DIY Project Bags

March 29, 2025

My upcoming quilt retreat has a project bag exchange as one of the activities. It’s optional. Attendees can make or buy a bag for the swap. I considered buying a project bag from my largest local quilt shop to take. That is, until I saw a YouTube video showing how simple they are to make.

My project bag finishes at 10″ x 13″. I merely made it the same size as my favorite ready-made vinyl project bag.

Project bag first attempt

This was my first attempt at making the bag. I used random vinyl I found in my stash along with leftover fabrics from samples I’d made for the Beginning Sewing classes. This bag was constructed entirely on my 301. I will say that I learned a lot about my 301 during this project. I also chose to attach the binding separately rather than doing the self-binding method shown in many tutorials.

Project bag second attempt

This was my second attempt. Much better! I used By Annie 16 gauge vinyl in this one. OMG, what a difference! I also used my Elnita EC30 with a walking foot to do the sewing. In hindsight, a red or yellow zipper would have added a little more zing to the bag, but my options at midnight were limited to what I had on hand in the correct length.

Supplies you’ll need to make my version:
Zipper: regular nylon zipper minimum 14″ length (longer is actually better)
Fabric for zipper insertion: (1) 2″x13″ strip and (1) 4″x13″ strip
16 gauge vinyl for front: (1) 8-1/2″ x 13″ (leave tissue paper on)
Quilted piece for back: 10″x13″ (make a quilt sandwich with 2 FQs and quilt with a simple design; trim to size)
Binding: (2) 2-1/2″ x WOF strips

Make front piece: Fold 2″ strip in half lengthwise and press. Fold 4″ strip in half, bring raw edges to middle and press. Fold over again and press (similar to making a strap). The single folded edges will be sewn to the zipper. The vinyl will be inserted into the double folded edges and topstitched in place. Here’s a video with a good explanation of how to sew the zipper and add the vinyl piece on the front. Start watching about the 19:20 mark in the video.

Assemble bag and bind: Lay the front piece on top of the back piece. Align raw edges and baste in place all the way around. Trim away excess vinyl, if necessary. Attach binding using back-to-front method (leave tissue paper on vinyl). Tear away tissue paper after attaching binding. Fold binding edges to the front. Use wonder clips to hold binding in place, fold miters for corners and stitch.

Wonder Tape (wash away 1/4″ wide double-sided tape) really helps with the zipper installation. I may also try using a tearaway stabilizer or tissue paper underneath when attaching the zipper to the folded fabric edges. Wonder Clips are a must as pins will leave holes in the vinyl. Also, tissue paper is a necessity when sewing requires the vinyl to be next to the feed dogs – when you are attaching binding to the back and flipping it to the front to sew down. It keeps the vinyl from sticking and/or getting caught in the feed dogs.

No vinyl? No problem. Use a quilted fabric panel for the front piece instead of vinyl.

Since I didn’t have to buy anything to make these bags, I consider these projects as freebies. (Yes, it did take 45-60 minutes per bag to make). This means more $$ for shopping at my upcoming retreat!

Quilting on my Singer 301A

March 25, 2025

I LOVE piecing and sewing on my Singer 301A. Like most vintage metal machines, the more you use it, the more it purrs. My 301A is a straight-stitch only machine. Locked away in someone’s shed for several years, it came with the trapezoid case and several presser feet. I purchased the buttonhole, zigzag and blind stitch attachments separately.

Machine quilting is fairly straightforward with a walking foot. You merely need to make sure that said walking foot is made for slant shank machines and will fit the 301 (because not all of them do). My walking foot does not have a place to attach a quilting bar. Bless the folks online who share their hacks for quirky sewing machines. Painter’s tape to the rescue. The sliding plastic quilting guide I use for my Elnita EC30 should work fine. I’ll need to experiment to find the best place to tape it on the 301A’s walking foot.

This machine also has the ability to drop the feed dogs. Original darning & embroidery attachments for the 301 are hard to find and pricey when you do find them. So, I searched for a modern alternative. I tried a plastic darning foot I purchased at a quilt show. Nope. Next was the common spring loaded FMQ foot but in a slant shank version. It works, but the foot will need to be modified with a rubber band (idea from Leah Day) so that it just skims the surface of the quilt sandwich.

While researching for a better solution to FMQ on my 301a, I read in a quilting forum (from nearly a decade ago) about an original slant shank darning foot that could be utilized on a 301. It’s Simanco part #161596. I found one for sale on eBay and it was mine within a week. The foot was made for the 400/500 series slant needle machines. I did have to modify the 301 just a bit so the presser foot would work. Once I hit on the right combination of needle and thread, the machine did its magic.

Machine straight line and FMQ tips:

  1. Oil any vintage foot before using. Anywhere that metal touches metal, douse liberally. Let the foot sit overnight on a paper towel.
  2. If using the vintage 161596 darning foot, you’ll need to remove the thread guide wire attached to the needle bar clamp. Simply remove the bottom screw on the right side of the needle bar clamp and slip the wire down. Set wire and screw aside for safekeeping. If you encounter resistance, it might be because the needle clamp screw is hitting against the right corner of the metal presser foot body. Tighten the needle clamp screw just a bit to rotate the screw head out of the way. Place a drop or two of oil on the edge of the metal part where it was rubbing.
  3. Insert a 90/14 titanium topstitch or quilting needle. Tighten with a screwdriver. My 301A will let me know with random skipped stitches that I don’t have the correct needle installed.
  4. Use same thread top and bobbin. I use Glide thread for FMQ.
  5. Test FMQ as you normally would.

Random fact: The 301 and 301A are the same machine. The “A” designation means that the machine was made in Singer’s Anderson, South Carolina plant. Mine is known as an LBOW – light beige, oyster white color scheme.

Accidents happen

March 20, 2025

This was supposed to be my DIY at-home sewing retreat week.

Well, that all changed with a single text from hubby last Saturday afternoon stating he needed to know which ER was in-network for our health insurance company. On Sunday, I drove to TN to fetch him.

Monday, we met with one orthopedic doctor, who immediately called his colleague who specializes in fine hand surgery while we were still there. Hubs had broken the bone in the tip of his left pinky finger. We left that office with an appointment to see the hand surgeon on Wednesday and hubs was tentatively placed on the outpatient surgery roster for Thursday.

Today, we met with the surgeon who will insert a K-wire into his finger joint tomorrow. She’s modifying the procedure a bit so hubs can complete all of his scans and tests at MD Anderson next week. He’s looking at a 6 week recovery time.

I’m glad hubs will be okay. One of the reasons I chose the Piedmont Healthcare network years ago is because of their level of care. Our experience this week definitely confirmed that decision.

Dealing with the insurance/billing part has been annoying. I wish there was a better way to coordinate billing among the various entities he’s seen this week. We have an HRA plan where we pay the first $1500 (at negotiated rates) before insurance pays. Every time a doctor’s office calls the health insurance company, they’re advised we haven’t met the deductible yet, so we’re responsible for paying that bill. It’s annoying to have to cover all the excess up front and have to wait to receive a credit back (at their convenience, of course).

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