One of the most rewarding aspects of being able to sew and quilt is to gift a baby quilt to a new mom and know your handiwork is cuddling that baby and imparting an early love for fabric and quilts. My personal early memories are of prints on fabric and the items that surrounded me as a young child.
My very good friend, Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Fabric is having her first baby (it’s a girl!) and this post shows you the Take Wing quilt and Quilted Carryall Bag I made as a gift but as a bonus I have some hacks to share on these patterns for some extra options.
Quilted Carryall Bag Hack
On January 13th, I released the Quilted Carryall pattern to my SHOP and showed you the cover bag (also a gift for a new mom) that measures 13’’W x 16’’H x 6’’D (pictured above).
For Brooke’s bag, my rush to create it had me skipping a step in my own pattern and although I squared up my quilted panel, I did not trim it down to the size indicated in the pattern. The result is a taller bag and I’m not upset by that! The new version in gold Flora and Fauna from my Art Gallery Fabrics Willow collection measures more like 13’’W x 16’’H x 6’’D (pictured above).
I also added a swivel lobster clip feature inside the bag to keep keys or small toys handy. I used the a piece of fabric trimmed from making the bag handles to make a simple fabric tube with a 1/4” seam allowance. Turned it right side out, pressed, stitched close to long edges, then folded it in half to create a fabric loop to hold the lobster clip. I made a straight stitch across the folded fabric so the clip stayed in place and added the assembly to the bag interior at the same time as adding the pocket and in the same manner of tucking it under the turned hem.
The instructions for making the bag do not change but now you have two sizes to make and can see how easy it is to accessorize with additional clips, if desired. I’m kinda obsessed with this bag!
Take Wing Quilt
I have some favorite, go-to quilt patterns in my SHOP and Take Wing is one of them! The airy, stylized butterfly shapes, large patchwork pieces to show off the prints, and frankly, how fast and easy this quilt is to make were all reasons for choosing it!
I used two layers of polyester batting in this for lots of puff and Terri Neil of Quilting Rubies longarm quilted it for me in my new favorite Fanciful Flyers panto. I cannot tell you how much I love this quilt!
All the fabric in the quilt and bag are my prints for Art Gallery Fabrics. The Take Wing quilt uses 7 prints (start counting from right to left) and are mostly from my Willow collection but I’ve added in Mauve from Fanciful and Woodblock from Ballerina Fusion. The binding is Dream Weaver from Willow and the backing is Filament from Honey Fusion.
I promised you a hack for this quilt and although I did not add it to this quilt for Brooke, I have a hack on how to turn this Take Wing baby quilt into a quilted headboard slip cover for a full bed! It’s the neatest thing and the Willow version I made last year is now in my personal collection and used for the guest bed to switch up the room decor. Read all about how to do this hack on the BLOG POST, here.
Below are examples of the front and back from the Willow Take Wing slipcover version.
Quilted side out with hand sewn buttons to hold ties—all of which can be removed and you can easily return the quilt to a quilt.
Willow version backing side out shows back of quilt and matching ties for a simpler (non-patchwork) headboard slipcover. Read the original blog post about the headboard slipcover, here.
This gift set was so pretty together I got carried away taking photos of it so I’ll leave you with some additional images to inspire you.
Quilt and Sample Sale
Big news! I’ll be having my first-ever quilt and sample sale and it’ll be right here on my website! The launch date has not been set yet— but is right around the corner. I’m shooting for the very beginning of March but still have lots to do yet with over 100 items to list. For the most advance warning, follow me on Instagram @sharonhollanddesigns or now Sharon Holland on Facebook. The sale will run for a limited time and most everything is a one-of-a-kind so shop early for best selection! Be watching my social media channels for more information.
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