Tag Archives: mqg

Aussie MQG Zipper Pouch Swap

Lots of firsts in this pouch for the #AussieMQGZipperPouchSwap. This was a direct partner swap to encourage us to get to know an MQG member from another guild, my allocated partner was Amy from Badskirt who I’m lucky to already know a little, enough to know that I had to make something especially awesome. If you’ve seen any of Amy’s work you’ll understand the weight I felt on my shoulders.

Below is the sneak peek I shared before posting her pouch.

Aussie MQG Zipper Pouch Swap

It was my first time sewing with leather, just like sewing through butter on my Juki! I did learn that the thicker leather would probably be better with rounded corners.

These little geese measure 1″ across by 1/2″ tall, I made my own paper piecing pattern for these which will definitely get a workout again soon.

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I had to come up with something equally cool for the back so I had a go at some itty bitty quilting to create more mini geese, lucky for me it worked out pretty well (or I would have had to make another panel and think of something else!). May have been a little better with darker thread but I still like it.

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I pieced the panels, then layered each one with batting and a cotton back so that I could quilt 1/2″ straight lines and the FMQ geese. I then added on the leather bottom piece and from there followed my favourite zipper pouch pattern by Toni at Make It Perfect. I added a little pocket on the inside for a card or keys or coins but otherwise it’s just a basic quilted zipper pouch.

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It was a labour of love but I’m really happy with how this little pouch turned out.

Here’s the awesome pouch and goodies I received from Amy. The pouch is perfect for holding my C+S hexies and because… cats, especially grey cats.

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Lucky it passed inspection!

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This swap came about from a group of Aussie MQG Leaders talking about ways that we could build community and get to know one another from guilds around the country. We plan to run more Aussie MQG swaps in future as a way of giving our members more benefits and a greater sense of connection with each other, the first swap seems to have been a big hit!

Only a fortunate few of us can make it to QuiltCon and it’s luck of the draw with MQG Fabric Challenges, we hope that through these swaps every Aussie MQG member feels that they have the opportunity to participate in an event beyond their local guild and that over time more connections will be formed to build a strong Aussie Modern Quilting community.

Riley Blake MQG Challenge – Quilt-As-You-Go Bag

It was a perfect match, a Modern Quilt Guild Basics Challenge sponsored by Riley Blake Designs to make anything quilted, with six fat-eighths to start us off, and a fabulous Craftsy class to make Quilt-As-You-Go Patchwork Bags that I could not wait to try. I’m so excited to share this bag so look out, lots of pretty pictures coming up!

Riley Blake Challenge - Quilt As You Go Bag

I’d been hoping for a chance to take the Quilt-As-You-Go Patchwork Bags Craftsy class with with Tara Rebman when it was announced that Riley Blake Designs would be sponsoring the 3rd annual MQG members fabric challenge, we heard about it at a Wollongong MQG sew day and I knew exactly what I was going to make. Light bulb moment!

Riley Blake Challenge - Quilt As You Go Bag

We received our fabrics towards the end of last year as 5.5″ x WOF strips from the range of Riley Blake basics. The fabrics I received were:

  • solid dark grey
  • light grey and white 1″ stripes
  • navy and white medium gingham
  • aqua tone on tone medium chevron
  • white on yellow small dots
  • orange pop

Riley Blake Challenge - Quilt As You Go Bag

I’ve supplemented these with some other Riley Blake fabrics from my stash and a few solids including:

  • yellow tone on tone small dot
  • orange tone on tone small dot
  • white on aqua dot
  • orange solid
  • yellow solid
  • sea green solid
  • navy solid for the bias binding
  • navy blue solid cotton duck cloth for the bag base

Riley Blake Challenge - Quilt As You Go Bag

I started off by cutting a few small and medium strips and squares of varying sizes from each fabric and began the quilt as you go process which uses a log cabin approach. Each round adds a new piece of fabric to cover the join of the previous two pieces and gets quilted down (as you go), towards the edges using pre-patched slabs rather than single fabric pieces. Stay tuned for an upcoming post reviewing the class and sharing some more details of the bag making.

Riley Blake Challenge - Quilt As You Go Bag

I used Aurifil 50wt threads for this project, a light grey/silver (2600) for piecing & quilting the main panels and navy (2745) for quilting on the base panel and attaching the bias binding. My quilting is roughly 1/4″ apart, though I did vary on purpose to give some subtle difference in textures and in some cases to suit the fabric.  My favourite part of the quilting is this navy gingham piece below.

Riley Blake Challenge - Quilt As You Go Bag

The bag is a pretty good size as you can see above with it on my shoulder. In opens up wide and has a handy flap with magnetic snap to keep it closed. I included both pocket options, a hidden zipper pocket on one side and a divided pocket on the other.

Riley Blake Challenge - Quilt As You Go Bag

I really love these challenges, this one in particular took me out of my comfort zone with colour but seeing all the fabrics combined I quite like the overall effect of the outside of the bag.  I wish I didn’t choose an orange solid for the lining, next to the navy binding all I see is football team colours. This is a perfect case where a subtle tone on tone chevron or dots would have been a better choice for such a large area. I already have some fat quarter packs of the Riley Blake small dots and tone on tone dots and I’m sure more of their basics will make their way into my stash, I just haven’t been able to source it locally yet so couldn’t get it in time to finish my bag.

Riley Blake Challenge - Quilt As You Go Bag

A huge thanks to Riley Blake Designs for sponsoring this challenge and providing the fabric for us to play with. Thank you also to the Modern Quilt Guild for organising these challenges for us and to our awesome leader Rachael of the Wollongong Modern Quilt Guild who does all the organising so we can participate.