I bet there are so many listeners who have made Kelly Bowser’s hour basket from her very popular tutorial. I have followed Kelly for a long time and knew this would be a fun chat. And it so was. Kelly is such a fun creative and we talked about her journey with sewing and how she landed her own sewing show! She gives some of her tips for quilt layouts to help you get a better idea of what your project with look like. This is such a great chat. Make sure to check out the show notes for links of what we mentioned.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
I am so excited to share the NEW Cricut EasyPress 2 with you. I went to Cricut’s Mountain Make-a-Thon in July to teach a class on Podcasting, and Fonts in Design Space. Gosh was that the most fun I have ever had teaching and learning since I did get to pop in to several classes while I wasn’t teaching. They announced their new EasyPress 2 machines at the event and in THREE different sizes. I love that Cricut listens to their customers and really revamped the new machine to meet the needs of the customers and then some. I got to preview the EasyPress 2 before it was even available to the public which is super exciting.
The new EasyPress 2 comes in three sizes, 6×7, 9×9, and 12×10 all in a FABULOUS raspberry color. I will be using the 9×9 today which is a great size for things like t-shirts, pillows, and pretty much any project. I thought it would be heavy but it is lightweight and easy to use. It has an automatic shut off feature which is something I always need with anything that has heat – hello busy mom life. Cricut is always updating their products so the EasyPress 2 has a USB for easy updates.
The great thing about the new EasyPress 2 is that it is super easy to learn and it heats up in 60 seconds or less. You can control the temperature, up to 400 F, with ease on the digital display which also has a timer which takes the guesswork out of your projects with different materials. Cricut even has a super helpful guide online for the EasyPress that I reference with every single project to make sure I get great results. Oh and it has a little safety base it stays in when not in use so it won’t knock over easily.
Okay onto the project because the fun part of the EasyPress 2 is using it to make gorgeous projects. I am not a big Fall person but I love Thanksgiving with a fire in the fireplace. I enjoy a holiday that doesn’t involve gifts but does include a lot of food. I wanted to make a project that I could use as a visual reminder to use this season to be Thankful for the blessings in my life. Let’s get started.
Open the Design Space Project and resize to your pillow cover. Remember when using iron on to place your vinyl shiny side down on the cutting mat and reverse your image.
Weed your design and turn on your EasyPress 2. I referenced the EasyPress chart for the Cricut iron on vinyl and set to the correct settings.
Setting for the EasyPress 2
295°F / 146°C
Pre-heat: 5 sec
Apply: 30 sec
Post-heat back(leave liner on): 15 sec.
Cold Peel
Position your vinyl on the pillow and use the above settings to complete your project.
Enjoy the reminder to be Thankful for the Blessings in your life this season.
I am so happy to be back on this space showing you my latest project. I was asked to do a back to school project for my sponsors, Janome Sewing Machines, Sulky Threads, Havel’s Sewing, and Hobbs batting. I love working with these amazing companies and I am so honored they believe in me and the podcast. I also would like to thank Windham Fabrics for the amazing Kinder fabric by Heather Ross. I think this fabric line is the perfect line for any teacher, oh who am I kidding, it is perfect for everyone! I mean look at how cute it is. All the heart eyes. Okay let’s get to some of the details on this year’s Modern Ditty Bag. If you want to make your own and see last year’s bag check out the tutorial on Janome’s blog.
I started making the Modern Ditty Bag last year for a back to school post for Janome. I would see the teacher’s at my girls school carrying around a bag that held essentials when they weren’t in the classroom but the bag was not pretty and this maker couldn’t handle that. I always like to give teachers something useful for their classrooms and so the Modern Ditty Bag was born. It is a simple bag with an outside pocket to hold their walkie talkie that they need to be able to grab quickly. I don’t put pockets on the inside, although you could, but I find sometimes clipboards and such get hung up on the inside pockets. I like to have fun with the fabrics and usually make scrappy versions of the bag but you could use one fabric or a couple for a completely different look.
I used several fat quarters from Heather Ross’s Kinder fabric line and tried to use some contrasting colors to make it fun. The handles are pretty long so I used several prints but you could also use a fat quarter to keep them simple. I had to get a little peek of that cute fox on the strap! That is the fun thing about this fabric line there are so many hidden creatures you discover when you are using it on a project. I love those little details that I think Heather does so well. The denim on the bottom is from my fabric stash.
I used Sulky’s Cotton+Steel 50 wt thread on the entire bag for piecing, quilting, and topstitching. I love Cotton+Steel threads and if you ever listen to the podcast you know I have always loved neutral thread colors until I discovered this line. I love that the colors go so well with modern fabrics. I used Bright White, Neon Yellow and Light Red for this bag and I love how well it matches the Kinder fabrics. I am learning all of the cool features on my new Janome Skyline S9 so I did some decorative stitching on the bottom on the bag. I know I know the Skyline S9 can embroider but I am not quite ready to show you my beginning skills just yet. Soon I promise.
