Make Nine finish #9: the Triangle Pouch

The final finish for the Make Nine 2024 Challenge is this group of triangle pouches. This new-to-me pattern was introduced to me and participants in a summer workshop with Arouna Khounnoraj. The triangle pouch is a perfect little project for featuring special fabrics, using up batting scraps, slow stitching with decorative threads, and it can be made exclusively by hand (if you choose).

Hand stitched triangle pouches.

The first triangle pouch I made was in the workshop using fabrics that were dyed with natural dyes. I started a second one. This one incorporated a naturally-dyed fabric that was also hand stamped with a tjap design.

Triangle pouch using natural dyed fabric scraps and hand embroidery stitches.

You can see the tjap I used to hand-stamp the design on the hand-dyed fabric.

Tjap and hand-stamped fabric for another triangle pouch.

Last weekend, I started a batch of these pouches for a take-along handwork project prior to an overnight camper trip. This part of the pouch was sewn by machine (for expediency), but could also be done by hand. I’ve used a variety of commercial fabric prints in various colors.

Prepping the pouches for hand stitching.

After the decorative hand stitching is used to “quilt” the pouch, it is assembled with a drawstring and a decorative bead, button, or charm. The pouch can be used to hold small notions, a spool of thread, candies, or other small treasures.

Opened pouch showing the drawstring and vintage button.

One of the fun parts of making these pouches is searching the button stash to choose a complementary, decorative or vintage button to coordinate with the fabric.

Triangle pouches with vintage and decorative buttons.

Hand stitched triangle pouches.

Make Nine 2024 is complete!

These triangle pouches fulfill my “Learn more in ’24” prompt. 

“Learn more in ’24” prompt on Make Nine 2024 tracker.

And thus completes my Make Nine 2024 Challenge! It’s my 6th year participating and I’m feeling quite productive about this year’s projects. 

Completed Make Nine 2024 Challenge tracker.

Get ready for September Textile Love Challenge 2024

Coming soon… September Textile Love… sponsored by Seam Collective. Who’s up for a play-along?

September Textile Love Challenge 2024

I’m anxiously awaiting the release of the 30 prompts for this year’s September Textile Love Challenge. My first foray with this online Challenge was back in 2018. I can’t believe this is my 7th year!

I’ll be scrolling through my digital photo library in preparation for my responses to the daily prompts. Sign up for their newsletter or check the Seam Collective website for the list.

Chilling out… with free-motion quilting on charity quilts

Here’s the scenario: after you take a free-motion class, you’ve got to practice. 

One good way to practice your new skill is by quilting charity quilts. Charity quilts are also beautiful, heartfelt, useful and much appreciated! I’ve made numerous charity quilts for kids and animals and these quilt recipients don’t care if you’re a beginner at FMQ [free-motion quilting]. These quilts are perfect for practicing free-form designs, getting confident with free-motion quilting, and fine-tuning favorite quilting motifs. Charity quilts and free-motion quilting are a match made in (quilting) heaven!

Two free-motion quilted kitty quilts for charity.
Finished sizes: 28” x 25.5” and 25” x 24”

I brought these two scrappy quilt tops to my Into to Free-motion Quilting class at the Folk School to use for a demonstration on basting, using the Kwik Klip tool, and free-motion practice. Both tops were basted and one was quilted during the workshop. Upon returning home, I finished the quilting, added bindings (by machine), and these two kitty quilts were finished! It didn’t take long at all.

Finding a stack of Make-Do units

Remembering the calm and enjoyment I get from mindless, non-critical, free-motion quilting—like the quilting I do on charity quilts—I searched my stash for other quilt tops, basted projects, or orphan blocks awaiting assembly for a charity quilt.

Make-do units and improv patchwork: fodder for charity quilts.

I found a stack of make-do units (miscellaneous half-square triangles [HSTs], and improv patchwork), 48 disappearing 9-patch blocks, 12 red-white-blue 8.5” scrappy blocks, and a stack of discontinued red-and-white fabric swatches.

Disappearing 9-patch blocks and scrappy patriotic blocks.

Starting with the red-and-white swatches, it was easy and quick to piece these rectangles into rows and add a sashing between the rows. Relaxing… no intersections to line up… just straight stitching. This quilt top is ready to baste and quilt.

Red and white scrappy charity quilt top. 29” x 43”

I’ve got another set of blocks on the design wall—4-patch blocks with alternating solids squares. 

Potential charity quilt top on the design wall.

But I might play around with the make-do units for another improv patchwork quilt… for the kitty charity. These little quilts (approximately 25” x 27”) are always fun to make. I get to play with color and fabric, and the patchwork assembly strategy for improv units offers just enough of a challenge to make it interesting.

Free-motion quilting on two charity kitty quilts (back view).

Then I’ll “chill out” again and enjoy no-mark, stress-free, free-motion quilting. 

Free-motion quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School is always magical!

Ten new quilting friends, a delightful studio assistant, and I put on the gloves... dropped the feed dogs... and spent a long weekend free-motion quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. As they say at the Folk School, "It was magical!" 

"Intro to Free-motion Quilting" students, Donna Sue (left), Delores, and Adrienne
in the Quilting Studio at John C. Campbell Folk School.

