Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the summer. Today I would like to let you know that some of my patterns are now available as print versions via QuiltWoman.com!
I first learned about QuiltWoman a couple of months ago, when two of my friends (who don't know each other) introduced me to Nancy and her website: QuiltWoman is a distributor for sewing patterns and offers different options for pattern designers, e. g. sellling e-patterns and/or print-on-demand, which is what I am doing. The nice thing is that she is based in Holley, NY, a small town which is just 25 miles west of Rochester, NY. She works with a lot of local designers and I think that is really cool!

As of now I am selling three of my sewing patterns over at QuiltWoman, but I am currently working on getting more patterns into print. The three patterns featured at QuiltWoman are the following:

AAllAll  All my print-on-demand patterns retail for $ 11 each and you can order them by clicking on the pictures above. After placing your order your pattern will normally be shipped within two days.

QuiltWoman features a lot of great designers and I encourage you to head over and take a look at all the great patterns.
I will keep you updated as I get more of my designs ready as print-on-demand patterns. Do you prefer PDF versions or do you like printed patterns? Does it make a difference if you make a quilt, clothing or a bag? I would love to get your feedback :)
Thanks and I hope you're all enjoying this warm weather!

I am happy to finally introduce a new design to my shop!

I love smaller handbags and I was looking for a casual yet sophisticated design, a bag that you can carry everyday but which is also posh enough to be used as an evening bag when going out. This is what I came up with!
The bag measures 18 x 27 x 6 cm / 7 x 10.5 x 2.5" (height x width x depth).

The flap has an asymmetric shape with a beautiful fabric rose on the broader part. The bag closes with a magnetic snap. 

The fabric looks like a denim but is actually a lightweight quilting fabric! I love the dark blue color since it is easy to pair up with almost all your clothes.

I decided to go with a light blue cotton fabric for the lining.

Inside the bag there is a 8 cm (17") zip pocket and two slip pockets of different sizes.

The strap takes up the asymmetric shape of the flap. It is 3 cm (1 1/8") wide at the very top and tapers towards the ends, which are 1,5 cm (0.5") wide and connected to the bag with rectangular rings.   

And I tried something a new kind of interfacing:
Sharon, a follower of my blog introduced me to a product I hadn't heard of so far: it is called Roc-lon Multi-Purpose Cloth and distributed by Rockland Industries. Apparently you can use it for all kinds of crafts, not only for sewing. Sharon was kind enough to send me a sample of the product and I was eager to try it out (Sharon, thanks again)! So far, I have used Decovil and By Annie's Soft and Stable to interface my bags (and of course fusible fleece and heavy stabilizer by Pellon) but for this kind of bag I have to say the Multi-Purpose cloth was perfect! It is not fusible, so I had to baste it onto the main body fabric parts before assembing the bag. It is sturdy but bendable and therefore easy to handle, especially when you sew curves or edges.

Let me know if you are interested in learning more about the Multi-Purpose Cloth, then I would write a separate blog post about it. 

The rose petal bag turned out really nicely and thanks to Roc-lon has a nice body and doesn't "collapse". You can find this bag for purchase in my charmed Liebling Etsy shop here.
And here's for all my fellow sewing addicts who might want to make one of these bags themselves: I am currently working on the sewing pattern for this bag, which will probably be released mid August!
How do you like this new design?

One thing I love about Europe are the Dutch fabric markets! The Netherlands have always been famous for their fabrics and many dealers go on tour twice a year (spring and fall) to the bigger cities of Germany to sell their stuff. To be honest I even planned my trip to Germany according to their schedule. I knew they would be in Frankfurt on June 10 and so would I! Those markets are heaven for fabric lovers and sewing enthusiasts! Many dozens of booths, each of them carrying a great variety of fabrics, for clothes, bagmaking, home decor and quilting. Some dealers also offer accessories like ribbons, buttons, all kinds of notions, patterns and even sewing machines. The good thing about the Dutch fabric markets is that you get the whole package: quality, variety AND bargains! Gotta LOVE this!!  
I was looking for some more medium-weight cottons for bagmaking. Here's what I found:

They also have a huge range of knit fabrics, plain and colored, all of which are ridiculously cheap! I only bought two cotton knits which I am planning on using for myself, maybe for sleepwear or something. Both pieces are 60" x 60" and I paid 10 Euros (i. e. 12.50 $) which is pretty awesome!

                                            10 zips (all 18 cm/7") for 5 Euros (6.30 $)!!!

If you ever make it to Europe and want to catch one of the markets, here's the link to their official website. Check for "Termine", which is the German word for schedule! I forgot to take any pictures on the market but they have a lot of nice pics posted on their website too, just to give you an impression of the atmosphere!
AND: if you ever go, be sure to bring enough cash as most of the dealers don't accepts credit cards!