One of the important things about bag making is using stabilizers to give it some strength and help it stand up when you set it down. I like to use a combination of Hobb’s cotton batting and Sulky’s Soft n’ Sheer Extra, an iron-on, cut-away, permanent stabilizer. For the bottom of the bag I used a denim and quilted it with Hobbs cotton batting then ironed on the Soft n’ Sheer Extra. I don’t like to quilt too much on the Soft n’ Sheer so that is why I quilted with the batting first then ironed on the stabilizer. I also used the stabilizer on the straps, the panels (after they were sewn together), and pocket. I love the Soft n’ Sheer because it gives the bag some stability but doesn’t make it too stiff.
I never make a sewing project without my Havel’s Pink Extra Large cutting mat with my all time favorite 60mm rotary cutter. I love using a bigger rotary cutter because I am impatient and often use it to cut through several layers of fabric. Yep, you read that right it will cut through several layers at once! You can get your own pink mat and rotary cutter for a great price using the code MODERNSEWCIETY7 for $7 off $25 order. You can’t beat Havel’s prices so go check out their store!
I love making these bags and I think I need one for myself! I hope you make your own and if you do make sure to use #moderndittybag so I can check it out.
All opinions are my own on the products mentioned but supplies were provided by my sponsors to make this project.
I have been chatting about my love for Hobbs Batting on the Modern Sewciety Podcast this year. It is just the one thing that can make or break a quilt. or a bag. or any project really. Hobbs has amazing quality. I know they will always have a batting for any project, which is so convenient for me. I have been experimenting with the different types of batting lately. It is a great gig, let me just be honest, to test awesome batting options with quilts!
I didn’t know if I would like Poly batting so trying a a blend was a good place to start. There is 80% cotton and 20% polyester in the blend. Let me explain what that means for a quilt – the cotton you know and love is most of the blend but the little bit of polyester is what gives you a little bit of puff and softness. It is a great happy medium for me. I especially love it for baby quilts.
Heirloom® Premium 80/20 Cotton Blend is one of our most popular battings. It offers more loft and less weight than traditional cotton batting.
Heirloom® Premium is wonderful to quilt by hand or machine. This blend is made with 80% natural cotton and 20% fine polyester. It is needle punched and has a light resin bonding to provide exceptional strength and durability. Close quilting yields a flat low loft appearance while more space between stitching lines yields a slightly higher loft.
Heirloom® Premium should be used with medium or dark fabrics. If used with light colored fabrics, unbleached cotton can slightly darken white and pastel colors. You may experience shrinkage of 3-5% and it may be quilted up to 4” apart.
We recommend that the quilt maker spend some time learning about this product before using it on a major project. Make samples using this batting to see how it launders and how it needles, both by hand and by machine, so that you can obtain the look you want in your final project.
Pre-washing is not recommended for this batting or any of our other quality batting products.
Stacie Bloomfield is a creative I have been following for a while now but I wanted to ask her all of the creative business questions swirling in my head so I asked her on the podcast for a chat. Stacie is creator and owner of the Gingiber brand, designer for Moda Fabrics, and has wear many hats in her creative business. She shares so much about her home and business life on her instagram stories which makes her so approachable to me. She really opens up about her creative life and how turning her passion into a business is both rewarding and challenging. Stacie also talks about her licensing deal with Moda Fabrics and the different fabric lines she has been working on. I thought it was so interesting to hear that what she sends in to clients is often only a stepping stone for a product because it goes through so much editing to get to the final product. I loved this chat and I know we could have chatted forever. Stacie is such a sweet and honest person to share her business story with me. This is a much listen for sure.
I am loving the new look of Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine. It is so fresh and vibrant. Let’s take a peek into Issue 60 for a lot of bold sewing inspiration.
Don’t forget to follow @lovequiltingmag on Instagram if you aren’t already!
I love variations of one color and this bold pink quilt is amazing! I love the tiny triangles throughout the pattern.
This Peek a Boo mini by Jo Carter is just the cutest ever. It reminds me so much of our kitty.
Colour Crossing by Cheryl Brickey is a bold statement with solids. It is such a stunning way to reverse a pattern with the fabric choices.
I LOVE this Toucan cushion by @lillaluise. Who wouldn’t love this cute pillow or even turn it into a wall hanging. So cute.
Get a great deal on Love Patchwork and Quilting for my US readers! Get 78% savings on an annual subscription which is only $39.95 for 13 issues! That is a huge savings of $141.92 and it will be delivered directly to your mailbox!
NOTE: Love Patchwork and Quilting is a sponsor of the Modern Sewciety podcast. All opinions on this post are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and take action, I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you.
Hi! I am Stephanie, host of the Modern Sewciety podcast. I love to chat with creatives in the sewing industry getting all of the latest trends, tips, and information for you!
