My quilt “Inset Starburst” is on the cover of Quiltcon 2025 Magazine and the pattern using my inset strip technique is included inside. I’m excited for others to get a chance to play with this technique in block form. You can find your own paper copy available in stores at at Quiltcon starting Feb 18, 2025 and the digital copy available now here: https://www.quiltingdaily.com/product/quiltcon-magazine-2025-digital-edition/

Bianca Springer http://biancaspringer.com and I first got to know each other as mutual admirers of a brand of handmade embroidered garments. Our friendship grew into a creative collaboration with the help of others born in protest sadly from the anti-inclusive posturing of the hand embroidery business owner we initially so admired. That collaboration was our “Nude is not a Color” quilt purchased in 2021 by the Henry Ford Museum and now in their permanent collection.

Coming full circle, is an embroidery book Bianca WROTE HERSELF and recently published by C&T publishing concentrating on the inclusion of people with different skin tones, body types, hair textures and shapes.

The realization of that full circle makes me want to cheer from the mountain tops! Finally, there is a book that represents and honors many of my friends, work colleagues and family members who have thus far been largely overlooked in embroidery books currently in print.

When picking a project from the book to make I decided to use some 5mm wool felt I had on hand in a minimalist style. Bianca’s book has 10 projects and over 100 images to use! I chose one of my favorite pictures, a beautiful dark skinned woman with her crown of stars which I printed onto Sulky Stick N Stitch stabilizer. I used both wool and cotton embroidery floss in her Afro then sewed up the felt into an easy tote with leather handles. It has been my constant companion as my husband and I travel throughout Spain garnering compliments everywhere.

There are several more projects I plan to make from the book. Thank you Bianca for including me in this journey and for applying one of your MANY creative talents toward something beautiful and important.

The above picture is from Quiltcon 2021. Look for us both teaching a Quilty Shift dress class at Quiltcon 2022 in Atlanta and also for Bianca’s embroidery classes using projects from her book.

If you would like a chance to win a digital copy of Bianca’s book, like, comment and follow me and all the other participants on Instagram.

Hillary

Over the last couple of years I have been playing with a messenger bag design of my own imagining.  I have come to love thick wool felt as bag medium and have been using the design to pay tribute to important women using leather appliqué.  In hopes of inspiring others to do the same I wanted to share my methods.  My demonstration bag is an abstract design.  There are a ton of possibilities.

 

Supplies

3 mm Felt ( I purchased mine from Aetna Felt  www.aetnafelt.com .  One 72” wide yard makes 2 1/2 bags.  You can also use 5 mm felt but it is much harder on a domestic machine)

Pieces of thin scrap leather to use as adornment (It is important to use very thin suede or leather to make sewing on a domestic machine easier)

Fabric Marker (I like Dritz Disappearing Ink pen or chalk pencils)

Quilter’s Ruler

Rotary Cutter

Leather Hole Punch

Small Sized Rivets and Rivet Setter(If you are uncomfortable with rivet setting, screw in rivets are a nice alternative and if you chose to use 5mm thick wool, I recommend medium sized rivets)

Thread (thick upholstery thread is ideal but I honestly use what I have around)

Fabric-Tac Glue

Two 2 inch metal D rings

One 2 inch metal Slide Adjuster

2 yards of 2 inch Black Nylon Webbing

One magnetic bag closure set

Leather Needle and Walking Foot or Teflon Foot for your Machine

 

Step One: Prepare your leather design and cut out your Felt Pieces

-Draw out a design and then cut pieces of leather or suede to match that design

-Cut one Front/bottom piece 12 x 12.5 inches

-Cut one Back/top piece 12 x 26 inches

-Cut one Side piece 4 x 36 inches

-Round the bottom edges of your Front/bottom piece (remember that it is slightly narrower side to side then top to bottom to assure you are rounding the correct edges) and round all sides of the Back/top piece.  I used a 4 inch circle template but you can use a small plate or can as your guide instead.

 

Step Two: Appliqué your leather Design

-Using your long Front/top felt piece, right side toward you, arrange your leather appliqué as you would like it to appear on the bag.  Piece by piece, then glue down and sew 1/8 inch from edge each leather piece.  Make sure to use a leather needle and a walking foot or teflon foot on your machine.

-At the bottom of the front piece before glueing and sewing all portions down, insert one part of your magnetic bag closure if you like facing to the back and hide by glueing and sewing a piece of appliquéd leather over it.  (see picture)

 

Step Three: Sew your side and Front/Bottom Piece Together

 

-Using a 3/8 inch seam allowance sew, right sides together sew the long wool Side piece and the smaller Front/bottom piece.

-Cut any extra of the side piece projecting from the top

-Right sides together, using pins or wonder clips secure the unadorned half of your long Top/front piece to the side piece.  Before you begin sewing, the seam should be 14 inches from the end of the long Top/front piece on both sides.  Using a 3/8 inch seam allowance, sew along the edge.

