Welcome to Day 5 of the Good Luck Pouch Sew Along!

We made it to the end of the Sew Along! Today, I have a few last notes for finishing up our pouches.

Insert the Handle into the end where the zipper opens. It can get a little fiddly trying to get the zipper teeth ends to line up in the center with the Handle in between the layers, but using Wonder Clips can help keep everything in the right place.

Push the Side Binding to one side and sew the Boxy Corner openings closed with a 1/4″ seam. 

If you notice that the Binding is struggling to make it all the way around the raw edge (especially where the Side Seam and zipper meet up), you can take some sharp scissors and trim the Side Binding and/or zipper area in the seam allowance a little smaller. This will give the Boxy Corner Bindings some extra space to cover the entire seam. 

Sewing on the Boxy Corner Bindings will be the bulkiest seams of the pouch, and even more so if you have extra seams from half square triangles or patchwork squares to contend with. If your sewing machine is struggling with the thickness, here are a couple things to try:
* Try switching your needle to a jeans needle.
* Use the handwheel to manually move your needle up and down through the thickest parts. If the bulk is too much for your machine to handle, it can bend the needle and break it, so manually helping the needle go through the layers slowly sometimes works really well.
* Lessen the pressure on your presser foot (if your machine has that option).
* Before sewing on the binding, make a few more stitch lines through the boxy corner seam allowance areas to really flatten it out.

And remember, these Boxy Corner Bindings will likely never be looked at again, so it’s okay if they aren’t perfect! They are inside of the pouch and I have never once taken the time to look closely at any of my inside bindings after turning the pouch right side out. Haha.

Once all four Boxy Corners are finished up, you can turn your pouch right side out through the zipper holes. I’ve found that the process of adding the Boxy Corner Bindings can crease the pouch and handle a bit, so I will often press the pouch and handle to smooth out any wrinkles.

Those are my tips for today! I’ll be posting the final Sew Along video on my Instagram account later today. 

It’s been such a great time sewing along with you! I love to see all the cute Good Luck Pouches popping up on my Instagram feed. Thanks for joining me!

Links to items from today’s post:

Clover Wonder Clips
White and Gold zipper by the yard
Jeans Needles

Kristina

Welcome to the Good Luck Pouch Sew Along Day 4!

Today, we’re sewing the sides of our Good Luck pouches closed, adding on the Side Bindings, and then cutting the boxy corners.

A few notes about today:

Before sewing up the sides of your pouch, make sure it is inside out. Fold the panel in half with the zipper at the top. When you sew on the edges where the zipper is, the layers can be pretty thick–especially if your zipper has bulkier zipper teeth. If you can’t get your presser foot up and over the zipper teeth, just sew as close to the zipper teeth as you can. We’ll be cutting the corners of the zippers off anyway.

In these photos, the zipper I’m using looks metal, but it’s nylon (plastic teeth). I almost always use nylon zippers because you can sew over them and cut them with utility scissors or an old rotary cutter. 

The Side Bindings might be slightly larger or smaller than your side edge, just center them on the side edge. Again, we’ll be cutting those corners, so the Side Binding doesn’t need to fit perfectly.

Using a ruler, mark the lines for the boxy corners according to the size you are making. The marked lines will be covered up with binding, so no need to worry about making sure the lines are completely erased after.

Following the marked lines, carefully cut the corners of the pouch. Sharp fabric scissors work best for this step, as you’ll be cutting through multiple layers of fabric and batting/foam stabilizer. However, when cutting on the line across the zipper, I recommend using utility scissors instead. We don’t want our precious fabric scissors to get dull! 🙂 

Those are the tips for today! You can find the Day 4 Sew Along video on my Instagram account HERE. 

Links to products from today’s assignment:

Wonder Clips
OLFA 6.5″ x 6.5″ square
LDH black Scissors
Frixion Heat Erasable Pen

Thanks for sewing along!

Kristina

It’s Day 3 of the Good Luck Pouch Sew Along!

Today, we are preparing our bindings and handle, sewing on the Zipper Bindings, and attaching the zipper. 

