Meet the Nightingale Zipper Case!

Thoughtfully constructed, this versatile quilted case features four clear vinyl zipper pockets, allowing you to easily see and access your items. Two slip pockets provide additional storage for quick-grab essentials, while a spacious interior zipper pouch keeps bulky supplies secure and neatly tucked away.

Whether you’re carrying sewing notions, jewelry, makeup, first-aid items, travel essentials, or anything that needs stylish organization, the Nightingale Zipper Case keeps everything in its place. Compact with plenty of storage spaces, this case is ideal for home, travel, or on-the-go creativity—beautifully combining practicality with a beautiful design.

You can find the Nightingale Zipper Case in my shop HERE. 

If you’re looking for a little extra guidance in making your own Nightingale Case, please join me for the Nightingale 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 Nightingale Zipper Case 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, December 1st. 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 and Facebook 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 December 1st, no worries! Still sign up so you can save the emails and refer to them when you’re ready to make the Nightingale Case.

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 Nightingale Case. 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 Nightingale Zipper Case, 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 from Amazon. 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

Hardware, Webbing, and Vinyl:

You can find the 1″ strap slider, webbing, and vinyl needed for the Nightingale Case at various places. Here are a few recommendations to get you going.

Stitch Supply Co has a lot of strap slider options, the coolest webbing, and my favorite By Annie Vinyl. Remember to check to make sure you are getting the correct 1″ width for the webbing and slider.
Bulk white webbing (to cover with fabric): If I’m not using a decorative webbing, I use white webbing and cover it with coordinating fabric. It’s very cost-effective to purchase the webbing in bulk (a 10 or 25 yard roll) and really nice to always have webbing on hand when you need it. Link to webbing on Amazon that I have purchased.
Vinyl: I prefer to purchase By Annie 16 gauge vinyl. You can find it at Stitch Supply Co, and various other shops on Etsy. You can also usually find vinyl at big box stores that sell fabric. It’s usually on a long roll by the upholstery fabric. I would recommend getting somewhere close to 16 gauge for the thickness (12 -20 gauge would all work well).

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.

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
Clover chalk marker. I use this white chalk marker for marking on darker fabrics. It’s easy to brush the chalk marks off after. 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

I originally posted these Halloween Quilt Block Tutorials in 2017 on my old blog. I am reposting them here for easy access.

I’m so excited to share the final block in my Spooky Parade today! For those of you just joining in, I am sharing a few Halloween themed 12″ x 12″ blocks in the weeks leading up to Halloween. They make great stand-alone mini quilts or pillow covers, or you can put the blocks together for a fun Halloween table runner. If you missed the first two Spooky Parade blocks you can click HERE for the Halloween Bats tutorial and HERE for the Jack-o-lantern block tutorial.

Today, I’ll be sharing a fun Ghost quilt block tutorial. I saved the ghost block for last because it has the most pieces and I didn’t want to scare you off with over 20 pieces to cut and sew for the first block. Haha! Even though the ghost has a lot of pieces, it’s a pretty straightforward block and he’s definitely worth the effort! 😉

The Ghost quilt block finishes at 12″ x 12″ (12.5″ x 12.5″ unfinished). Below you’ll find a quilt block diagram, cutting instructions, and a step-by-step photo tutorial. Happy Sewing!

Spooky Parade: Ghost

Ghost Quilt Block Diagram:

Cutting instructions for Ghost Quilt Block:

1. Gather the L. M, N, O, T, and U pieces and lay them out according to the photo below. The top row will make up the eyes and the bottom row will become the mouth.

2. Sew the eye row together. Press seams toward the eyes. Sew the O and T pieces together. Press toward the T piece.

3. Sew the mouth row together. Press the seams toward the outer pieces (the N pieces). Next, sew the eye row to the mouth row. Press the seam toward the mouth row.

4. Gather the K piece, (2) C pieces, (2) Q pieces, and (4) G pieces.  Draw a line corner-to-corner on the wrong side of the (2) C pieces and the (4) G pieces. Orient the (C)  piece on the K piece as shown and the (G) pieces on the Q pieces as shown. Sew a line directly on the drawn line.

