Some of you may know that Strictly Quilting has been running sewing retreats for a couple of years now in collaboration with Cecilia Slinn. We recently held our Summer Retreat where we had a fabulous time. There were two projects for people to make. Cecilia brought us a Project Bag and I designed a Block Nanny. Both of these items used a foam layer which helped to add body and form.
The Project Bag has lots of pockets for all your crafting goodies plus internal pockets for your cutting mat and even pockets which will fit A4 instructions. Cecilia used a bonded foam to support her original bag but I used sew in Style Vil from Vlieseline. The advantage? Well, every time I’ve used the bonded type, I’ve found that the surface of the fabric takes on a slightly bubbly or ruched effect. The Style Vil worked perfectly. I quilted each bag panel, which firstly holds the foam in place and helps provide another level of support, plus adding a little extra design style…
The Style Vil was easy to work with and allows the bag to stand nicely, allowing space for a storage box in which I can pack all my fabrics for a project. There was one little adaptation I made to the bag pattern – the addition of an extra strap to hold the bag onto my sewing machine trolley. I have a storage bag for moving my machine to and from workshops and the project bag fits on the trolly, slipping over the pull up handle, allowing easy transportation. It really makes a brilliant addition.
The second project, the Block Nanny, was something I’d designed to go along with my beginners Doris Sampler Quilt. A bag which opens out, book like, to hold blocks flat, clean and, more importantly, in one place. (I know I’m not alone to say that, when making a sampler quilt or similar, it’s easy to put blocks in a ‘safe place’ not to be found for weeks!) The Block Nanny makes it easy to carry them to your workshop. The Style Vil was again the perfect product. I used a fleece on the inside of the Nanny which works well as a mini design wall for your blocks. If you’ve cut them out you can hold them in place before piecing. (This pattern is available on my shop on UKQU here.)
One important tip for piecing blocks is to lay out the individual pieces in position prior to actually piecing. This helps keep everything in place and stops you making mistakes with positioning. Having a folder to keep the blocks in place prior to piecing really helps when at a workshop – easy to pack up without having to throw all the cut pieces into a bag or box.
I’ve also used Style Vil in the past for my laptop slip as it is soft, supportive and protective and it makes brilliant little make up bags. In fact, Vlieseline have a tutorial for a make up bag on their website which you can find here.
But what is Style Vil? It’s a foam which is easily sewn by hand or machine, although do trim the seam allowances to reduce bulk. It is washable and resistant to wear, so quite a robust material. If you are looking to make a bag then give Style Vil a go, you won’t regret it.
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