Quilter's Way's owner, Jane, has a standard tote bag pattern in her head that she always uses when she makes bags. She also shares it with customers when they come into the shop. She walked me through it, so I can share this easy and versatile pattern with our extended community. You got a sneak-peek at the bag last week:

What You Will Need:

• 1/2 yard 60" wide canvas (We used Dear Stella's Peacock)--you can also use a cotton, linen, etc. for the outside of the bag
• 1/2 yard 45" coordinating fabric
• 1 yard DecorBond
• Thread
• Coordinating buttons (optional)

Cut your fabric:

1. Decide the size you would like your bag. You've purchases 1/2 yard of fabric, so the widest your bag will be is 18". Your height should not be more than your width. Also, remember that you will have a bottom in your bag, so that will take about 3". For this bag, we assumed a 15" height. So, we cut a piece of canvas that measured 18" x 30".

2. Cut your main fabric. Be sure to set aside your remaining fabric to make the handles.

3. Cut your coordinating fabric. Your coordinating fabric is both your lining and lip, so it needs to be longer than your main fabric. We added 7", which added 3.5" to each side.

4. Cut a piece of DecorBond to match the size of each piece of fabric you just cut.

Affix DecorBond to your fabrics: 

1. Line up the sticky side of your piece of DecorBond to the back of your fabric.

2. With your iron on a high steam setting, press the DecorBond to the fabric.

• PRESS for 10 seconds in each section, especially with the canvas, otherwise it is not going to stick, and you will just get frustrated. Take the time from the beginning, and you will be much happier in the end.
• Press DecorBond side UP.

Construct the bag:

1. Sew the two width ends (shorter sides) together, wrong sides together. Leave a 6" opening on one side.

• Remember, your pieces of fabric are not the same length. That is ok. This will all work out in the end. The picture below shows how it lays "flat" once the two sides are sewn together.

 See the opening that was left:

2. Line up your seams in the middle, and pin. Butt the seams together so that they are snug.

4. Now that you're all centered, pinned and lined up, sew together your side seams.

Construct the bag bottom:

1. Grab one of the four corners, and position it so that the side seam is positioned in the center on the top layer. Pin it in place..

 2. Lay the corner flat on your cutting table, and take your cutting ruler to mark where your corner will be. To get a 4" bottom, as we did, you'll want to mark 2.5" from the edge of the corner, as shown below.

• This is something you can play with. If you would like a wider bag, you can move the ruler to 2.75" or 3" from the corner. For a skinnier bag, move the ruler towards the corner to 2.25" or 2".

3. Repeat this, and mark your remaining three corners. Be sure to be consistent!

 4. Stitch all four corners, along the marked lines.

Finish Bag:

1. Turn your bag inside out. Pull your fabric through the opening you left while constructing the bag.

2. Now that your fabric is all out, fit the lining into the canvas. You should have a 3", or so, lip.

3. Once the lining is fit well into the bag, press the top edge of the bag.

4. Top stitch around the top edge of the bag.

5. Top stitch around the top edge seam of the canvas (or main fabric), which will also secure your opening.

You're almost done!

Make the Handles:

1. Cut 2 6"x18" strips from the remaining canvas fabric.

2. Press the outer edges in 1/4" of each strip.

3. Fold the strip in half, then quarters and press, as seen below.

4. Topstitch around all four edges the handles.

5. Stitch the handles to the outside of the bag.

6. Hand stitch decorative buttons over the handle edges on the lip. 

TaDa! You are done! Wasn't that easy and fun?

Now we have a challenge for you. Create your own bag, using this tutorial, and post a photo of it to our Timeline on Facebook. The first five people to do this before April 30, 2012 will receive a Dear Stella fat quarter pack! So, be inspired! Make a bag! Get fat quarters!

Last week, a customer came into the shop, and as I worked with her, she exclaimed, "I feel like I've found my home! I went into a shop to buy minkee to bind a quilt, and the workers thought I was crazy. But, I walked in here and saw you had TWO quilts with Minkee binding. You're my kind of shop!"

