My Quilts

Want to see what I sew? Take a closer look at some of my projects and quilts that I have worked on in the past.

The Stack and Wack Quilt

I’m going to share with you today another quilt that I’ve been working on in secret the past few weeks. It is a Stack and Wack Quilt, and it is finally finished! And I can share it with you because this one was a gift and it has now found its home, and I will not be spoiling any surprises by doing so! (If you want to skip ahead to the tutorial, I’m sharing a few pictures of the finished quilt first)

I made this quilt for my husband’s Aunt. I absolutely adore her and her beautiful spirit. She is a missionary/teacher in China. I could sit and listen to her stories for hours, and she is kind enough to send my kids little trinkets from her travels. (A notepad made from elephant poop in Thailand? Yes, we still have it!) Anyways, when I found this Panda fabric from Katarina Roccella, I had to get it and find something to make with it for her!

Stack and Wack Quilt

(First of all… Say What?)

Yeah, you heard me… Stack and Wack Quilt Method. It sounds reckless and exciting and simple, and it is absolutely a fun one to make!

Let’s take a quick look at the quilt I made using this method and then we will get on to the tutorial!

Remember this fabric from a while back? The landscape panda is from Katarina Roccella. Read more about Katarina and her designs in this fabric spotlight post. The black and white pandas are from Riley Blake and were just too fun not to include. A little whimsy is a beautiful thing!

I couldn’t bring myself to cut up the landscape panda fabric… so I made it its own little spot on the back of the quilt. These pandas are having their own little block party.

I even added my own little-embroidered label on the back of the quilt 🙂

A few more detail pictures because I love the fresh and serene colors of this quilt and how lovely the blocks play with each other.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of my links, I might get a small commision of the same at no extra cost to you. You can read more here.

The Stack and Wack Quilt Method

Ok, onto the tutorial!

What if I told you that you didn’t really have to measure everything perfectly?

That your lines don’t have to be perfectly parallel?

What if it is as easy is literally just stacking up several layers of fabric and wacking them with your rotary cutter?

Are you hooked and sitting on the edge of your chair?

YES, it’s that easy! — But don’t go slicing up your fabrics just yet!

Bethany Reynolds actually coined the “stack-n-wack” term. Her quilts have a mesmerizing kaleidoscope pattern that is achieved with her signature… you guessed it… stack-n-wack method!

If you get a chance, google her one day and get ready to be inspired. 🙂 She blows my quilt blocks completely out of the water.

You may also hear this method called by other names such as “stack and slice” or “stack, cut and shuffle”… but they all mean the same thing. (Personally, stack and wack rhymes, so it is my favorite.) The end game is simple, cut multiple pieces of fabric at the same time, mix the pieces and then sew them back together again!

What you will need

To make sure that you’re stack and wack quilt turns out right, it is best to start with your fabric sections all the same size. You can either cut them all on your own, or you can use charm squares or 10″ square pre-cuts.

I tried the 8″ precut size on the panda quilt… I think I would have preferred the 10″ starting size a little more just because you lose a lot of your fabric to seam allowances. Just a bit of friendly advice learned from the experience!

You’ll also need a cutting mat and your rotary cutter as well as a good ruler.

Before you start…

Your rotary cutter should not have a dull blade on it. Besides making life miserable, it takes more effort to use a dull blade, and you risk your pieces of fabric shifting while you’re sawing through layers of fabric.

Make sure you either have a rotating cutting mat like this one. Or you are cutting in an area where you can move around the cutting table. Whatever you do, do NOT pick up and turn your stacks of fabric when you’re changing cutting angles. You’ll end up with a hot mess of misaligned squares. Instead, move the mat you are cutting on, or reposition your body.

Go Time – The Stack and Wack Quilt Method

Step 1

Choose your fabric and stack it, making sure edges are aligned, and the right sides are facing up.

Step 2

Use a ruler and your rotary cutter to slice through your fabric stack making sure the fabrics do not shift as you cut.

Step 3

Mix and match your fabrics!

In the Panda quilt example, I sliced the fabric in stacks of 2 at a time and then swapped the center pieces as shown below.

There is no rhyme or reason for these cuts. You can make them be as off or weird as you want them to be. I made some with smaller borders and some with off-center middle squares. You can make the lines relatively straight and parallel or crazy and not.

