice!

Happy Sewing!

Reclaimed Vintage Quilt Pillows

2025-08-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! Today I want to share a pair of quilted pillow covers I made recently from thrifted quilts!

This was one of the first quilts that I thrifted from the Goodwill Outlet. It unfortunately has a lot of damage, so I knew right away it was going to end up being cut up. So far I've made this pillow and a giant bow out of it!

For this pillow I decided to cut the front at a 45 degree angle, so it looks like the blocks are on point! This allowed me to take advantage of some of the blocks that were in better shape. It's hard to tell from the photos, but this pillow is huge! The form is around 26" square.

I used more of the quilt for the back, centering two blocks.

I did a zippered closure with end tabs for a nice clean look. This is my favorite way to finish pillow covers. I am really proud to say this entire pillow is made from reclaimed materials! I thrifted the pillow form, quilt, scrap fabric and the zipper. I ripped the zipper out of a duvet cover that I found.

This quilt is another Goodwill Outlet find, and most of it became my first quilted coat! I still need to share more about that.

I made this pillow cover for my Mom, for Mother's day! I thought it would look nice in her craft room.

I finished the back of this cover with more scraps of the quilt!

And another zippered closure. Since I was working with already quilted material, these pillow covers came together really fast! I sergered around the edges of all the pieces before I started sewing, to make sure they'll hold up to a gentle wash.

Happy Sewing!

Scrappy Canvas Pencil Pouches

2025-07-07T06:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday! Today I want to share a some zipper pouches I made recently!

I dug into my canvas scraps for these pencil pouches made from Anna Graham's Canvas Pencil Pouch Tutorial. I haven't made any of these in 8 years (see my first batch here), it was fun to revisit this design!

This time around I went completely scrappy. I don't reach for my canvas scraps often, so I wanted to use up as many scraps as I could while making these. This meant that two of the three pouches I made had different fabrics for the front and back! I think it adds a bit of whimsy to them!

Even the linings came from the scrap bin! Using up scraps is so satisfying.

I had three metal zippers that were the right side, which is why I made three pouches! Well, plus I can't just make one. My Mom requested another (I gave her one of the original pouches I made years ago), which is why I made new ones in the first place! I figured I could find uses for the other two.

How fun do they look from the bottom?!

This is a wonderful design, and a great tutorial by Anna! I was glad to make these again and also to use up some scraps! It had been a while since I've used these metal zippers, they are so nice. I have plenty more in other sizes, I feel like I should reach for them more often!

Pattern: Canvas Pencil Pouch Tutorial by Anna Graham
Fabric: Scrap stash
Notions: Metal zippers from Zipit*

Happy Sewing!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Early Summer Garden Update

2025-06-26T05:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday! Today I want to share an early summer garden update with you all! I was pretty vague with my garden plans for this year when I shared them in February, because I had no idea what this year was going to hold! There was a possibility that we would move over the summer and I'd have no garden. Since we aren't moving until the end of 2025, I went ahead with a pretty full garden.

Before we dive into some garden updates, I found a four leaf clover in our yard this week!! My first. I've been buying clover seed instead of grass seed the last few years and it finally paid off!

Our driveway garden is full as usual! I did skip the peppers this year. I did about half the amount of tomatoes that I typically do. Instead I'm doing mini pumpkins, snow peas, bush beans and way more flowers.

Almost all my tomato plants are starting to set fruit, hooray! Hoping for tomatoes soon. I'm growing sungold, chocolate pear, patio choice yellow and golden jubilee.

I had a great time growing snow peas this year! Got a pretty good harvest considering how few plants I had. And the flowers were so pretty! Will definitely grow some again.

I added a lot more flowers both in pots and in the raised beds this year. The calendula is just starting to bloom.

Picked up seeds for a couple different trailing nasturtium and they're doing really well so far!! Blooms are on their way.

I moved most of my mini hostas that I'm taking with me into these two shallow pots that I had on the driveway. They're loving this spot.

We planted out a ton of dahlias this year and still had lots to share with friends. This was an especially tiny tuber that I planted after it sprouted. Pretty cool that this will become a regular sized plant!

I missed pinching a couple of dahlia seedlings so I got my first bloom early! It's a stunner!

My first time getting Lupine to survive and bloom in our yard!! We bought this plant as a seedling last year and I'm shocked that it has thrived where we put it. It's also the most lovely color! I plan to save seeds from it.

Our mock orange really showed off this year. It's a double and it smells so good.