 

-Invert the bag and prepare for strap placement

Step Three: Attach your Straps

-Cut two pieces of the 2 inch webbing 4 1/2 inches long and cut another piece 50 inches long (a lighter or match used at the cut edges helps melt and finish the end of the webbing)

-Fold one short webbing piece over a metal  D Ring.  Mark 4 positions in each corner at least 1/4 from the edge and punch holes in the webbing at the marked spots using your leather hole punch.  Repeat for the second D Ring and short webbing piece.

-Center each D ring/webbing piece on the side 1/2 inch down from the top.  Using your marker, mark each hole you have made in the webbing onto the wool.  Punch holes through the wool in each of these spots and connect the wool and webbing/D ring piece on each side with your rivets and rivet setter(4 rivets per side).

-Next, wrap the long webbing piece through the center of your Slide Buckle and fold over at least an inch and a half.  Mark two places 1/4 inch from the side, mark, hole punch and secure using two rivets.

-Slip the free end of the webbing through one side D ring with the wrong side of the rivets facing up and lace the webbing under and then over through the Slide Adjuster (see picture).

-Fold the open end of the webbing through the other side D ring and secure with two rivets as previously described making sure the webbing hasn’t twisted and keeping the wrong side of the rivets to the inside.

Step 4: Attach the Other Piece of the Magnetic Closure

-Using the already inserted Magnetic Piece as a guide, mark and insert the other part of the magnetic closure facing toward you on the bottom/front felt piece.

 

You’re Done!  Enjoy!  Tag me @entropyalwayswins and the project (#feltmessengerbag) on Instagram if you make one.  I would love to see.

 

Hillary

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite aspects of sewing is discovering new techniques while experimenting.  There are many weirdo sewing tricks I now rely upon but a latest discovery with piecing is so simple and helpful that I thought I should share more broadly.

Of note, there are several sewists especially in my Bee Sewcial quilting bee that have been dancing to the same proverbial melody in making.  I think of us often creating in parallel and most certainly learning from each other.  Indeed after I posted this tutorial on Instagram, my marvelous friend Marci (http://www.marcigirldesigns.com) said that she had used exactly this technique earlier this year without describing it.  For these reasons, the following technique is best attributed to our Bee Sewcial group as a whole.

Although I shared this on Instagram (where you can still find it under #insetstripsonthefly) I figured for posterity’s sake and easier reference I would make a more formal post about it.

I absolutely love some wonk in my makes.  Indeed I often seek it out as I appreciate the interest asymmetry adds to a piece.  There are times however when I really want things to line up perfectly, have a background seen uninterrupted through layers etc.  The classic “slice and insert” method for adding pieced lines in sewing is awesome but is frustrating when using sizes other then 1/2 inch finished strips (assuming a 1/4 inch seam allowance).  Unless you spend extra time with math, the background can look distorted.  I am actually a math lover, but the more time I have to calculate and think about sewing, the less fun it is for me.  This new technique works with any sized inset strips, doesn’t distort the background AND requires very little thinking.  All you need is fabric, scissors and washable glue.

Step 1: Gather you background fabric, some fabric strips and perhaps a plan (or not.  This technique is very fun to make up a design as you go.)

Step 2: Line up your strip Right Sides Together(RST) with the background fabric along the line you plan to place your strip.  You may find it helpful to mark the line on your fabric with an erasable marker.  Realize that the marked line is 1/4 inch in from where the strip will be sewn to the background fabric.  Next, sew the strip using a quarter inch seam allowance (and keeping RST) along one side to your strip to your background fabric.

Step 3: Fold the strip over along the sewn edge and press.  Unfold the strip back and iron a 1/4 inch fold all along the raw edge of the strip TOWARD the sewn edge.

Step 4: With a light touch, apply your washable glue to the folded edge.

Step 5: Fold the strip over and press in place.

Step 6: Flip the whole thing over and cut with your scissors IN BETWEEN the strip the the bottom fabric 1/4 inch away from your sewn edge.

Step 7: With the back still facing you, fold open and sew along the unsewn folded line.

Step 8: Trim both sewn edges to give a clean 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Step 9: Turn the whole piece to the front, press and add more inset strips as you like.

I combined some inset strips, added an inset circle and then added more inset strips on top to exaggerate the sense of layers in this piece.  You can see how clean the technique is  by a view from the back (something I am often hesitant to do frankly when showing my makes!)

There are so many ways to go with the technique.  (hint, hint: You can insert more then straight parallel strips this way). Below are a couple other blocks I made while playing around.

I hope others find this tutorial helpful.  I would love to see what folks make with it.  If you are on Instagram tag me @entropyalwayswins and your make #insetstripsonthefly.

Hillary