YouTube is a wonderful thing! I have been recently been making some collapsible bags for an organisation that offers support and bereavement items to families that suffer still birth or the tragic death of a newborn. These bags are soft and pliable and have a zip to keep the precious items safe.
I am not a trained sewer, I’m a quilter and there’s a difference. I have inserted zips from time to time but I wanted to create a perfect bag for those who will use it.

Enter – YouTube. I googled “inserting zip in bag” and up came about a dozen video tutorials for me to browse through. I ended up using various bits of information from several free videos and I am so proud of my efforts. I would not have been able to achieve this by just reading instructions – I’m a visual learner and seeing it happen before your eyes really makes all the difference!

I recently received a request from a quilter who wanted to make a golf themed quilt for her husband, but was finding tracking down patterns and ideas a bit difficult. So I spent an afternoon on the web and sourced some terrific patterns and designs and some inspirational photographs. Here’s the link for your interest: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art182822.asp

It’s the International Quilters Day on March 15th. How about shouting yourself a fat quarter, or that quilting book you’ve been longing for. I’ll be busy cutting out kits for our collapsible bags.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Quilting located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=43

I’ve found some little goodies for you this week. Some clever little ideas too! Have fun.

http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com.au/search/label/my%20tutorials a great Dresden plate tutorial

http://www.add-crafter.com/2012/04/basketweave-braid-star-block/ love this tutorial and the finished block is fabulous!!

http://fabricfascination.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/binding-your-quilt-perfect-finish.html for those who want to machine stitch their binding in place on front and back.

http://exuberantcolor.blogspot.com.au/p/quilts-with-kaffe-fassett-fabric.html just great colours used in these quilts

http://www.instructables.com/id/Bed-Bug-Bean-Bags/ a great alternative to dangerous hot water bottles for little feet – and they look gorgeous

http://green-label.com/art/innovative-playground-designs-monstrum/ here’s some children’s playgrounds with a difference. (click on the thumbnails below the large picture).

http://www.patchworkposse.com/2013/01/teepee-quiet-book-tutorial/ another quiet book pattern

http://icanfindthetime.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/sewing-machine-pin-cushion.html a pincushion for your sewing machine

http://www.allfreesewing.com/Sew-for-your-Pet/Tug-of-War-Dog-Toy-from-Scraps/ct/1 a tug of war toy for your pooch

http://www.needlenthread.com/2014/01/appenzell-whitework-embroidery-video-worth-watching.html a wonderful video about whitework embroidery and full of historic photos. The music is beautiful too.

I must say goodbye now, and get on with my day. My house is screaming for a vacuum so will have to get busy. Take care, and I’ll pop in again next week.
Cheerio for now

Judie Bellingham, Quilting Editor
http://Quilting.bellaonline.com

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