Whatever fabrics you have in your ‘stack’ are the ones that will be interchangeable. Experiment with colors and arrangement to find a pattern that works for you.

Step 4

Sew them back together! You’re going to end up with a little funny shaped blocks because you’ve lost some seam allowance depending on your design. Just roll with it till you get to step 5 😉

Press your seams open.

Step 5

Trim up your blocks if needed. I used this 5.5″ Even up from the gadget girls. It absolutely lives up to its name and makes ‘evening up’ everything a snap. You could also use a paper template and your ruler to trim up your edges.

You need to make these blocks square again before you assemble your top quilt.

Step 6

Time to Assemble! – Piece your squares together. I mixed in some varying sizes of a larger solid print because… pandas on bamboo fabric! That’s why 🙂

Then quilt it, and you’re good to go. You didn’t have to measure too much… and I hope you enjoyed the creative freedom that this stack and wack quilt method gave you to do what you pleased knowing it was all going to turn out just fine!

Wasn’t that fun?

You can pin the image below so that you can return to this tutorial when you’re ready to make your own stack and wack quilt!
Waterfalls Pattern (Another one!)

I shared pictures last week of my double throw sized Waterfalls Pattern. (If you didn’t catch it, you can read it here Waterfalls Pattern) Today, I’m going to share the pictures from the regular throw sized waterfalls quilt that I recently whipped up to give as a gift to a nephew!

*static noise* Mission: Create a gift for a 12-year-old boy.

Let me preface this by saying all I had to go on were his favorite colors. – Blue and Green – I decided to just go with a jelly roll because I happened to find one that was just perfect. (absolute lucky score!)

Here is the finished quilt – I was feeling spacey on this one.

The backing for the quilt is really soft flannel that I scored for $2.18/yard on a labor day sale at JoAnns Fabric.

Tangent – Did you know fabric stores celebrate labor day? I didn’t… but I swiped the whole bolt of this because… who doesn’t love a little cosmos in their life?

This is what I also came home with that day if you’re interested… (yes, those are me cleaning out the whole bolt of fabric, not little bitty stacks) I felt like a kid who just went on a spending spree at the candy store… which I guess I did technically. Or at least, the adult crafty woman version of it.

Waterfalls Pattern – The throw Version Pictures

This is a picture of the quilt before it left my house… Very simple straight line quilting, but I love the way it just folds so easily.

Then I decided to take way better pictures of the quilt once we arrived at my brother-in-law’s house because… just look at the view! This is their backyard! Wow, right? You better believe that the stars shine so bright at night without any city lights around!

The cosmos backing of the fabric echoes the silver moon shapes on the front of the quilt. Here is a slightly more detailed picture of the front fabric and quilting detail. See the “moon” shapes? They’re a metallic silver print and they shine so pretty!

One last little thing that I want to make sure everyone takes a second to see. My quilt label! Do you see it in the corner?

I was having a conversation with some of my quilting girls the other day (several of which are much older and have been quilting longer than I have) and one girl mentioned how there was this really sad trend in the quilting world that was happening.

There are quilts that have been made by generations before us that have lost their story/meaning. No one knows who made them, or who they were for… what occasion or what family they belong to. There are no labels and the word of mouth stories are being forgotten by family members.

I’m not going to lie. It broke my heart.

My greatest passion in making these quilts for my family is because I want them to know how much I love them and even long after I am gone, they will always have this part of me with them.

I have a quilt that is tattered and torn and well-loved and worn from my great-great-grandmother. I cherish it even though I never had the opportunity to meet her. But in another few generations, I don’t know that her story will pass on. It is a bittersweet pill to swallow.

Anyways, quilt labels are a post for us to discuss on another day.

The young man who I made this quilt for was overjoyed and loved snuggling up in it.

Mission: Complete.
Waterfalls Quilt Pattern

The Waterfalls Quilt Pattern is finished, and I’m sharing it with you now!

If I could cover you all up in this quilt with me in one big giant snuggly quilt nap, I absolutely would.

The Waterfalls Quilt Pattern started out as a simple creation to showcase this amazing jelly roll fabric that I found slowly turned into something that would be one of my favorite creations thus far. I just love it!