I took a few years away from growing morning glory but decided to throw some seeds in the ground this year. I'm growing some up my free little library!

Another show stopper this year, our mountain laurel. They had an off year in 2024, so it was a treat to see them bloom so well this year! They happen to be the state flower for Pennsylvania, so I have a feeling we'll have another one day!

The hydrangeas are absolutely laden with blooms, although they aren't loving our current heat wave. I'm hoping the blooms will recover once the weather cools down.

Finally, my oak leaf hydrangea! I planted this in the fall and it not only survived the winter, but is thriving! It's such a pretty bush, and the leaves turn red in the fall.

Thanks for coming along on my virtual garden walk today! I'll be back with some crafty updates soon.

Happy Gardening!

Life Update + What I'm Working on Right Now

2025-05-30T06:00:00.002-04:00

I want to share some personal news today! At the end of 2025, we're moving! Michael (my husband) is starting a new job and we'll be moving to Pennsylvania. The plan was for our time in Connecticut to be temporary, so this move has been on the horizon for a while. It's a good thing, but also comes with a lot of mixed emotions! We grew to love CT and our home more than we expected to. It will be really hard to leave our community, home, and favorite spots. We're ready to be closer to family though, and I know it will be for the best in the long run. The emotional pain and stress of packing up our life and leaving is so real though!

I'm sharing this now because this will definitely affect how I am able to show up here in the next year-ish. I already struggle to find a work-life balance while being at home with a toddler, so I know all the work that comes along with a big move will make that even more difficult. I will continue to craft and share through this process because my work and this space are important to me. I would love to take you along for the journey, especially in terms of downsizing/moving a craft space. We'll see what I can manage!

You can expect a destash of fabric, other craft supplies and a sample sale later this year. I'll also be putting together more vintage sheet bundles over the coming months. For now I'm starting small. I am ready to discontinue my printed mini patterns. I'm including a full set of five mini patterns ($15 value) with every order in my online shop of physical products (paper patterns, twill, paracord, beads, vintage sheet bundles, books, etc.) while supplies last.

Now that my news is out of the way, let's dive into what I've been working on lately!

It's been a mix of small new projects and working away on older works-in-progress. I think it's the moving mentality, I just want to get some of these lingering projects done! Funny how much of a motivator that can be.

First up, I tackled a pile of offcuts from my original Keep Turning Quilt. I had a good amount of offcuts from making this quilt, and I've been saving them in a little pile for the last five years. I also happened to have a lot of scraps of the same fabrics I used too, so I got to work! I went super scrappy and improv with these blocks, which I haven't done in a long time. My main goals were to end up with a baby-ish sized quilt and to hide the offcuts a little. I feel like I did okay! Now I just need to quilt it and get it finished.

This quilt has been in progress for SO long. I tried to look back in the archives to see when I started it, but I somehow never talked about it! This is a quilt using the Night Sky Quilt Pattern by Jaybird Quilts and various fabrics by Leah Duncan. I cut it out at least 10 years ago, and I've pulled it out a few times over the years and worked on it a bit. About a month ago I decided I was pulling it out for the last time. Time to get it finished!! I decided to deviate from the pattern and put my blocks together differently. I skipped the sashing between blocks and cut equilateral triangles to fill the gaps instead. It doesn't have quite the same look as the true-to-pattern version as a result. In hindsight, I probably should have just followed the pattern verbatim! On the other hand, this change allowed me to get this quilt top over the finish line, so I think for me it was the right call. It's still going to be a beautiful quilt!

Not the right season for it, but I'm working on the scrap Christmas quilt that I started in December! It's basted and ready for quilting.

It's not all old works-in-progress over here, I started a new handwork project! A cross stitch mushroom sampler. I haven't picked up cross stitch in many, many years. When I saw Katie working on this sampler though, I knew I had a make it! It's a free pattern from Lecien, which you can find here if you're interested: Mushroom Family Sampler. I didn't have any pieces of Aida cloth large enough, so I ended up picking some up from my local creative reuse store. It was off-white, so I dyed it! Honestly, it was easier to dye than I thought it would be. I think I got the color pretty close to their sample!

One thing I've finished recently are these pouches! I wanted to get my daughter's coloring supplies out of the cardboard boxes so I made these pouches with my towel scraps. These are all unlined, super simple, but they do the job! I figured they're going to get covered in crayon and marker anyways, might as well make them from something absorbent and washable! I love how they turned out. I really love working with towels, more than I thought I would!