Just a few random notes on today’s assignment:

When you cut out the Side and Boxy Corner Bindings, you can cut one long length of the fabric, press it all as instructed in the pattern, and then cut the long strip into the correct lengths for the Side and Boxy Corner Bindings. I usually forget to do this (haha!), but have found that sometimes it’s easier to press a long strip, then cut into smaller pieces, instead of pressing all the smaller pieces of fabric.

Follow the instructions in the pattern to attach the Zipper Bindings onto the quilted panel, making sure to sew to the lining side first! Then pull it taught before stitching onto the Main fabric side. I like to sew right along the folded edge of the binding. I really try to focus on getting a nice, straight line since this top-stitching will be very visible. Sewing slowly with a matching thread color can really help that line of stitching look nice.

When you line up your zipper to sew it on, make sure to orient it as shown in the pattern. You want the zipper to be open at the top and most of the extra zipper length at the bottom. This will help when attaching the second side of the zipper.

As you sew the zipper on, sew slowly and stay about 1/8″ away from the edge of the Zipper Binding, Again, focus on slowly sewing sewing a straight line while keeping the zipper teeth at the same distance away from the Zipper Binding the whole way down. As the presser foot gets close to the zipper pull, you can lower the needle, lift up the presser foot, slide the zipper pull past the presser foot so it’s out of the way, and continue sewing.

I use my standard presser foot when attaching the zipper because it’s pretty thin and works well. Feel free to use a zipper foot or whatever works for you! 

When sewing on the second side of the zipper, you’ll need to wrangle the quilted panel a little to get it out of the way of the sewing machine needle. This is where the extra zipper length comes in! Unzip the zipper as much as possible to allow for easier maneuvering.

Those are my tips for Day 3! You can find the Day 3 Sew Along video on my Instagram account HERE. 

Links to items from today’s tips:

Clover Wonder Clips
Oliso Mini Iron
Pellon SF 101 Lightweight Fusible Interfacing
White and gold zipper by the yard I’m using in these photos

Thanks for sewing along!

Kristina

It’s Day 2 of the Good Luck Pouch Sew Along!

Today we are basting and quilting our panels. I have a few tips below for you:

PREPARE FOR BASTING

Before I start basting, I try to make sure that all of my layers are pressed really well. This will help everything lay smoother and you’ll be less likely to get puckers in the fabric when you quilt.

I’d even recommend pressing the batting or Soft and Stable (or other foam stabilizer–unless it’s fusible!) before layering. Both batting and Soft and Stable press well and having the wrinkles pressed out will really help all the layers stay flat.

BASTING

Basting is a way to temporarily hold layers of fabric together. We don’t want the layers to move around while we’re quilting, so we baste them for the best results.

There are many different methods of basting (pins, adhesive spray, sewing long stitches, etc.). I’d recommend trying a few out so you can figure out which method you like best.

I prefer to spray baste smaller projects with Odif 505, but I frequently use safety pins for larger projects.

PREPARE FOR QUILTING

Once I have my layers basted, I choose a side of the panel that I can start most of my quilting lines from and stitch a line along one of the edges (just 1/8″ away from the raw edge) to stabilize the three layers.

Even though we’ve already basted, if you start your machine quilting from that stitched line as much as possible, it will further help keep the layers from shifting.

MARKING QUILTING LINES

When I’m quilting a design that needs guides to follow, I like to use a Hera Marker to mark my lines (it only leaves an impression-not an actual ink mark). The dull side of a butter knife also works great! The impressions on some fabrics and batting/Soft and Stable combinations show up better than others, so don’t get discouraged if the lines are a little hard to see. Sometimes I’ll mark and quilt from the lining side if the Hera Marker works better on that side than the main fabric side.

There are many other ways to make guide lines (air/water erasable pens, strips of tape, etc.) or forgo the lines altogether and choose an organic design that doesn’t need lines to follow. If you’d like to see some of these other method in action, check out the video I shared on my Instagram account HERE.

One thing I love about having half square triangles or patchwork squares is that they have a grid built in to use for a quilting guide. Yay! For this half square triangle version of the Good Luck Pouch, I sewed about 1/8″ on either side of the seams. It’s a pretty simple design, but looks really nice. If you’re wanting some additional ideas for easy machine quilting designs, check out the Instagram video I posted HERE.

QUILTING

To keep things easy when I quilt, I use the same thread and needle that I use for all of my general sewing projects (my thread of choice is Aurifil 50 wt and I like to use Organ 90/14 needles).

