PPC34: the Expand-o-Matic Testing

By Kat | February 4, 2026 |
Collage of colorful patterned crossbody bags

So… the time in which we needed to get the testing done for our "Expand-o-Matic" pattern fell at a difficult time of year.... "the Holidays"... which can be anytime between November 1st thru December 31st... BUT... THREE of our testers actually were brave enough to make the commitment to test out this new pattern!

And here's the deal... as much as I LOVE seeing what our testers are inspired to create, the critiques and suggestions they supply are definitely what I covet the most! They go a long way to making our pattern instructions clearer & easier to understand and that is the most important thing!

Black floral zippered tablet sleeve with strap
Black floral crossbody bag with bird design
Floral print bag with gold bottom

Jeanette Jay hails from San Antonio, TX and began testing for us in the Spring of 2022 with the release of our Bella BiFold design. I LOVE the whimsical exterior fabric Jeanette chose for her Expand-o-Matic! It turned out GREAT, and she said she really enjoyed the make!

Colorful crossbody bag with mandala print

Marthe Jones hails from Georgetown, TX, and has been testing for us since we released the Easy Go Wallet in the Fall of 2023. I just LOVE the fabric she chose to use as she made up her Expand-o-Matic!  It's totally fun & simply cute as a button & I love the outcome!

Colorful music-print crossbody bag with tabby cat
Colorful musical-instrument print crossbody bag

Mary Larson of Rochester, MN started testing for us in the 11th cycle of Purse Pattern Chronicles with the Triple Play in 2015. WOW! That's over TEN years ago! But check out her modern take on our Expand-o-Matic! Is this fabric a tribute to the "Blue Man Group"?

And now it's YOUR turn...

If you like the bags our wonderful testers have created this time and if you'd like to leave them some love for them in the "Comments" section" below I'm sure they'd appreciate it. And if you have any questions about the testing process in general, or any of these bag samples in particular, you can leave those there as well and I (or they) will do our best to answer them!

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Posted in Expand-o-Matic, pattern design, PPC34, purse pattern chronicles and tagged , , ,

2 Comments

  1. Mary B on February 4, 2026 at 7:40 pm

    Nicely done ladies! I was struck that the pattern spoke to each of you in the same way – to use bright, cheerful, patterned fabrics. I’m positive that the expandable feature is going to be a favorite of all who make this bag. Thanks for taking the time to help make it happen. 🙂



    • Kat on February 10, 2026 at 10:40 am

      Thanks for commenting Mary B! And I agree! I love all three of these samples! 🙂