5. Trim off the excess corner 1/4″ away from the sewn line. Press the seam open.

6. Sew the K piece (which is the top of the ghost’s head) to the top of the eyes/mouth unit. Press seam towards K piece. Sew the E and F pieces to the ghost’s hands. Press towards E and F pieces.

7. Gather (1) A piece along with the B and D pieces and lay them out with the ghost’s head according to the image below.

8. Sew the B and D pieces to the sides of the ghost head. Press the seams towards the B and D pieces (away from the ghost head).

9. Sew the A piece to the top of the ghost’s head. Press towards the A piece.

10. Gather the P, R, and (2) I pieces. Draw a line corner-to-corner on the wrong side of the I pieces and orient them on the P and R pieces as shown in the image below. Sew directly on the drawn line.

11. Trim off the excess corner 1/4″ away from the sewn line. Press the seam open.

12. Gather the D piece and the (2) S pieces. Draw a line corner to corner on both S pieces and orient them on the bottom of the D piece as shown in the image below. Sew directly on the drawn line.

13. Trim off the excess corner 1/4″ away from the sewn line and press the seam open.

14. Gather the remaining pieces, including the hands previously sewn together. Lay out all the pieces according to the image below.

15. Sew the D piece to the R piece to make the ghost’s tail. Press toward the R piece.

16. Sew the H piece to the side of the tail. Press toward the H piece.

17. Sew the hand units to the pieces directly below them. Press seams away from the hand units.

18. Sew the side units to the ghost body. Press towards the ghost body. Sew the A piece to the bottom of the ghost. Press toward the A piece.

19. Sew the ghost head to the ghost body. Press toward the ghost body.

20. Your ghost block is finished! It should measure 12.5″ x 12.5″

Isn’t he (she?) a cute little ghost?

Put all three of the new quilt block tutorials together and you’ve got a fun Spooky Parade (that’s in fact not spooky at all!).

For easy reference:

• HERE is the Halloween Bats quilt block tutorial.
• HERE is the Jack-o-lantern quilt block tutorial.

Thanks for following along with my Spooky Parade quilt block tutorials! 

Happy sewing!

Kristina

I originally posted these Halloween Quilt Block Tutorials in 2017 on my old blog. I am reposting them here for easy access.

I’m back today with part two of the Spooky Parade block tutorials! For those of you just joining in, I am sharing a few Halloween themed 12″ x 12″ blocks in the weeks leading up to Halloween. They make great stand-alone mini quilts or pillow covers, or you can put the blocks together for a fun Halloween table runner. If you missed the first Spooky Parade block you can click HERE to find the Halloween Bats quilt block tutorial.

This time we’ll be making a jolly Jack-o-lantern. I love Halloween–but not the creepy, scary stuff–just the cute and fun side of Halloween. So I just had to make this Jack-o-lantern with an adorable smile.

The Jack-o-lantern block finishes at 12″ x 12″ (12.5″ x 12.5″ unfinished). Below you’ll find a block diagram, cutting instructions, and a photo tutorial. Happy sewing!

Spooky Parade: Jack-o-lantern

Jack-o-lantern block diagram:

Cutting instructions:

1. We’ll be assemblying the smile first. Gather the K, L, and M pieces for the pumpkin body and (2) O pieces, P, Q, and R pieces for the mouth.

2. Draw a line corner-to-corner on the O and L squares and place according to the image below. Sew directly on the drawn lines.

3. Trim the excess corner 1/4″ away from sewn line. Press seams open.

4. Sew the M and Q pieces together to make the teeth.

5. Sew the entire bottom row together, pressing the seams away from the M/Q (teeth) pieces. Then sew that row to the top (K) piece. Press seam toward K piece.

6. Gather the H, I, J, and remaining (4) O pieces. Draw a line corner to corner on the O pieces and place according to image below. Sew directly on the drawn line. Also, sew the J pieces on the sides of the mouth and press toward the J pieces.