For machine quilting, I do like to increase my stitch length a little. A standard stitch length on my machine is 2.5 and I like to increase it to about 3.5 for quilting. You can play around with your machine’s settings to see what you prefer.

When quilting on my Juki sewing machine, I use a slim presser foot to quilt smaller projects. The Juki comes with a walking foot, however I’ve found that it doesn’t work really well (one of the machine’s only downfalls) and I prefer to use a regular presser foot. If I’m quilting a larger project then I get out my second machine (a Bernina) and use it with a walking foot. The walking foot can really help feed the layers through at the same speed and avoid puckering. If you have a walking foot, I’d generally recommend using it to quilt, or at least trying it out to see if it works better for quilting.

TRIMMING

Whenever I’m quilting fabric for a bag, I almost always start off with a bigger size than necessary, then trim to size after quilting. The process of quilting often shrinks the panel (the denser the quilting, the greater the shrinkage), and sometimes the layers shift a little, too. With the Good Luck Pouch, the Main fabric has the option of being half square triangles or patchwork squares, and we don’t want to cut off any of the pieced section of our panel, so just the batting/foam stabilizer and Lining fabric are cut larger. When you trim, you’ll want to trim the batting and Lining layers even with the Main (top) fabric. 

That’s it for Day 2! You can find the Day 2 Sew Along video on my Instagram account HERE. 

Links from today’s tips:

Odif 505 basting spray 
Hera Marker 
Organ 90/14 needles
OLFA rotary cutter
OLFA 6″ x 24″ ruler

Thanks for sewing along with me!

Kristina

Welcome to Day 1 of the Good Luck Pouch Sew Along! I am so happy you’re here! 

I originally posted these Sew Along tips and tricks in September 2025 in conjunction with a Good Luck Pouch Sew Along I hosted. I’m posting the daily assignments and bonus tips here to my blog for easy reference and for those who didn’t get a chance to join the Sew Along as it was happening. You can find the Good Luck Pouch pattern HERE and follow along with the Sew Along Blog posts to make your own!

The assignment for the Good Luck Pouch Sew Along Day 1 is to make the half square triangles (HSTs) then sew the HSTs or patchwork squares together into a panel (pages 4 and 5 in the PDF pattern). If you are choosing to make the Solid fabric version, you can skip ahead to day 2. Lucky you! 😉 

A few notes about assembling the half square triangles and sewing all the squares together:

If you haven’t made half square triangles before, I have a video that shares the process from start to finish on Instagram that you can watch HERE. Even if you’re not making the HST version of the Good Luck Pouch, I’d recommend getting two squares and try making a half square triangle at least once. You can do it!!!

In the Good Luck Pouch pattern when preparing the HSTs, it directs to draw a line corner-to-corner on the wrong side of the squares before sewing 1/4″ away down both sides of that line. This method works really well for creating your HSTs, however I’d like to show you a little tool that can speed up the process a little. In the photo below, you’ll see a pair of squares stacked on top of each other and ready to be sewn, but I don’t have a line drawn on the top square to follow. Instead, I’m using the lines from the tape placed on the throat plate area of my sewing machine. This tape is called Diagonal Seam Tape by Cluck Cluck Sew. The red line on the tape is lined up with my needle, while the black lines on either side are 1/4″ away from the needle/red line. With the tape placement, I can line up the edge of fabric or the corner of a square with the 1/4″ line and know that I’m sewing a 1/4″ seam. You can see the bottom corner of the square is lined up with one of the black 1/4″ lines. As I sew the square and the fabric advances through the needle, I make sure to keep that corner on the black line. The Diagonal Seam Tape really is a useful tool and can save a bunch of time! 

Making a lot of half square triangles can get tedious and I’m always looking for ways to speed up the process. When you cut the HSTs in half, you can carefully line up a small stack of them, use a ruler, and slowly cut down the middle, as shown below.

Trimming the half square triangles to size after pressing them could very well be the most unexciting task of making a Good Luck Pouch. Haha! However, it’s worth it to take the time to get them all trimmed, as you’ll be much happier with how they sew together into a panel. I like to use a square OLFA ruler, as they have a diagonal line printed on the ruler. I line up the diagonal seam on the HST with the diagonal line, trim the right and top edges, then flip the HST 180°, place the ruler back on top, and trim the remaining two sides. Please know that this is my preferred way to trim and you might find a different way that you like better! There are other tools that many people enjoy using for this step, such as a Bloc Loc Ruler or a rotating cutting mat. 

