Bag Testing

Each year, I like to make small bags to give a bunch of ladies in my life, including my sisters and my daughter's teachers.  Some of these bags have proven to be well loved and others (likely) missed the mark.

What to make this year?  Here is my first test bag.   I'm trying to decide if the zipper overhangs need to be longer and would really appreciate your thoughts.

I like to put these all together assembly line style and am motivated to get started!

The fabric was one of the amazing prints in my Cotton Cuts box (see that post).  And don't forget to use the code ELMSTREET to save 10%.

Have you been making bags?  Over 150 bags  have been shared so far in the link-up (below) or on the Elm Street Quilts Group Facebook page.

Next new Bag It tutorial will be available on Monday for a Mesh Travel Bag.  I really enjoyed making this bag and it is actually a possibility for my gift giving this year.

When you are ready to share on Instagram or from your blog, link-up a photo to claim your Bag It Entry. 

• Photos linked from Instagram must contain the tag #elmstreetquiltsBagIt. 
• Photos linked from a blog post must contain a link back to Elm Street Quilts.

Want to share and enter from Facebook?  Join the Elm Street Quilts Facebook QAL group and then record your entry via the Bag It Facebook Entry Form.   

• (Why the form?  Winners are notified via email and the form collects your email address plus it makes things WAY easier for me to randomly select winners.)

You can share the photo of your bag multiple times but ONLY enter it once either in the link-up OR in the Bag It Facebook Entry Form.   

You will know when your entry is 'official' because I will come visit and leave a comment thanking you for entering.  (I batch up my bag visits so it may be several days until I stop by!)

New to the event and want to join?  Read more here and check out the participant guidelines for everything you need to know!

(If you don't have blog, IG or Facebook, drop me an email with photos and I'll get your bag entered!)

Ready to link-up?  And not to worry, the event runs through December 15 so there is plenty of time to make bags!

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Awesomeness in a box - Cotton Cuts

(Click here for the One Monthly Goal September Finish link-up)

Who wouldn't like a box of fabric in the mail each month?  I was so excited when my package arrived from Cotton Cuts that I couldn't wait to see what was inside.

Everything is packaged so pretty and I wanted to push all current project aside to start playing with all these new fabrics.

A stack of FQ awesomeness.

I love the little extras that come in the box too.  There are collectible cards with block tutorials plus a free pattern available for download from a designer of the month - love Rachel's work.

And isn't this cute?  A zipper charm!  And these fun set of cute quilty sayings on fabric. Cotton Cuts call these extra surprises a Lagniappe which means 'something extra'.

Cotton Cuts delivers fabric each month to your door - fabric customized to what you like.  You can choose from their Classics box or their Moderns box and then you set up your preferences profile to indicate what kind of fabric you like and don't like.   As an additional bonus, you get 25% off any fabric from their fabric shop.

Interested?  Want some awesomeness for yourself?

Cotton Cuts is offering Elm Street Quilts readers 10% discount when you sign up for the Classic or the Modern Makers membership - just enter the code: ELMSTREET

Besides the awesomeness in the box, I really, really like their mission to create jobs by providing employment to people with disabilities through their partnership with a sheltered workshop.   As a parent of an adult with a disability, I think is just amazing.  I just love what they are doing to bring purpose to the lives of these adults.

Cotton Cuts sent me a complementary box (which arrived on my birthday!) so I could see for myself what their product is all about.  I was already a fan of Cotton Cuts because of their mission statement.  The box of awesomeness that arrived in my mail just confirms what I already knew - Cotton Cuts is something special.

Take a minute and visit their site - don't forget to use ELMSTREET to save 10% on membership.

Now to play with some fabric!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Love American Made Brand Solids

I love making quilts with American Made Brand solids   75 colors to choose from - many of my recent finishes are made from these solids.

Numbers uses three shades of blue and a splash of red for a bold Fibonacci quilt.

Autumn Equinox  was my very first attempt at improv and used my favorite AMB colors.

For Tulips, I combined shades of the same colors to make a fun squared off flower!

Besides the fabric being wonderful to work with, one of my favorite parts is that the entire process for making this fabric is done in the US, starting with the cotton.

American Made Brand has put together a really wonderful video that explains the process and introduces you to the farmers who grow the cotton.  You can watch from their Facebook page or directly on Youtube.