7. Trim the excess corners 1/4″ away from the seam and press seams open.

8. Sew the top row together to form the eyes. Press the seams open. Sew the eyes to the mouth. Press seam toward the mouth.

9. Sew the G piece to the top of pumpkin. Press the seam toward the G piece. Sew the N piece to the bottom of the pumpkin. Press toward the N piece.

10. Gather the D pieces. Draw a line corner-to-corner and place according to the image below. Sew directly on the drawn lines.

11. Trim the corners 1/4″ away from the sewn line and press the seams open.

12. Gather the remaining pieces. Sew B and F together to make the stem. Press the seam toward the stem. Sew the C pieces to the sides of the pumpkin. Press seams toward the C pieces.

13. Sew the top row together. Press seams away from the stem. Sew the top row to the pumpkin and press seams toward the top. Then sew the E piece to the bottom of the pumpkin. Press toward the E piece.

14. Your pumpkin is finished! It should measure 12.5″ x 12.5″.

Now you have a jolly Jack-o-lantern to add to your Spooky Parade! 🙂

Thanks for following along and stay tuned for the final Spooky Parade block tutorial–it will be coming soon! 

Update–for easy reference, here are the other two Spooky Parade Quilt Block Tutorials:

• Click HERE for the Bats quilt block tutorial
• Click HERE for the Ghost quilt block tutorial

Happy sewing!

Kristina

I originally posted these Halloween Quilt Block Tutorials in 2017 on my old blog. I am reposting them here for easy access.

Happy October! I’ve been in the mood to do a little Halloween sewing, so I designed three fun Halloween blocks and will be sharing the tutorials for each block on my blog in the weeks leading up to Halloween. Put all of the blocks together and they will make a not-too-terrifying Spooky Parade! First up in my Spooky Parade tutorials are the Halloween Bats.

The Halloween Bats quilt block finishes at 12″ x 12″ (12.5″ x 12.5″ unfinished). The diagram and instructions below show how to make one bat. To do the full 12″ x 12″ quilt block, just follow the instructions a second time and sew the two bats together. 🙂

Spooky Parade: Halloween Bats

Halloween Bat Quilt Block Diagram

Cutting Instructions for one bat:

1. Gather the (10) G units and the (4) D units (all 1.5″ x 1.5″ squares) and draw a line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each of the squares.

2. Place the (4) D units on the corners of the top of the two H units, right sides together, with drawn lines oriented as shown below. Sew directly on the drawn line.

3. Trim off the excess fabric 1/4″ from the sewn line and press the seam open.

4. Gather the (10) G units with lines drawn on the wrong side, plus the C unit and the (4) E units. Place one of the G units on each of the background pieces, lined up with the left edge and drawn lines as shown below. Sew directly on the drawn line.

5. Trim off the excess corner of the fabric, 1/4″ away from the sewn line and press the seams open.

6. Repeat with the remaining (5) G units for the right side of each C and E unit.

7. Pair up the flying geese E units and sew each pair together along the short edges. Press seams open.

8. Sew each E unit to the bottom of an H unit to form the bat wings. Press seams open.

9. Lay out the remaining pieces as shown in the diagram below.

10. Sew the B units to the top of the bat wings and the C unit (bat ears) to the top of the I unit (bat body). Press seams open.

11. Sew the wings to either side of the bat body. Press seams open.

12. Sew the A units to the top and bottom of the bat. Press the seams toward the A units.

13. Sew the F units to the left and right sides of the bat block. Press the seams toward the F units. Your bat block should now measure 12.5″ x 6.5″.

Now that you have one bat, you need to make him a friend! Sew two of these bats together and you’ll have a 12.5″ x 12.5″ block with two Halloween Bats ready to join a Spooky Parade!

Stay tuned for part two of the Spooky Parade! I’ll be sharing another 12″ x 12″ block to add to your cute Halloween bats really soon.

Update–for easy reference, here are the other two Spooky Parade Quilt Block Tutorials:

• Click HERE for the Jack-o-lantern quilt block tutorial
• Click HERE for the Ghost quilt block tutorial

Happy sewing!

Kristina

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