When you are sewing the HSTs or patchwork squares together, chain piecing will be your friend! Chain piecing is when fabric pieces are sewn together continuously, one after another, without cutting the thread in between pieces. This will save you not only time, but thread too! I found a great tutorial on YouTube by Lo and Behold Stitchery that shows how to chain stitch your entire panel (sometimes also called web stitching). You can find that video HERE.

After you’ve sewn together your HSTs or patchwork squares, you’re ready for Day 2 of the Sew Along!

Those are my tips for Day 1. You can find the Day 1 Sew Along video posted on my instagram account HERE and a bonus Day 1 video HERE.

Links for products from today’s tips:

Diagonal Seam Tape (click HERE) 
OLFA Ruler 6″ x 24″ ruler click HERE or 6.5″ x 6.5″ square ruler click HERE
Oliso Mini Iron (click HERE)
Juki TL2000 Sewing Machine (click HERE)
Organ 90/14 sewing machine needles (click HERE)

Thanks for sewing along with me!

Kristina

Meet the Good Luck Pouch!

The Good Luck Pouch is a versatile and beginner-friendly project that combines basic quilt piecing techniques with bag making. It is perfect for using up scraps, showcasing your favorite prints, or playing with patchwork.

The pattern includes two size options, so whether you’re sewing a small pouch for a pencil case or sewing notions, or a large pouch for cosmetics or craft supplies, you’re covered. Plus, it comes with three different design options:

• a quick and classic solid fabric version,

• a playful patchwork square layout, and

• a bold half-square triangle variation.

The Good Luck Pouch is as fun to make as it is to gift (or keep for yourself!). With clear instructions and room for creativity, it’s the perfect weekend project for makers of all levels. You can purchase the Good Luck Pouch pattern as a digital download from my shop HERE. 

If you’re looking for a little extra guidance in making your own Good Luck Pouch, please join me for the Good Luck Sew Along! Whether you’d like some extra tips and videos to guide you, or are looking for some motivation to finish a quick project, please join in! The Sew Along itself is completely free to join, but you will need to purchase the Good Luck Pouch Pattern to make the bag.

If you’d like to participate in the sew along, make sure you’re signed up (click HERE for the link), have the pattern purchased from my shop , and have all of your supplies gathered and cut out by Monday, September 22nd. Every morning (for West Hemisphere participants. It will be later in the day for those in earlier time zones), you’ll receive an email with the day’s assignment and any extra tips I have to add. Plus, I’ll be posting a daily video on Instagram to help those of us that are visual learners! Yay!

Since we will have people joining from all over the world, there aren’t any live portions of the sew along. You can sew at your own convenience–including working ahead or catching up later in the week if needed. And if you can’t sew with us the week of the 22nd, no worries! Still sign up so you can save the emails and refer to them when you’re ready to make the Good Luck Pouch.

I get asked all the time about where to find specific supplies, so I put together a list of items that I have personally purchased and used for sewing zipper pouches like the Good Luck Pouch. Many of the products are linked to Amazon, because that’s an easy source for me to link and for a lot of people to purchase items from. Please feel free to check out other options, too, as you can certainly find the products elsewhere.

Supply Recommendations:

Fabric:

I have purchased fabric from SO many different shops (and have generally had very positive experiences). However, below are a few links to my absolute favorite online fabric shops that I shop at again and again. 

Monograms for Makers: The Monograms for Makers shop is one of my go-to fabric sources! Meg has so many fun prints (Ruby Star and Rifle Paper galore!), fast shipping, and the best customer service!
Crimson Confection: Jennifer puts together the sweetest bundles of fabric! If you like darling prints and perfectly curated bundles, check out Crimson Confection.
Stitch Supply: A large selection of fabric and other notions like zippers, bag hardware, webbing (for handles). Plus, order over $50 or $100 and get a free small or large project bag!

