Turning Toward Houston ’23

An aerial view of a large building with red and white awnings.

So… it’s the time of year, when all we’re thinking about is planning for, and packing for, and getting ready for the International Quilt Market and the InternationaL Quilt Festival in Houston, TX! And this year is NO exception! And this year, I’m pleased to let you know that we’ll be located as usual on…

Read More

PPC30: Peacock Feathers

Peacock feather crossbody bag.

So… if it seems to you as though there’s been more “preliminary” samples than is normal for us when we start a new pattern, then you would be RIGHT! Because so far there have been TWO prototypes and for the very first time ever… TWO gorilla samples! And you know what? I wasn’t at all…

Read More

PPC30: A Tale of TWO Gorillas!

A colorful floral fanny pack sitting on a chair.

So… in my last post I showed you the “Gorilla Sample” for what will hopefully be our next new pattern. And therefore, when I was cutting out the pieces for this sample, I had every intention of making it the 1st true sample of this new design. Sure, I was making some pretty big changes…

Read More

October ’23 Eye Candy Showcase

October 23 eye candy.

So… it’s that time again! It’s time to let the skills of our customers shine in the October ’23 Eye Candy Showcase! I totally love seeing the wonderful bags our customers create using our patterns and this month’s lineup is absolutely amazing! So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started! Debbie Lambert says she…

Read More

Retiring a Rockstar Show Bag

A blue and purple The Guardian with a zipper.

So… in 2012 we released what turned out to be a very popular pattern, the Guardian. Our customers fell in love especially with our cover sample. (I’ve always said that if only I had the foreknowledge to acquire 10 bolts of this fabric, I surely would’ve sold it all!) But here’s the deal…. NONE of…

Read More

PPC30: It’s Gorilla Time!

A green cross body bag on a chair.

So… there were SO many changes that needed to be made to this design following our last post in this series, that I fully expected that this would unfortunately relegate this sample to being a third prototype. But… I decided to take my time and make most of the changes “on the fly” while in…

Read More

PPC30: A Couple of Prototypes

A purse with sewing machines on it.

So… whether its transitioning from a picture I can “see” in my mind, or from a sketch I can “draw” on a dinner napkin, the difference between the features I want to include, and what’s actually practical can be considerable!And this time through is no different! (and please note that until I finalize the silhouette…

Read More

Adding an ID Holder to Your Bag is EASY!

Two plastic cards with the word choco on them.

So… in the close to 20 years that I’ve been designing, I’ve tried a number of different ways to add an ID Holder to my bags. 1- I’ve tried making a little cotton sleeve to hold a driver’s license, but doing so was totally unsatisfying because it was bulky, a pain-in-the-neck to sew, AND of…

Read More

PPC30: What’s Next!?!

What's next? - what's next? - what's next? - what's next? - what'.

So here we go again! With the Easy Go Wallet pattern safely in the books, it’s time to start working on our next pattern. And here’s the deal… as I was thinking thru what I might like to design this time, it occurred to me that of the last 10 patterns I’ve released, the four…

Read More

The September 2023 Eye Candy Showcase

September 23 eye candy showcase.

So… it’s that time again! It’s time to let the skills of our customers shine in the September ’23 Eye Candy Showcase! I totally love seeing the wonderful bags our customers create using our patterns and this month’s lineup is totally amazing! So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started! Sue Evans decided to…

Read More