Yesterday I pulled out a stack of half-square triangle blocks made from Dreamin' Vintage and started sewing them together! Thankfully past Jeni already trimmed them. I'm making broken dish blocks, but that's my only plan. I have no idea how many blocks I'll end up with, or how big the project will be. I just started sewing!

Have a Great Weekend!

Vintage Sheet Schoolhouse Quilt

2025-05-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Tuesday! Today I have a finished quilt to share! This one is my take on a traditional schoolhouse quilt, made using reclaimed vintage bedsheets.

This past winter, a vintage schoolhouse quilt caught my eye and got my gears turning. I couldn't get it out of my head, so I decided to make one schoolhouse block (with no intentions of making a whole quilt to be honest). The problem was, I couldn't find a block pattern that I liked. So I drew this one up! I made it just how I wanted. It's a big block, using 2.5" strips for most of the construction. For the roof, I chose to do a paper pieced strip instead of messing with templates or funky seams.

I had so much fun putting this block together that I decided to make a whole quilts worth! Each block features a different colorful focal fabric with a different white sheet as the background. On some blocks I made the focal and background fabrics coordinate, on others I didn't.

I normally like to cut out an entire quilt before I start sewing, but for this quilt I cut and sewed each block as I went. It was actually pretty satisfying to work this way. Since I don't have large chunks of time to sew anymore, being able to start and finish a block in a sitting was really nice.

Despite my very limited sewing time, this quilt came together fast! I felt so motivated and inspired to get it done. It was a joy to sew.
Since these blocks are so big (18" finished), I could get away with making just 12 and end up with a decent sized throw quilt.

I used all different white fabrics for the background of each block and for the sashing pieces. I did choose a single fabric for the cornerstones, to keep it from getting too wild! I auditioned quite a few options but eventually landed on this colorful tropical fabric.

I sent this quilt to Katie at Autumn Moon Quilting for longarm quilting. I still can't get over the fact that I can send out an all sheet quilt for professional quilting, I'm giddy over it!! For this quilt I chose the "Lollipop Garden" quilting design. I think it's so fun! Katie did a great job, as always.

Speaking of, the backing is this incredible blue and green floral. I've been holding on to this one specifically to use for a quilt back!

I had to use a striped binding, right? There are just too many good stripe prints to ignore! I chose a blue stripe for this quilt to match the backing.

I loved making this quilt. From choosing the fabrics to designing and making the blocks. It was one of those quilts that I just head to get out of my head! I think I would like to try making some more quilts in these sweet bright fabrics, using more traditional block designs.

Vintage Sheet Schoolhouse Quilt
Pattern: Self-drafted personal pattern
Fabrics: Vintage Reclaimed Bedsheets

Happy Quilting!

(More) Adventures in Thrifting

2025-05-22T05:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday! It's time for another installment of Adventures in Thrifting! We're still getting caught up with a few highlights of the things I've thrifted over the last year. Starting with this sweet paint by number I picked up from Goodwill. I eventually want to either paint the frame or reframe it, but I really like the colors!

Another piece of art I found more recently was this little pansy needlepoint. It needed a bit of help, the frame was damaged and I knew I wanted to spruce it up a little. I ended up painting the frame to look like the edges of a stamp. I am really happy with how it turned out!!

Was very excited to find this Finel teapot in the Kehra pattern. I have a matching bowl!

Another before and after, this time of a very dirty Chemex. My Dad actually bought this, but I helped get it fixed up and in working order again! We've been using a Chemex exclusively for many years and absolutely love it.

I found this little pitcher at the Restore for a couple dollars. I usually keep water in it on the counter to refill my plant propagation station.

Love a good tin, always! This girl scout first aid tin has slots on the back so you can put this on a belt!! So cool.

I picked up this vintage Craftsman carryall tool caddy on the side of the road, for free! It needed some repairs but it's now in working order again!

I was surprised to find this little vintage singer sewing machine at the Goodwill Outlet! It was in this cute plastic carrying case. A great addition to my collection of miniature machines.

One of my favorite table cloth finds! Not sure what I want to do with it yet, we'll see! Maybe one day I'll have a table that is the perfect size for it.

A set of beautiful floral napkins. Since there are only two, I plan to sew them into something! Probably a bag of some kind.

Sweet strawberry napkins and tea towel! The napkins are already being used as napkins but I'll probably cut up the towel!

Always, always looking for sheets and pillowcases!

This was a particularly good day of thrifting! That towel is one of my favorites.

Happy Thrifting!