 

We love working with Minkee. We use it to make baby quilts, to back quilts, and even to bind quilts! Recently, we've started offering kits to make Stitch 'n Flip quilt-as-you-go kits. Everyone who comes into the shop loves the look and feel of the quilts. They're soft, cozy, and heavy--just what you would want wrapped around you on a cold night or when you're feeling under the weather. But, people are often a little unsure about working with just that much Minkee. So, here are some tips for working with Minkee to keep your sanity long enough to get the most luxurious feeling quilt you'll ever own or gift.

First, before you even start working with the Minkee, take it outside and shake it out. When Minkee is cut, it sheds. The good news is, once you get your quilt sewn together, this is not an issue.

Next, before you start sewing, do a quick clean of your machine. Each machine is slightly different, so consult your owner's manual about how to clean your bobbin case and the "innards." Depending on what you are doing with the Minkee, you may need to clean your machine again during the project. You will definitely want to clean it after completing the project.

Use a slightly longer stitch then normal. The stitches will sink into the Minkee, which makes Minkee an exceptionally forgiving fabric to work with. It also ensures an absolutely gorgeous backing fabric, though. Look at how the stitches just sink into the fabric.

We currently have three Stitch 'n Flip Minkee kits in the shop. These quilt as you go kits are a fairly easy project, which result in maximum coziness. The Transportation Stitch 'n Flip is shown finished above. Click on the pictures of the kits below to view and purchase these kits.

1. Go to the Quilter's Way Home page.
2. Click on the Kit Designer Logo on the right side of the Home page.
3. Choose Your Kit Design.
1. Style: You may focus on a particular category of designs by making a selection from the "Style" dropdown menu . If you don't click on this menu, you will see all available quilt designs.  By making a selection, you can narrow the quilt designs you want to work with to those in the style you have chosen. Quilt styles include Traditional, Quick & Easy, Graphic, Lazy Angle Blocks, and Jelly Roll Quilts, but more are being added all the time so check back often.
2. Size: If you know the size quilt you want to make, you can eliminate all designs not available in that size by making a selection from the "Size" drop-down menu.
3. Double-click on the image of the quilt design you want to work with or click the "Next" button.

4. Customize Your Kit.
1. First, you'll notice that the page is divided into three sections. At the top left, you'll see an image of the quilt (initially shown with the fabrics from the default Kit Design). To the right of the quilt image, you'll see small thumbnails of the collection used to create the default Kit Design. Running left to right at the bottom of the page, you'll see a list labeled "Your Kit". These are the components of the Kit Design: the fabrics chosen for each role in the design, and below each is a thumbnail image indicating the placement of the fabric in the quilt.
2. Click and drag a fabric to the desired fabric location of “Your Kit”. When you do this, you will see the fabric change both in the thumbnail image and in the quilt image. This will help you confirm that you put the fabric in the location you intended.
3. To work with a different collection of fabric, choose a collection name from the “Collection” drop-down box. You will notice the fabric thumbnails change.
4. Play with different collections and different fabrics to build the quilt you desire.

5. When you are finished, you can add the Kit Design to your Shopping Cart. The Kit Designer places in your cart only the fabric you'll need to complete your custom quilt. You can review the yardage requirements and add more to your cart. Once you check-out your kit will be custom assembled and shipped to you.

• If you double-click on a fabric swatch, it will open a window with a larger image.
• You may share your Kit Design on Facebook, Twitter, or through email by clicking on the appropriate button below your kit.
• Above the quilt image, you'll see a menu of familiar icons. They do the following:

• New—re-starts the Kit Design process.
• Open—opens a saved kit design.
• Save—saves a Kit Design to your account so that you can come back to it later.
• Print—prints your Kit Design.
• Undo—reverses your last fabric selection.
• Full Screen—allows you to work on your Kit Design in full screen mode.