Make sure you scroll down at the end because I’m going to share my binding hack that you can totally copy!

Waterfalls Quilt Patter is now for available for digital download! Click here!

This pattern is fun and comes together quickly, and while you still need to keep your 1/4″ seams, you don’t have to fuss with perfectly matching corners if you don’t want to. It is truly a beginner friendly, quick sew pattern!

This monstrosity of a quilt is what I like to refer to as a double throw size. Know why? Because I made it JUST big enough that my husband and I can snuggle up on the couch and share the blanket without World War III happening. Plenty of quilt to share! 🙂

However, I also discovered that this double throw is the best nap quilt I have ever had. Ever. Seriously. Give me a rainy day, and all I want is this quilt. (I’m not saying that is what happens… I am a mom. I apparently am not awarded with naps. It happened, like, once? Yeah. And for 20 minutes, but it was glorious.)

I also love to get both my kids up under this quilt with me. They have already used it to make numerous forts. It is a great size. Even though it is a bit oversized, it is not so large that it is tough to manage when folding. If you couldn’t tell, I’m rather in love with this size!

But just in case the double throw does not suit you, I have also since made a smaller regular throw size that is perfect for one! I included the details in my Waterfalls Quilt Pattern here.

Ok, on to more photos! 🙂

I actually debuted this beauty in my post Part 2: The Sewing Room Challenge. You can see some of the reasons why I took on this challenge and really pushed beyond my comfort zone in the sewing room to finish up the biggest projects I had waiting for me in the WIP corner. (WIP = Work in progress)

Fair warning. Lots of pictures for this quilt because it is literally the longest that I have ever worked on a quilt. The pattern and the piecing actually comes together really quick.

The only thing that made it more difficult and a longer process was… me.

Uh-huh. I took it upon myself to decide that THIS was going to be the quilt that I took on hand quilting. This giant quilt was going to be my first hand quilted quilt. My brain: “Start small and maybe try it out a bit?” My heart: “No way! Go big!”. The heart wants what it wants. And its so beautiful, but boy did I set myself up for some long nights with this one.

Anyways, yes. The girl who has never hand quilted before and is absolutely in love with her sewing machine found a cute box, filled it with beautiful hand quilting things and set out to hand quilt every single spare moment of every day.

I decided on a pattern of circles like water droplet ripples to further carry the Waterfall quilt pattern theme. And rainbow thread because it just made me so happy to see this big box of colors and choose which one I wanted to work with each day.

Anyone can see that my stitches are not perfectly even and a bit wonky. I gave up perfection and went for whimsy even though this might make the seasoned hand quilter shudder. (Please forgive me… I tried, and I’m learning!)

I am not the best at hand quilting. Nor do I ever expect to be. I really enjoyed this process and love to see how my stitches progressed from the first ripples to the last ones.

I drew a few circles with a washable fabric pen by tracing various kitchen bowls that I had. Real scientific, I know. Use what you have! Creative genius doesn’t have time to print templates! And then I free handed the rest of the echoing outer and inner rings from it. They are a little uneven and add a fun wobbly texture to the look of the quilting.

Looking at modern quilting trends, bindings are making a statement of their own in recent years.

Have you noticed this trend too?

I chose a funky, graphic, black and white printed fabric for the binding.

Did you catch a peek at the backing fo the quilt? I went with subtle because well… the front is loud and proud enough, I think. 🙂 But the hand quilting with multiple colors of threads show through on the backing and makes a really fun rainbow ripple pattern!

My Easy Binding Hack

When you have a lot of binding… it usually ends up a big long mess or tangled around my legs while I’m sewing or it takes me forever to pin/clip around my quilt just to get it up and out of my way. This time, I got smart!

This is totally something you can do too. It’s so simple, I hesitate to call it a hack, but its made my life so much easier during this step in the quilting process!

First, the binding… all pressed in half and neatly rolled up!

Next, a screw driver or dowel or pencil… whatever you have laying around that you can work with!…

Now… Do THIS with it and go. No more tangles. No more wrapping around my legs and twists and yanking or pulling.

I might not save the world today, folks, but I was pretty impressed with my DIY hack. No special or extra purchases required. 🙂

Happy sewing!