Zippers:

For the Good Luck Pouch, I recommend either a standard size #3 nylon zipper (like what you’d find at a big box store like Walmart or Hobby Lobby), or a larger size #5 zipper. Size #5 zippers have larger teeth, a bigger zipper pull, and wider zipper tape, which makes them a little easier to sew with. A nylon zipper is preferable over a metal zipper, as you can sew right over the nylon (plastic) zipper teeth without breaking a needle. I almost always purchase and use size #5 zippers by the yard. When you purchase a zipper by the yard, it comes in a long coil so you can cut the zipper to size then attach a zipper pull. This is a really efficient way to use zippers, as you cut off the exact amount you need for the project. I have some of my favorite zippers and sources linked below.

YKK Zippers from the Etsy shop ZipIt
Zippers by the yard generic brand. I have purchased this brand on Amazon many, many times. They come in 10 yard lengths (!) and it’s a great price: Amazon link
By Annie Zippers by the yard. I have pretty much every color of By Annie Zippers by the yard. They are a great quality and come in fun colors. They are actually size #4.5, so slightly smaller than #5 zippers, which doesn’t make a noticeable difference except that the zipper pulls aren’t interchangeable with size #5 zippers: Amazon link

Quilting material:

I prefer using Soft and Stable in between my layers as I quilt. Soft and Stable is a foam stabilizer that gives more structure and protection than a regular batting. There are other foam stabilizers (like Pellon Flex Foam) that also work well–just make sure you are getting a big enough piece for your project. You can also use regular batting like Warm and Natural or Hobbs Heirloom batting (these pouches are GREAT for using up batting scraps left over from quilts!). You can even use a layer of flannel in between your fabric! The flannel will give the pouch less structure than foam stabilizer or batting, but is a great alternative and keeps the seams less bulky

Soft and Stable: Amazon
Pellon Flex Foam: Amazon. (Pellon Flex Foam comes in 20″ width, so make sure it’s big enough for your project! Also, Pellon Flex Foam has fusible options–I prefer the non-fusible versions, but many people use and prefer the fusible type–it’s just personal preference).

Other Sewing Supplies:

Hera Marker for marking straight quilting lines: Amazon
Wonder Binding Clips. (I use these ALL the time to hold things in place while I sew): Amazon
Odif 505 Basting Spray: my preferred method for basting small projects like zipper pouches. Amazon link HERE.
OLFA Rotary Cutter: my favorite rotary cutter out there! Amazon link
OLFA 6.5″ Frosted Ruler. I love the OLFA rulers and this one is super helpful for trimming half-square triangles to size. Amazon Link

Please let me know if you have any other requests for supply recommendations. You can always look at my Amazon Favorites page HERE for items that I have purchased and use regularly. Again, feel free to shop at your local stores for supplies–Amazon is just a handy tool for me to link my favorites. 

Happy Sewing!

-Kristina

 Meet the Omni Tote! The Omni Tote pattern is a beginner-friendly, lightweight tote bag pattern that is sure to become your go-to pattern for a simple tote.

With a super fast construction, three size options included in the pattern, and completely finished seams inside (no raw edges anywhere!) you’ll have a hard time making just one! 

The Omni Tote pattern has clear, easy to follow instructions, full color diagrams, and is available as a digital download so you can get sewing right away. You can find the Omni Tote pattern in my shop HERE.

Plus, I’m hosting an Omni Tote Sew Along the week of July 7th! Whether you’d like some extra tips and videos to guide you, or are looking for some motivation to finish a quick project, please join in! The Sew Along itself is completely free to join, but you will need to purchase the Omni Tote Pattern to make the tote bag.

If you’d like to participate in the sew along, make sure you’re signed up, have the pattern purchased from my shop , and have all of your supplies gathered by Monday, July 7th. Every morning (for West Hemisphere participants. It will be later in the day for those in earlier time zones), you’ll receive an email with the day’s assignment and any extra tips I have to add. Plus, I’ll be posting a daily video on Instagram to help those of us that are visual learners! Yay!

Since we will have people joining from all over the world, there aren’t any live portions of the sew along. You can sew at your own convenience–including working ahead or catching up later in the week if needed. And if you can’t sew with us the week of the 7th, no worries! Still sign up so you can save the emails and refer to them when you’re ready to make the Omni Tote.