I'm actually in this video - well sort of .....  at 3:55 there is a close-up of a quilt block with lighthouses.  That is MY quilt block!

Quilt and photo credit to the Works.  Read more about the quilt here.

Well the real star of the video might just be the dog who peaks between the quilts around minute 4.  Her name is Cali and she is a Catahoula Leopard Dog.  Cali was adopted at the Houston Quilt Market 4 years ago when the AMB team bumped into an adoption event while looking for a place to eat dinner.  They just couldn't resist that cute dog and brought her back to the hotel room!

You can buy American Made Brand solids at quilt stores everywhere.  I buy mine at here and here.  I'm excited by the new pre-cuts and can't wait to give some a try!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

One Monthly Goal - November Finish Link Up

My goal for November for One Monthly Goal was to make 15 Purse Packs as gifts for friends and family.  There they are, in all their fabric glory!

Did you finish your November goal?  November finishing link up closes on November 30, 2016 at 11:59 pm est.

Thanks to Fat Quarter Shop for supplying a $25 gift certificate!

Thanks to Bagmaker Supply for supplying a $20 gift certificate. 

As a special treat, Cotton Cuts will be offering a prize for a winner this month.  You can read more about Cotton Cuts and a product review on Heidi's post.  (Actual prize may be different than pictured below but there will be fabric involved!!!!)

Prizes will be randomly awarded to three (3) participants.  Winners will be selected on December 1 and this post will be updated to announce winners once they have confirmed via email.

To be eligible for a prize, you must have also linked up your goal in the November Goal Setting link up.  Make sure you link back to this post or use appropriate social tags.  You can read more about One Monthly Goal here.  

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS FOR NOVEMBER!!

Heidi K - Fat Quarter Shop
Amy G - BagMaker Supply
Amanda H - Cotton Cuts

( all winners have been confirmed.  - 12/2)

Come back on December 1 to link up your December quilting goal!










Have a wonderful day! Patty

One Monthly Goal - November Goal Setting Linkup

I'm excited to announce that I'll be hosting One Monthly Goal for the rest of 2016 as well into 2017!

Heidi @ Red Letter Quilts has done a fantastic job hosting this event and I thank her for giving me the opportunity to host.  We all appreciated her enthusiasm for our projects and our goal setting and wish her a speedy recovery. Thanks Heidi!

If you are a One Monthly Goal regular but new to my Elm Street Quilts blog - WELCOME and thank you for staying with the event! The basics of One Monhly Goal remains the same along with the same great sponsors.  While you are here at my blog, I hope you will check out the Bag It event underway right now.  There are many tutorials for bags and for any bag you make from ANY tutorial or pattern, you earn entries into quite the fantastic giveaway.  Read more about that here.   

If you are a Elm Street Quilts regular but new to One Monthly Goal - WELCOME and thanks for checking out this fun event.  To join in, post about ONE of your quilt-related goals for the month and link up during the first 7 days of the month.  Then return back at the end of the month to link up your accomplishment of that goal for a chance to win a prize.  You can post on your blog or Instagram - read all about it here.

Make sure you visit the One Monthly Goal event page for the specific requirements for links and social tags. The linkups from January through October are available here.

And remember, to be eligible for the prize(s) by random drawing you must linkup at both the goal setting and the accomplishment linkups.

Excited?  I sure am!

My goal for November will be to make 15 gifts for the holidays.  I'm giving many of the women in my life a Purse Pack - see my Elm Street Quilts Purse Pack tutorial.  

15 may seem like a lot but I've got some of the hard work done by picking out all the fabric combinations.  Everything is selected and kitted, ready for some quality time with my machine.

What's your goal for November?  Goal setting link up closes on November 7, 2016 at 11:59 pm est.

Thanks to Fat Quarter Shop for supplying a $25 gift certificate!

Thanks to Bagmaker Supply for supplying a $20 gift certificate. 

As a special treat, Cotton Cuts will be offering a prize for a winner this month.  You can read more about Cotton Cuts and a product review on Heidi's post.  (Actual prize may be different than pictured below but there will be fabric involved!!!!)

Prizes will be randomly awarded to three (3) participants.   

An InLinkz Link-up

Grab a button and help me spread the word!

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Have a wonderful day!

Patty