Thanks for reading all the way down here. — Until next time, my friends 🙂
Updates on the Zipper Box Pouch Tutorial

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine about this zipper box pouch tutorial and how I’ve been making a bunch of them because they are so fast and fun and I’m going through my big scraps like water. It is just perfect, right? And the time to complete each one has gone just under an hour to only 35 minutes each. Yeah, I’ve been making a bunch of them so it goes pretty quick now.

Easy gifts? Um, yes! (To my Mom: Still act surprised when you get one of these for Christmas ok?)

You may have caught a sneak peek at some of these in the works on my Instagram account. Instagram my favorite way to share updates on the many projects that I have going on right now. Follow me!

So as I was saying, I was all proud of the progress I had made… and just when I thought I had everything figured out, she showed me a different way to make the corners of this box pouch. Say what?! Yeah… and it was kind of mindblowing, honestly.

So I’m adding a quick alternate ending to the tutorial for the zipper box pouch. It was really cool to go about it completely different and still get the same results. I just had to share it with you!

Check them both out and see which way you prefer!

(Side note: Both ways work out with exactly the same results… It is just a different technique.)

If you haven’t read the first part of the tutorial, click here and then come back 🙂 I’ll add a link on that post as well!

Alternate ending tutorial for the Zipper Box Pouch

Ok so where we left off in the other tutorial, you should be looking at a pouch that is flat just like this one, and the sizes are zig-zag stitched just like this one too. Got it? Good!

Please see my note at the bottom of this post about decorative stitching ideas. It is something new that I started after I made the tutorial

In the previous tutorial, I had you measure up 2 inches on your folded sides. Take your ruler, fabric marker or light pencil and draw a 2″ square in each corner of your rectangle.

Then carefully using your rotary cutter and a ruler as your guide for a straight line, cut those squares away from your fabric.

Next, open the square cuts and pin with edges even. I think pictures speak louder than any words, but to explain a little further, the center of the 90-degree cut you just made will be the top and bottom points on the seam you’re about to sew.

A little more clarification (skip along if you’ve got this) I want to make sure no one is left confused 🙂

Sew a 1/4 inch seam allowance down your newly pinned seam, then zig-zag stitch to prevent any further fraying of fabric.

Do this step for all four corners.

Before I call my zipper pouch “finished” I take a pair of embroidery scissors and trim any stray wild threads in the interior for a more finished look.

Turn the bag right side out, and you are finished! Ta-da! Isn’t it cute?

Adding Decorative Stitches

This is just a little something extra you can add if your home machine has the options of decorative stitches. I love picking contrasting thread for my bags, and this is the perfect venue to show it off.

Right after you stitch your zipper sides, sew another line of decorative stitches about 1-1.5 inches away from your zipper line. You can’t add it in later, Sorry. Experiment with a few and see what you like.

Do not stitch too far away from your zipper or your stitching will fall into the sides of your bag. The 1-1.5″ area is just enough to frame out your zipper and still show up on the top of your bag.

On this particular bag (which I called the bug bag the entire time I was working on it because… like, I don’t even like bugs, but I love this fabric and combination with the green zipper. Weird right?) I also added a little detail stitching on the zipper pull tabs. See the flowers? I did a line of decorative stitching down the center before I trimmed it in half and added it to my bag.

I hope you can see how easily customizable this box zipper pouch really is… there are so many possibilities out there, and you can really make it your own.

Do me a favor and let me know in the comments if you make this? I would love to see your projects! You can tag me @iseestarsquilting or #iseestarsquilting

Happy sewing and have fun with this one! You’ll be making tons of them soon enough like I am… you have been warned! 🙂
Teacher TLC Bags – AKA The One-Hour Zipper Box Tote

Is summer coming to an end already? Yikes… Meet the teacher is next week for us. I love to spoil my kid’s teachers because honestly… their dedication is worth celebrating every.single.day. I had a brilliant idea to create these little TLC bags AKA One-Hour Zipper Box Tote for the kid’s teachers on the first day of school.

First, I’ll let you in on what essentials I packed the bags with, then we’ll get to the tutorial so you can make your very own!