The Omni Tote has a super simple supply list–it’s just fabric! I get asked all the time about where I purchase my fabric, so I put together a list of a few of my favorite online fabric shops that I shop at again and again. 

Monograms for Makers: The Monograms for Makers shop is one of my go-to fabric sources! Meg has so many fun prints (Ruby Star and Rifle Paper galore!), fast shipping, and the best customer service!
Crimson Confection: Jennifer puts together the sweetest bundles of fabric! If you like darling prints and perfectly curated bundles, check out Crimson Confection.
Stitch Supply: A large selection of fabric and other notions like zippers, bag hardware, webbing (for handles). Plus, order over $50 or $100 and get a free project bag!

Happy sewing!

-Kristina

This is a blog post I wrote on my old blog way back in 2017. I’m reposting it here for easy reference. 🙂

Hello! For those of you that follow me on instagram, you’ll know that I recently shared an easy and quick method to get perfectly pieced patchwork squares on my instagram stories. The instagram stories are only available for 24 hours before disappearing and I’ve had so many questions, comments, and messages about the method that I decided to write a blog post for those that missed the instagram stories I posted.

As a disclaimer: I did not invent this method. I first heard about it years ago. I am sure there are a number of other tutorials and videos out there describing this process, but after sharing how I used fusible interfacing to quickly get perfectly pieced squares on instagram, I wanted to document the method that I used in the hopes that it would help someone out. 🙂

To start out, you’ll need to figure out how big of a piece of interfacing to use. For example, if you are wanting to create a 16″ x 16″ pillow cover out of 2.5″ x 2.5″ squares (the squares will finish at 2″ x 2″ after 1/4″ seam on each side), then you know you’ll need an 8 x 8 grid of squares (8 x 2″ finished=16″ finished). So, the unfinished size will be 8 x 2.5″ unfinished = 20″ unfinished and you’ll want a 20″ x 20″ piece of interfacing. Is that clear as mud? Haha. If the math isn’t your favorite, you can always experiment a little until you feel a little more comfortable with the method. Also, it’s a great idea to make the finished panel a little larger than you think you might need and then you can always trim it to size after. 🙂

Below, you’ll see my piece of fusible interfacing and the squares that I’m using. I decided to make a 5 x 5 grid of 2″ x 2″ squares. This means the squares will finish at 1.5″ x 1.5″ each and my entire finished panel will be 7.5″ x 7.5″ since 1.5″ x 5 = 7.5″.

The fusible interfacing I’m using is by TenSisters Handicraft and comes pre-printed with grids on it (neat, huh?). I’ve heard from others who have drawn their own grid lines on a generic lightweight fusible interfacing. I haven’t personally done this, but if you have tried it and have any tips or tricks, leave a comment letting us know. If you are drawing your own grid lines, remember to make them the same size as your cut squares. The grid lines in my pre-printed interfacing are 2″ x 2″, which is why I’m using 2″ squares.

You’ll want the textured, bumpy side of the fusible interfacing to be face up then you can start placing your cut squares right side up inside the grid lines. The squares do not have to perfectly placed–just try to get them lined up straight and any wonkiness will work itself out when you add in the seams.

After placing all the squares where you want them, it’s time to iron them in place! Gently set the iron on top of the squares for a few seconds and slowly work your way through the panel. You want to make sure to not the slide the iron across the panel because it might shift the squares before they are completely fused to the interfacing. Pick up the iron and gently set it down, moving around the panel until all the squares are firmly attached to the interfacing.

When the squares are attached properly, you can pick up and move the panel–they won’t be going anywhere!

Now we’ll sew the seams to make our panel into a patchwork piece. Fold over the first column so the crease is right on the grid line. Sew a seam down the entire column 1/4″ away from the crease.

Repeat with the remaining columns, folding each one over at the crease and sewing a 1/4″ seam down the entire column.

When all the columns are sewn, it looks a little goofy and should be quite a bit narrower.

Next, turn the panel over so you’re looking at all the seams on the back. Clip the interfacing at the intersection of each of the grid lines. Clip right to, but not through the sewn lines. Clipping these intersections will allow you to press the seams in opposite directions to avoid huge, bulky seams.

After all the intersections are clipped, iron each row in opposite directions. Again, this will help reduce bulk at the seams.

