Amy Butler's Laminated Cotton

Tote bags, grocery bags, beach bags, tablecloths, raincoats......any other other ideas???
While perusing the fabulous True Up Blog, I found some really thorough information about the new laminated cotton Love Collection by Amy Butler. The colors are dynamic and as always, the quality is very good. The article was by Kathy from the Pink Chalk Studio Blog: Laminate Cotton Sewing Tips and she did an incredible job! Her article is packed full of valuable information. The good news is.....it just arrived! Here are some the fabrics in the collection that we have of this 100% laminated 54" wide cotton. Enjoy!

Scraps and Timtex - and an Amy Butler Bag!

I have owned Amy Butler's "In Stitches" for some time now and thought it would be fun to try a quilted box bag.

I selected the "Patchwork Handbag With Zipper Charm".  I thought it would be a good use of scraps and a fun first quilting project.  The project requires a number of pieces of main fabric, lining, backing fabric and batting.  The main pieces and lining could be cut from 1/2 yard or less of fabric.  I had the luxury of selecting color coordinated scraps from the scrap bin here at Contemporary Cloth.  But you could use your stash or try  your luck with one of our scrap bags.

The pattern is written in a very descriptive style.  I stumbled during the quilting section because I did not understand that an entire piece was quilted and then cut in two for the two sides.  I had started by cutting out the dimensions listed in the book, things did not add up and I set the bag aside, convinced I would not finish it.  I later decided to simply make horizontal strips. It's not as visually interesting, but it was simpler for this first-time quilter.  (You'd never know that I completed three years of college-level math, including differential equations!)

The pattern calls for making a cardboard insert for the bottom of the bag.  I simply couldn't see how this would make the bag sturdy enough - at least for my taste.  So when making the lining, I attached Timtex, a fairly sturdy sew in stabilizer, that is great for bags and totes.  This added wonderful shape to the bag - so much so that I did not need to add the cardboard.  Even after adding my wallet and several other items the bag held its shape.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the bag.   I learned how to make a box-shaped bag.  And next time, I will be a bit more adventurous in my quilting!