Books & Zippers

Things change...

I have decided to take more of a pattern-design route in my life as most of you already know. Designing the first two issues for Quilter's Connection Magazine was fun and a great learning experience but also quite stressful. It didn't leave much time in my life to focus on my own patterns so I decided it was time to move on. I still design a page now & then or help out with photography or patterns but at a much more toned down level. What I learned is already helping me on my path to my own pattern-making.

Click on the image to get a sneak peek inside!

Several months ago, I was contacted by a new Taiwanese sewing book called Cotton Life to join their team as one of their main designers. This quarterly magazine has a Japanese flair with photos for every step which makes it easy to follow even if you can't read Chinese! I have always dreamed of being part of such a book and I am very excited to once again be published in another language!

For issue No.3 (my first issue), I designed a quilted bag, pouch & keychain set. Now why I designed a round zippered pouch I will never know! Sewing zippers into round bags is DIFFICULT! I tried many ways but I soon realized that sewing them by machine was NOT an option for me! So I decided to do it the Japanese way and sew it in by hand!

The first two pouches were good but the zippers stuck out the sides and I didn't like the loose lining.

The final pouch consisted of two tiny round pillow-cased quilts. I also set the zipper further back so it wouldn't be noticeable from the front.

I was very happy with the finished product... yet another pattern I must add to my list! Send an e-mail directly to Cotton Life to PURCHASE A COPY. For those of you who can wait, I will be adding a few copies of each issue to my Etsy Shop :o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)