Now it’s time to sew the rows! Just as you did with the columns, fold over the first row at the grid line and sew a line 1/4″ away from the crease. As you sew, check to make sure that the seams you pressed in the last step are laying in opposite directions so they nest perfectly.

Continue with the other rows until all the rows are sewn.

Press the newly sewn seams all in the same direction.

Turn the panel over and press from the front to help flatten out the seams a little more. The interfacing does add a little bulk and stiffness, but if you’re using the panel as a pillow cover or for a pouch, the stiffness can be nice. I’ve heard from others who have used this method for an actual quilt and they didn’t mind the extra weight.

This method definitely saves time and the hassle of trying to remember which tiny square goes where, but I think the biggest benefit is the precise seams! I could never in a million years get all of my seams to match up so well doing it the traditional way! 😉

Thanks for following along and please let me know if you have any other tips or questions in the comments below.

Happy Sewing!

-Kristina

If you’ve been searching for the perfect desk to upgrade your home or office setup, chances are you’ve come across UPLIFT height-adjustable desks. Known for their superior quality, durability, customization options, and ergonomic benefits, these highly rated desks are a popular choice for quilters, office professionals, gamers, and remote workers alike. I’ve been using UPLIFT desks at a quilt retreat center that I’ve been attending since 2018, and after all those years, the desks not only still work flawlessly, but they look brand new. So when I decided to get an adjustable desk to help out my posture and back pain issues (a lot of time hunched over a sewing machine will do that to you!), I knew I wanted to go with an UPLIFT desk.

I purchased my first UPLIFT desk in December 2024 and by the end of January, I was already wanting to add another desk to my studio space. UPLIFT generously offered to send me a second desk, and while I generally don’t collaborate with companies, I do like to recommend superior products that I already love and use myself. I would like to note that while I received my second desk from UPLIFT at no charge, I am not getting paid to write this blog post or talk about them on social media. This blog post was completely my idea so I could share about the desk options I chose and would recommend to others, especially those wanting a standing desk in the sewing and crafting world.

UPLIFT has an almost overwhelming amount of options for customizing your desk, so I thought I’d quickly share some of the options that I got for a sewing workspace, and detail which ones I’d absolutely get again.

UPLIFT Desk has a variety of desktop styles and materials. I wanted a natural material that was reasonably priced and looked nice and bright in my sewing studio, so I opted for the Bamboo 1″ desktop. I also love the look of the Birch wood option and keep thinking that one day I might upgrade my desktop to the Birch.

Just like desktop materials, there are a variety of desktop sizes available. For a sewing or crafting workspace, I would absolutely recommend getting the 30″ deep desktop (as opposed to 24″). Having the extra deep desk is super useful when wrangling a quilt or large sewing project and the deeper tables are also easier to fit cutting mats on. Along with 30″ deep, the first desk I purchased was 48″ wide. It perfectly matched the width of my cutting table, but after assembling the desk and putting my sewing machine on it, I wished I would have purchased the 60″ wide desk instead (you can never have enough sewing table space!). So when picking out the dimensions for my second desk, I stuck with the 30″ deep, but got the wider 60″ desk. It is still extremely sturdy (no wiggling or vibrating while sewing – yay!), but gives me an extra foot of surface area for my projects.

I’ll quickly go over a few other upgrades that I chose for my first table (and liked so much that I got again for my second table).

Power Outlets with USB charging options on the surface of the desk. I absolutely LOVE having charging options right on the desktop! Such a smart option and I’d recommend that upgrade to anyone and everyone (but especially to crafters who have sewing machines, irons, extra lights, plus phones and iPads to charge).

Advanced Keypad for adjusting the table height. I wasn’t so sure about this option, but am really glad I got it for both of my desks. The regular keypad works just fine (that’s what the tables at the retreat center that I go to have), but being able to program specific heights is so helpful! I can have a height for my chair, stool, and for standing and don’t have to fiddle around with the up and down arrows every time I switch from sitting to standing.

Wheels for easily moving the desk around. Even though I didn’t anticipate needing to move my desks around much, I have already rearranged them 3 different times and the wheels have been invaluable and I can easily slide them around on the carpet in my sewing space.

