Category: craft business

New Year’s Day Stitching Fun

January 2, 2026

Today, I joined 1500+ other quilters in the Stitchin’ Heaven New Year’s Day Livestream mystery quilt-a-long. This has become a NYD tradition for me. There’s no charge to participate and the quilt shop gives away some really good prizes every 45 minutes or so. Today’s prizes were electronic gift cards with values ranging from $50 to $250.

How does it work? A cutting guide and Team Rob/Team Tiffany fabric selections are released a few weeks ahead of time in their FB group. You can order a laser cut kit in your choice of those 2 colorways or use fabrics from your stash. I opt to pull from my stash. During the livestream, each block is broken down into units. The hosts usually demo a couple of different techniques and show the audience how to use new notions. I precut enough fabric to make 2 blocks and go from there. There’s a 30 minute lunch break built into the schedule and a soup recipe is shared ahead of time. (Hint: I buy a ready made version at the grocery store).

Ready for the Stitchin’ Heaven New Year’s Day Live sew along
One of each block made during the livestream.
More blocks cut and ready to assemble at tomorrow’s sew day at the library.

In the past, I’ve made the blocks in a patriotic colorway (go Team Rob), which were turned into placemats to donate to Meals on Wheels. This year, Team Rob chose a colorway that I really, really liked! I mimicked the colors as closely as I could, using fabrics from my stash. Once I saw the final quilt reveal, I knew I wanted to make a 3×3 block layout with borders (finished size: 48″ square). I actually have enough fabric to make the 9 blocks and borders! Haven’t decided if this will be a donation quilt or a Sadie quilt. We’ll let her decide!

This year, my husband was actually home on New Year’s Day. Normally, he’s out helping with a community service project or away on an active operation with Team Rubicon. He thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch college football uninterrupted today. 🙂

A TV for my sewing space is on the to-do list for 2026. Perhaps, I’ll be able to host a small group here to join in next year. We shall see.

Diagonal Zipper Pouches

December 27, 2025
Two diagonal zipper pouches made using the Hemingway 2 for 1 method from MayMay Made It

At the JK Quilts retreat in April, I received two different sizes of these trendy diagonal zipper pouches in the gift exchange. This style of pouch is often referred to as a Hemingway Pouch – based on the pattern from Center Street Quilts. I purchased the pattern and set it aside because I knew my ‘tweens would be all over making them. I was right.

A couple of the trendier sewing shops in the far reaches of the ATL offered a class on how to get two diagonal zipper pouches from 3 fat quarters. This caught my attention because you normally only get one pouch from the same fabric requirements when following the pattern. Class fees and commuting times made me pause. Instead, I searched online and found several tutorials that essentially covered the same topic.

Video #1 explains how to draft a diagonal zipper pouch template.

Video #2 takes you through the entire sewing process.

Video #3 is a great tutorial, comments are a goldmine of tips.

My hints:

  1. Annie’s Soft & Stable, Pellon Flex Foam or Bosal In-R Foam are easy to work with and offer the most padding if your pouch will be used to house electronics.
  2. Spray baste your layers prior to quilting.
  3. Use a walking foot to assemble as much of the pouch as you can. Remember, you’ll need a different foot to install your zipper and perhaps do the topstitching on your zipper contrast fabric.
  4. For smaller pouches, consider serging the inside seams or cutting thinner binding strips to reduce bulk. If you are a garment sewist, could you treat the 1/4″ seam allowance as one unit and adapt a bias bound or Hong Kong seam finish using a 1″ wide single layer bias strip?