I took a Craftsy Class! "Zip It Up" Review + a Giveaway!!!

I took my very first Craftsy Class this week! I've been a big fan of Joan Hawley's Lazy Girl Designs patterns & Press Perfect notions, so I was really excited to take my first bag making class with her and test drive the Craftsy class experience when she announced her new class, "Zip It Up," which launched last week.

It's always so great to have a chance to see Joan at quilt market & catch up over lunch or dinner. She snapped a selfie of us hanging out as spring quilt market started up this past May.

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At first I watched the class while sitting at my computer & without my supplies in front of me. This way I could learn the techniques without being distracted by my fabrics. Then, I cut my fabrics and watched the class a second time from my iPad while sewing along with Joan at my sewing machine. The class was the next best thing to having Joan here with me in the studio. I really enjoyed the class as it can often be challenging to grasp the concepts of 3D construction from a printed pattern alone.

In the opening lesson Joan covers presser feet. I'll be honest, I pretty much stick to my 1/4" foot or my walking foot for 99% of what I do. Nevertheless, I followed her directions and found that this foot allowed me to move the needle where I wanted it and sew in the middle of the zipper tape.

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First up... the Runaround bag:

Basically a zippered pocket with a strap. The pattern calls for 2 fabrics, but I opted for 3 because I didn't want an orange strap. I went with a yellow zipper to draw out some of the details in the focus fabric I picked for the bag.

I think it'll be the perfect cross-body bag at the airport to hold my phone, passport and some cash. The bag is small enough to tuck into my tote bag once we board a flight.

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Next up... Nickita:

Joan suggests some basic quilting, but of course I had to go crazy and do more. I used blue 3/4" painters tape to mark lines. I sewed them all in one direction and then a second to create a quilted diamond effect.

I picked a contrasting green zipper that brought out some of the colors in the fabric I used for the pull tabs. Joan shared a great tip about spreading out the bulk of the project layers with the V-tab placement technique.

I decided to use my Nickita bag to hold all of our extra chargers and cords. This way they will all be in one place and I won't have to search around the house next time I need one.

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Last up... Bendy:

I actually made these a few months ago when the pattern came out, but I learned a lot by watching the class and now I know that I could have done a bit better when I made them the first time.

For example, I didn't press enough at this stage. I didn't realize at the time that it wouldn't be easy to go back and press later. Lesson learned.

My set of bendy bags.

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Bendy stands up when closed.

Or when open.

Twice now I've used Bendy to hold my snacks when I travel. It is the perfect way to keep all of my yummy treats together inside my travel tote bag. The layer of fleece in the project is also just enough padding to help keep my snacks from getting crushed!

I made this Bendy by piecing together a strip of fabrics in rainbow order before making the bag.

I used a red zipper as a part of the rainbow instead of a red strip of fabric.

For the inside I used Ripstop Nylon instead of quilting cotton. It was a bit fussy to work with, but the result is totally worth it. The fabric is easy to wipe down, so now I can use this Bendy to hold makeup & toiletries without worrying about what will happen if something spills or leaks. 

I have to say the #1 thing I learned from this class would be PROPER PRESSING techniques. Often pressing can feel like one of those things you should do, but don't need to do. Joan explains the reasons WHY to press at each step which is the kind of information I need to take the time out to do it.

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If you use this link to enroll in the "Zip It Up" class before June 30th, you'll get 50% off of the class & you'll be automatically entered into a drawing to win a 2nd free Craftsy class of your choice. How cool is that?!?

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Ready for today's giveaway?!? I'm giving away a bundle of supplies to make your own Bendy Bag!! You get the pattern, fusible fleece, fabric and zipper!!

The Rules

1. Leave ONE comment to enter. Make sure your contact info is in your profile or that you leave it in the comment.

2. In your comment tell us about what will you keep in your Bendy Bag.

3. Comment entries must be left on this blog, www.jaybirdquilts.com, to be valid. Comments sent via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social media will not be counted.

4. Simple as that!!

You have till 5PM PST on Tuesday, June 30th to enter. 

Giveaway is now closed.

Winner will be selected by 

True Random Number Generator.

Good luck + thanks for stopping by today!

© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/