The temperature has started to dip, and the days are getting shorter, which means it’s the ideal time to settle in for some indoor stitching time! To help make your sewing sessions the best they can be, I started the What’s in Your Sewing Bag series to give you the chance to meet fellow makers and see what notions they love using in their creative makes. I’m excited to welcome Nicole from Modern Handcraft as today’s special guest!
I stumbled upon Nicole’s work many moons ago on Instagram. I just adored her clean, modern designs, and couldn’t get over the adorableness of her hexie cushions! If you love bold geometric quilts, then you’re going to love Nicole’s work.
Keep reading to learn more about Nicole’s creative adventures, the tools she keeps stocked in her sewing kit, and the surprise item that might be kicking around her sewing bag!
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Introduction
Introduction – tell us a little about yourself! How did you get started on your quilting journey?
My name is Nicole, and I live in Indianapolis, IN with my husband Jerome and son Grey. I started sewing at a young age, my mom made clothing so being around a sewing machine was just part of life. Quilting began when I was pregnant with my son Grey in 2011, and I couldn’t find nursey décor to fit the look I was going for. I followed several sewing and quilting bloggers and watched a lot of YouTube to learn the basics.
I soon started a blog to share my makes with friends and family and from there worked with several companies making tutorials. Quilting switched gears for me in 2016 when we moved to Indianapolis from Chicago, and it got a little harder to commute for work (I was a flight attendant before this). I started writing quilt patterns instead of just blogging tutorials and was able to turn my love of quilting into a business!
What a fun creative journey you’ve been on, Nicole! I love how your quilting focus was a slow evolution based on satisfying a décor need for your son’s nursery and you just kept going! Gotta love how life has a way of leading us down a path we might not have initially thought of for ourselves 😊
Sewing Bag
What kind of sewing bag do you have? (e.g. did you make it? Buy it?)
I currently use a metal Ruby Star Society lunch box tin. I usually make hexes and this keeps them from getting crushed if I throw them into bag on the go, plus it’s pretty darn cute! I also have the smaller container that is perfect for keeping on the go supplies when I am hand quilting something or want just a few items in my purse.
What an adorable sewing ‘bag’, Nicole! You’re not the only one who loves a tin as their sewing bag solution, and I can totally see the appeal. I especially love the sturdiness of the tin and how it keeps things from getting crushed – a definite pro!
All-Star Essentials
What are your all-star essentials? Your tried-and-true must-haves that you can never run out of?
- 1” hexagon papers – a must when making hexagons for a project,
- Small snips – much easier to use when hand sewing, and they take up less room
- Mini charms – these are mini charm packs that contain 2.5” squares, so great for a quick sewing project and no prep needed.
- Sewtites magnets – I use these to hold my needle while sewing in the car, so I do not lose it, it just sticks right to the inside of my metal sewing container
- Glue stick – I like to glue a small dot onto my fabric to stick to the hexagon paper before doing my basting stitches.
- Leather thimble – necessary if hand quilting
- Tulip needles, I love the shashiko needles for hand quilting and the #10 milliners needles for basting hexagons.
Wow, there are so many fun goodies in your kit, Nicole! First up, I love that you use mini charms in your English Paper Piecing (EPP), so clever! I can see that being such a fun and easy way to dive into an EPP project. I’ve had my eye on Sewtite magnets and keep hearing great things!
Whenever I’ve EPPed, I’ve always gone with glue basting, but you’ve got me curious about glue basting the center to keep things from shifting and then thread basting. Do you find this approach makes it easier to remove the papers later on? Couldn’t agree more about leather thimbles! And I’ve got some Tulip needles I’ve been meaning to try out, and this is reminding me to do just that!
Favourite Item
What is your favourite item in your kit? Why?
A pair of metal snips that my husband bought for me early on in my sewing journey. They are Japanese brand, and he found them on a site called Best Made Co, they are so nice and sharp and the perfect size for my sewing bag. I also have a pair of black metal Kevlar shears from there that are indestructible – you can definitely cut paper with them, apparently you can also cut through a VHS tape with them, but I haven’t attempted that!
Blast from the past referencing VHS tapes! Do you also remember Beta tapes?! You’re so right, a good pair of scissors is not to be undervalued. They really do make a difference in both the enjoyment and effectiveness 😉
Surprise Item
What’s one thing we’d be surprised to find in your bag?
Possibly candy? I am a sucker for Swedish fish, so I wouldn’t be shocked if some fell into my bag.
Those are the BEST! That and the Swedish raspberries – ha! I love a good jujube 😊
Quilt Kits Will Travel
When do you find yourself using your kit the most? (Travelling, on the sofa, attending sew-ins?)
Car rides for sure! It’s the perfect size for placing in my lap in the car, luckily I do not have motion sickness, so car sewing is one of my favorite things to do to pass the time.
You’re so lucky that you don’t get car sick. I can totally appreciate how hand sewing while driving would be the ultimate pass time! Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to do it and not get sick – ha!
Travel Memory
What’s your favourite travel memory with your sewing bag?
Not this bag in particular but one of my favorite memories with on the go sewing would have to be sewing hexes on the plane while having a break from doing my flight attendant duties. I cannot even tell you how many hexies I have sewn while sitting on a jumpseat, or an empty back row on a long-haul flight.
Every time I think of bringing my sewing project with me on a flight, I always think security is going to confiscate my scissors! It must be so fun to see a project and think back to all the flights you were on while stitching them up! Happy memories 😊
Where Can We Find You?
Tell people where we can find you.
You can find me on my website / blog www.modernhandcraft.com or on Instagram and social media @modernhandcraft.
Thank you so much for participating in the WIYSB series, Nicole! It has been an absolute pleasure reading through your responses and getting to learn more about your creative adventures. You’ve encouraged me to bust out my Tulip needles and give those a proper try. I think I’m also going to give stitching in the car another go; it just seems like it would be the most glorious activity to tackle while driving!
For more What’s in Your Sewing Bag fun, check out these guests:
- Jennifer from Penelope Handmade
- Holly Clarke from Hold My Seam Ripper
- Janice from Prairie and Ocean
- Annie from Annie Tremblay
- Victoria from Midlife Quilter
Happy quilting!
xo
Shannon
PS don’t forget to sign up for the weekly newsletter so you don’t miss out on any future WIYSB guests!
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RE not getting carsick – I can recommend driving in much of Western Australia. I get car sick easily in Tasmania and Victoria where there are bends, but I can read in the car in a lot of WA. The main road from South Australia to Western Australia has a section that is straight for 147km (91mi)! But perhaps a long way to come from the US just to be able to look down in the car 🙂
Wow, that’s quite the long stretch of straight road, Vanessa! That would probably help keep the motion sickness at bay!!