This started with a little trip to Target (….like so many of my other adventures do?) I love the travel container aisle. All the cute little bottles and fun sized soaps. Things are so much cuter when they are tiny, right?

Each of these was also under $2 each, most were $1. So, you can easily stock up on several essential items and remain within a decent budget. I’m a huge believer that you shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to make someone feel special… just being thoughtful can go a long way. Here was the haul that I scored for these gifts. The total for these items was $5.83

The Kleenex came in a pack of 3 for $1. Look at these designs! Oh, I just fell in love and had to grab them! Now that I look at them, I don’t know if the messages refer to germs or to kids… but… same thing, right? ha!

Ok, now onto the making of the Zipper Box Tote!

I love love love this pattern! It’s really quick and easy to pull together. All you need is 2 fat quarters, and about an hour (less if you practice a few of these… you’ll be cranking these babies out like a machine!)

This post may contain affiliate links, for more information you can click here.

DIY Teacher TLC kit – AKA The One Hour Box Zipper Pouch

What you’ll need:

2 fat quarters (1 for the lining, one for the exterior of the bag) FYI The prints I used are from Cotton + Steel. I love them and wrote a whole post that you can read here if you are interested!
12 Inch Zipper
Quilt Batting or interfacing fabric

Cuts to make:

Lining Fabric – 13″x17″
Exterior Fabric – 13″x17″ AND 4″x7″ for pull tab pieces
Quilt Batting – 13″x17″