A weekend class at the Folk School—as was my "Intro to Free-motion Quilting" workshop last weekend—starts immediately after dinner on Friday. We covered a lot of topics that first evening—quilting terminology, machine set-up, the purpose of the single-hole throat plate, threads, thread tension, basting, and several helpful quilting tools.

Drawing aerobics and the sketchbook

Saturday morning started with what I refer to as "drawing aerobics." If you can draw it, you can stitch it!

Working in the sketchbook.

Students practiced several continuous line designs in their sketchbooks before putting the needle and thread to the fabric.

Drawing background fills.

Continuous line drawings in the sketchbook.

Making informed choices... before quilting

Something to remember... (I tell my students) ...is that the "quilting stage" comes nearly at the end of the process. With that said, making decisions about and performing the steps prior to quilting—thread and batting choices, needles, basting—must be executed with intention and attention so when it's time for the quilting, you're set up for success.

One discussion related to this was about the fiber content of quilt battings that are on the market these days—cotton, poly, cotton/poly, bamboo, wool, silk, and various fiber blends. Quilted samples of different battings were passed around. Students could compare the "look and feel" of various battings and gain insight on how to choose a batting that would be appropriate for a quilt.

Cotton, poly, bamboo, wool, silk, or a blend?
Quilted samples using various battings with different fiber content.

Putting the pedal to the metal

After drawing continuous line designs as a warm-up, students were ready to put stitches into fabric. Several practice quilt sandwiches were basted, the feed dogs were dropped, and the quilting gloves went on. The sewing machines began humming in the quilting studio.

Free-motion quilting in the quilting studio

Free-motion quilting exercises.

Free-motion quilting gloves and a practice quilt sandwich.

Another FMQ [free-motion quilting] exercise was working with pre-printed panels. This is a placemat panel from Paintbrush Studio Fabrics.

Janice practicing her free-motion quilting on a pre-printed placemat.

Hand-Eye coordination and drawing with a buddy

With free-motion quilting, there are a lot of moving "body parts" that all have to work in unison—hands, eyes, brain, and feet. Here are results of a hand-eye drawing exercise I asked students to do with a buddy. (By the way, this is one of my favorite sketchbook exercises!)

Kathy and Susan.

Paige and Sandra.

Adrienne and Donna Sue.

Copious laughter ensued from this exercise!

Show and Tell, an idea-generator

I bring pieces of my work to most of my quilting workshops as an impetus for discussing thread choices, quilting design ideas and, of course, the story behind each quilt—which often plays into decisions for threads and quilting designs. 

Patricia (left), Sandra and Paige comparing sketchbook drawings with the final quilting. 

"Believe" is an example of machine trapunto, free-moiton background fills, and free-motion micro-stippling.

Example of machine trapunto, free-motion background fills, and stippling designs.

Inspiration sources

Another source for continuous line designs is from all the fabulous fabrics on the market. Another sketchbook exercise was using inspiration from Art Gallery Fabrics and M&S Textiles Australia fabrics. (The students loved this one!)

Students choosing fabrics for quilting design inspiration.

M&S Textiles aboriginal designs.

Can you see the relationship?

Drawings based on fabric prints.

The light bulb moments

At the end of a workshop, I like to ask students what their take-aways or free-motion awakenings they had in the class. This helps me as an instructor to plan my classes, and also to understand the topics that resonate most with students. The feedback from this workshop was:

• learning about thread tension.
• "go faster and go bigger" even when you think you're big enough.
• it's OK to go over a line more than once.
• "more machine and less hands" (let the machine do the work).
• any motif is possible.
• liked the fabric inspiration drawing exercise.
• discussion on thread—thread weights, fiber content, colors, mixing weights—was very helpful.
• liked the angel hair vs. lasagna analogy (relating to threads).
• when to change the needle.
• liked drawing the designs but also liked looking at quilt samples for ideas.
• the importance of the practice swatch.
• now has insights and sees how others do free-motion to help her think about her own approach.

The overwhelming consensus from the students was how important the drawing process is to free-motion quilting. (Yay!) Check out this blog post, "Why a sketchbook is a MUST for free-motion quilting" for more insight.

It was also important to remember ergonomics, taking time to stretch, and take care of our bodies when quilting. Anyone else do the "Fat Quarter Shuffle" dance when quilting? We saw it here first, at the Folk School!

Susan demonstrates the "Fat Quarter Shuffle." That's what it's all about!

Thank you!

I'd like to say "Thank You" to all the students who spent the weekend with me at the Folk School. Your attentiveness, curiosity, questions and open minds made this such an enjoyable weekend. I hope you continue to be inspired by all the possibilities and creativity of free-motion quilting. 

To my friend and business associate, Susan, thank you for being a great studio assistant, taking photos, and for your help with a few finicky sewing machines. You made my role as an instructor easy. I'm happy I could introduce the Folk School to you and hope you'll join me again.

View from the Farm House, the dorm where I stayed.

"The Folk School changes you"

I have two quilting classes scheduled at the John C. Campbell Folk School in 2025, Intro to Free-motion Quilting and Intro to Improvisational Quilts. Sign up, bring your sewing machine, a sense of adventure, and an open mind and enjoy a wonderful experience at this beautiful, picturesque, and nature-filled campus in Brasstown, North Carolina.

John C. Campbell Folk School sign near Keith House and the dining hall.