PPC35: Let’s Try it in Denim

So… I’ve been waiting for a long time to fix up a sample in denim, and I was thinking that this just may be the bag design for a cool denim finish! I was excited about this particular denim as it was quite lightweight (they said it was 6 oz), and denim this flexible is…

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PPC35: A Prototype, My 2nd Try

So…  I can’t remember the last time I’ve had to make more than one prototype for a design… but… this is truly a completely different bag design than any that have come before it! (which is kind of exciting!) And for that reason, if no other… it’s worth working EXTRA hard to straighten the “bugs”…

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PPC35: A Prototype, My 1st Try

So…. it’s that time again… I’m starting over once again with a brand new design! And if you’ve been following our process for any length of time, then you know that I always start with a basic sketch. (Emphasis on the “basic”, because as you can see, I’m really no sketch artist, but in my…

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the April ’26 Eye Candy Showcase

So… now that Spring is here, and with Winter officially gone for a long, LONG time, (maybe until 2027), it’s time to share with you, our Eye Candy Showcase for April 2026!       So… #mamajay55 finished this Sling Along just in time for her son’s birthday! She’s had this 80’s punk fabric for…

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MAQF ’26: the Recap

So… now that the 2026 edition of the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival is in the books, it’s time to take a look back & give you our recap of the show! And the truth is… I really like Hampton, VA!  It’s a military town… you can almost smell the sea salt in the air… & then…

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MAQF ’26: the Quilts

So… the competition quilts at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival ’26 were a lot of fun to see, and below you will find “My Favorite Seven”! Here they are, in NO particular order of preference except for the LAST entry, (which is ultra special and just happens to have won “Best of Show”!)! “Quilter’s Avatar” by…

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MAQF’26- the Wearables

So… one of the things that sets the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival apart from other quilt shows is that they have a full-on Fashion Show, and I love this feature!  And I actually think they have have had the most entries into this event EVER this year! But here’s the deal…I always try to find the “looks”…

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MAQF’26: Seen at Show

So… even though I’ve been in business for 21+ years, I STILL get a big kick out of seeing our customers carrying bags they’ve made from our patterns! And what better place to “spy” these customers than at a retail trade show, right? And you know what? I spied ELEVEN of our bags “walking the…

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And NOW…an Instant Download Option!

So… the BIG NEWS around here is… We’re FINALLY adding pdf patterns to our pattern catalog! Now you might be wondering why in the world this is such a big deal, because after all, don’t most pattern designers offer their patterns this way now, (even if they also sell them in hardcopy format in addition)?…

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the March 2026 Eye Candy Showcase

So… now that February is waning, and with winter pretty much in our rear view mirror, (I hope, I hope) it’s time to share with you, our Eye candy Showcase for March 2026, which features two of the very first “customer-created” Expand-o-Matics! So, let’s get started! We’ll kick off this month’s Eye Candy with a…

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