The Bamboo Drawer. One drawback to adjustable height desks is that they usually don’t have any storage space. This cute little add-on drawer has really helped me keep objects off the desktop and stay organized. Each of my UPLIFT desks has a drawer and I keep sewing supplies in one and office supplies in the other.

There are numerous other options you can get for your UPLIFT desk, but these have been my favorite customizations. And even without any of the additional options, just being able to quickly move from sitting to standing has been the greatest benefit for me. My posture has improved, back and shoulder pain has decreased, and I feel more active while I’m in my sewing studio.

Any questions about getting an UPLIFT desk? I’d love to help! Ask in the comments, or email me and I’d love to share more of my experience.

-Kristina

Meet the Juliet Pouch! With a unique vinyl window that looks way more complicated than it is, this pouch is sure to impress!

The Juliet Pouch Pattern includes two different sizes of quilted zipper pouches, three different printable templates for the cutout window shape, and even bonus instructions for the cutest added ruffle! With all of those options, you’ll have a hard time making just one.

The Juliet Pouch pattern has clear, easy to follow instructions, full color diagrams, and is available as a digital download so you can get sewing right away. You can find the Juliet pattern in my shop HERE.

I get asked all the time about where to find specific supplies, so I put together a list of items that I have personally purchased and used for sewing zipper pouches like the Juliet Pouch. Many of the products are linked to Amazon, because that’s an easy source for me to link and for a lot of people to purchase items from. Please feel free to check out other options, too, as you can certainly find the products elsewhere.

Supply Recommendations:

Zippers:

For the Juliet Pouch, I recommend a nylon zipper in sizes #3, #4.5, or #5 (sizes #4.5 and #5 are a bit larger than the standard #3 size). A nylon zipper is preferable over a metal zipper, as you can sew right over the nylon (plastic) zipper teeth without breaking a needle. My favorite brand of zippers is YKK, as they are inexpensive and a great quality. YKK zippers come in a variety of lengths, but they can always be cut down to size, so I prefer to purchase longer lengths in a variety of colors to keep on hand then I can cut them down to fit whatever project I am currently working on. I also really like the By Annie and Sallie Tomato zippers by the yard. When you purchase a zipper by the yard, it comes in a long coil so you can cut the zipper to size then attach a zipper pull. This is a really efficient way to use zippers, as you cut off the exact amount you need for the project.

YKK Zippers on Amazon and the Etsy shop ZipIt
Sallie Tomato zipper by the yard Size #3 or #5 on Amazon and Missouri Star Quilt Co
By Annie Zippers on Amazon and Missouri Star Quilt Co

Quilting material:

I prefer using Soft and Stable in between my layers as I quilt. Soft and Stable is a foam stabilizer that gives more structure and protection than a regular batting. There are other foam stabilizers (like Pellon Flex Foam or Bosal) that also work well–just make sure you are getting a big enough piece for your project. You can also use regular batting like Warm and Natural or Hobbs Heirloom batting (these pouches are GREAT for using up batting scraps left over from quilts!).

Soft and Stable: Amazon
Pellon Flex Foam: Amazon. (Pellon Flex Foam comes in 20″ width, so make sure it’s big enough for your project! Also, Pellon Flex Foam has fusible options–I prefer the non-fusible versions, but the fusible work well, too).

Vinyl

For the vinyl, I recommend getting between 12 and 16 gauge (the smaller the number, the thinner the vinyl). If you have a powerful machine, you can try 20 gauge vinyl, but be aware that the thicker the vinyl, the bulkier the seams will be.

By Annie Vinyl: Etsy link. My favorite clear vinyl is By Annie brand. It comes on a roll and is a great thickness (16 gauge). I’ve had the best luck finding it at quilt shops or on Etsy. You can usually find it on Amazon, too (this link has it in stock at the time of this blog being posted). You can also frequently find clear vinyl at big box stores (it’s usually back on the long rolls by the upholstery fabric).

Other Sewing Supplies:

Hera Marker for marking straight quilting lines: Amazon
Wonder Binding Clips. (I use these ALL the time to hold things in place while I sew): Amazon
Odif 505 Basting Spray: my preferred method for basting small projects like zipper pouches. Amazon link HERE.

Please let me know if you have any other requests for supply recommendations. You can always look at my Amazon Favorites page HERE for items that I have purchased and use regularly.

Happy sewing!

Kristina