****Note: Do not use a directional print with these cuts. This pattern works best with a non-directional print. ****

Assembly:
1. It is time to make your zipper sandwich! Place your lining fabric right side up. (mine is the pink cross fabric) Then, line up one side of your zipper with the edge of your lining fabric on the 13″ side Make sure you lay the zipper right side up! Don’t mess this part up or you’ll have an upside-down zipper and quite a mess.
2. Next, layer your exterior fabric followed by your batting fabric. If you’re having trouble with the layers, you can pin the exterior fabric to the batting, just remember to take the pins out after it is secure.
3. I use clips to keep everything in place while I sew. It’s much easier than pins in my opinion… but, whatever floats your boat and makes you feel more comfortable! Use a 1/4″ seam allowance and stitch all the way down one side of the zipper STOPPING about 1″ from the zipper pull. DO NOT sew the area where the zipper pull is.
4. Take your fabric off the machine and unzip the zipper pull past the area where you have just sewn. This will make it easier to get an even straight seam. Finish sewing where you left off. This makes it easier and yields a cleaner, more even result along your zipper. I usually will do just a short backstitch to keep the threads in place and secure the zipper as it gets a lot of use and you want the fabric to withstand the wear and tear of the zipping.
5. Next, we will be topstitching! Press your fabric away from your zipper. I suggest using an iron for this. You don’t want the fabric to get bunched up around the zipper or have an excess because it will look less professional. PLEASE be careful… metal zippers get hot under the iron… ahem… or so I have heard… — just a friendly warning! And if you have a plastic zipper… do NOT iron on it. duh.Go back to the machine and stitch just next to your newly pressed fabric. About 1/8″ from the fold. This looks really sharp on your zipper pouch and adds another layer of security to keep your pieces together. I just love top stitching!
6. Now it is time to repeat this same zipper stitching process on the other side of the fabric. Layer the lining right side up, the zipper and then the exterior fabric right side down. The fabrics will make a “w” shape with the zipper being at the center of the middle peak… it can be a little confusing the first time you do this, but after you get it, it will all make sense. Trust me and persevere! Use your clips or pins to keep things steady and in place while sewing.
7. Stitch all the way down your zipper. If you choose to the side where your zipper pull is, just skip down to about an inch below your pull and start sewing there. You can go back and unzip like before to finish it out. Your seam allowances will be nice and even if you don’t try to sew around the pull part! Do yourself a favor and just take the extra 3 seconds for this step!
8. Again, Press the fabric away from the zipper gently and top stitch down the side. I unzipped as far as I could go without letting the zipper slide out for this part. It can get a bit tricky to maneuver the fabric “tube” that you have created but doable. Just go slowly and ensure that the rest of your fabric doesn’t get snagged and drawn in by the machine.
9. Turn your pouch wrong (lining) side out and then flatten the pouch so that the zipper (zip it up again!) is centered on top and the exterior sides are facing inside. **Forgive me, I thought I got a picture of this, but apparently, I got excited and forgot or it didn’t save somehow. I’ll try to illustrate so you can understand. I’m sorry!**
  I typically eyeball it and don’t mess with rulers or measuring on this step. It’s not an exact science kind of moment. Place a few Pins on either side of the zipper. I really recommend pins over clips here because you do not want this to shift around.
10. Unzip your zipper about halfway. Do it right now and DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Do it. Do it Do it. Unzip it about halfway.
11. Did you unzip your zipper? Good.
12. Set aside your pinned zipper pouch. Take your 4″x7″ pull tab pieces and press in half length-wise. Then fold the 2 raw edges toward the center seam. Press again. (see pic below) Lastly, Fold again along that original center seam. Press it real good.
13. Your strip should be about a 1″x7″ strip now. top stitch about 1/8″ down both sides of the 7″ length.
14. Cut in half to get two 1″x3.5″ pieces. These will be your tab grabs/pulls. These are very helpful for this type of pouch when you try to open and close it.
15. Fold your tab in half, lining up the raw edges.
16. Insert the tab between the exterior sides of the fabric. it should be CENTERED at each side of the zipper. If it is not centered, you will notice it on the finished bag like a sore thumb. Make sure it is centered. The raw edges of the tab should be lined up with the raw edges of the flattened pouch.
17. Pin the sides of your pouch and the pull into place. Repeat for the other side of your pouch/pull. On the unzipped side, slightly overlap the tails of your zipper to ensure that when they get pulled through the machine they will line up perfectly without a gap.
18. Using a 3/8″ seam allowance, sew along the sides of your zipper pouch. It’s a flat rectangle right now. We will fix it to be cute and boxy soon! Never sew over a metal zipper!
19. (This step is OPTIONAL, but its quick and makes for a really nice seam for the lining of your bag!) Does your machine have a zig-zag stitch? I always get excited when I get to use this stitch. DO NOT zig-zag over any exposed zippers. Just sew as close as you can, skip over it and start again on the other side.
20. This next step is tricky the first time you do it but it will make sense in just moment. With your pouch laying flat, mark the side seams about 2″ up. Do this for all 4 sides. I use a water-soluble fabric marker. FYI, a pencil doesn’t always come off of the fabric.
21. Next, you are going to poof up your pouch and align your zig-zagged seam to the mark you just made. Double check to make sure they line up. Stick a pin in it to keep it in place. You should have a 90-degree angle with your seam coming right up the 45-degree line. Lay it flat on your table. Seam side up. Use your ruler and measure 2″ up the seam of your bag and draw a line across.
  This is what your box should look like with all 4 lines drawn.
22. Take it to the machine and sew along each newly drawn line. When you do each corner, make sure that your zig-zagged side seam to your pouch lays the same way. If you happen to get it twisted, it is not going to hurt anything but it will lay better if it folds the same direction.
23. You’re so close to being done! Using your ruler and a rotary cutter, measure 1/4″ from your seam and trim off the extra triangle of fabric. Zig-zag stitch those seams too!
24. AND that’s a wrap! Turn your Zipper Box tote right side out. Zip it up and marvel in just how quick and easy that was to create!
Wouldn’t you love to have one of these special box totes filled with all your favorite things? I can’t wait to make more 🙂 I found these rainbow fish fat quarters several months back at a little quilt shop. My inner child squealed with delight because I’ve always loved books. I just HAD to buy them… these teacher pouches are absolutely the perfect project for them!

I’m also planning to embroider the box totes before I give them to the teachers to add just a little something extra!

A little Rainbow Fish lesson anyone?

If you have made it this far, thank you! I try not to be so long winded but yet provide plenty of instruction. Did you make your own one-hour zipper box tote? Don’t forget to tag me so I can see your beautiful work!

Let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to help!

Cheers & Happy Sewing!
Favorite 15 Minute DIY Vacation Accessories

This project is my absolute favorite thing that I’ve ever made to take on vacation! There are many DIY Vacation Accessories out there, but this one will take you less than 15 minutes! Say What? AND it is a momma’s sanity saver! Yes, it only takes 15 minutes from start to finish.

Super quick & fun projects are my BFFs.

When you’re juggling life in suitcases (no matter if its a weekend getaway, a week-long vacay or a month-long car trip) organization is critical. Heck… even just in life in general. We could all use a little sanity saver.

The most natural organizing on vacation? Keep the dirty clothes separate from the clean clothes. Maybe not if you are a kid though… Honestly, no kid I have ever met is concerned with making sure they have clean underwear on every day. Not a single one. Why is that?

I shudder to think what would happen if I were not here every day to remind my kids. Hopefully, if I send up enough silent prayers, someday my nagging reminders will sink in, and the kids will be able to survive. They are both still young. We still have time.

We just spent a week at Disney World (see how cute my themed fabric is?) … Disney World in July… Summer… in Florida. Not only is it blazing hot, it rained every single day. So between the rain and the sweat, our clothes every single day were disgusting.

The kids were so caught up in the sugar rush of vacation that they didn’t care how smelly their clothes were… but I did. Oh, yes… I sure did.

I guess you COULD use a trash bag or the provided hotel plastic laundry bag… but we’re not your typical people. We’re creatives and love a good use for a pretty piece of fabric. I know you get me, sewing mommas. We will make the world a beautiful place together!

This project is so quick and beginner friendly, you are going to love it… below are the steps to make your own vacation laundry bag!

15 Minute Vacation Laundry Bag

What you’ll need:

1 yard of fabric
2 yards of ribbon – 1/2 Inch Wide

What to do:
1. The first thing we’re going to do is unfold your yard of fabric.
2. On one of the edges that is 42″ (not the 36″ side!), fold down 3/4″ of fabric, then fold down again. Pin.
  You’ll make a nice clean edge like the image below. This is where your drawstring will go through in just a few minutes.
3. Sew from one edge to the other just at the base of your folded fabric, just enough to hold it down. Make sure there is room enough for your ribbon to go through above your seam.
4. Fold your fabric right sides together, lining up the selvage edge. If you have a thicker selvage edge that you would rather trim off, you can, but it is not necessary as long as you keep it within the seam in this next step.
5. Sew along the red line area below taking care not to sew over your drawstring area. Use a 1/4″-1/2″ seam allowance.
  Make sure you back stitch a few times just below the drawstring area to reinforce your stitches.
6. If you chose to trim off the selvage, to keep your fabric from fraying, zig-zag stitch along the raw edge. You might want to test this out on a scrap fabric first if you aren’t familiar with this stitch.
  
  When in your machine, the raw side of the zig-zag should line up with the right point of the stitch.
7. Turn your laundry bag right side out.
8. The last step is to thread your ribbon through the drawstring fold. There are a few ways to do this, but the easiest that I’ve found is to use a safety pin through one end of the ribbon. Insert it into one end of the drawstring fold and work it through with your fingers until you come out through the other end. Give it less than a minute, and you’ll find a rhythm. You can also use a paper clip… whatever you can attach to your ribbon and pull through.
9. Tie a knot with the two ends of the ribbons, so they do not slip back through… and you are good to go!
  I went one step further and embroidered the front of our vacation laundry bag (my husbands expressed his inability to understand why I wanted to do this about nine times)
  
  There you have it! Enjoy your cute little laundry bag and a small sliver of sanity on your vacation trip! – Or use this easy bag all around the house to hold everyday laundry, toys, stuffed animals… whatever clutter you want up and out of the way!
  
  Wishing you all the fun vacation memories you can handle! 🙂 Happy Sewing!
PS – Don’t forget to tag me in your photos! #ISeeStarsQuilting #ISeeStarsQuiltingProjects I love to see your beautiful work!

Another one of my favorite DIY vacation accessories that I brought with us on this trip was this lovely little thing. It helped keep everyone’s most essential items together every single day in the hotel room. Jewelry, Cards, Magic bands and watches, as well as any loose change or trinkets, find during our stay. It was the perfect way to make sure something didn’t get lost under the bed and accidentally left. (bonus, it doesn’t take up a lot of room in your suitcase because it folds flat!)

These perfect catch-the mess fabric bins are another super easy project. You can read my tutorial on how to make them!

What is your favorite DIY vacation accessory?