Striped patchwork, colorblocking, foundation paper piecing, monochrome gradients, and some fun quilting make for some good lookin’ Clam Up pouches, don’t you think? One of our Monochrome 9 fat quarter bundles makes 5 pouches. Five!
Supplies
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Take a look at the ByAnnie Clam Up sewing pattern for all the required supplies, but I thought I’d call out a few:
Magenta 9 FQ Bundle
I love the range of values in our highly-curated bundles of Kona Cotton. I’m biased, I know. The pinks in this bundle are lovely, but choose among all our other Monochrome 9 bundles.
Soft and Stable
In my opinion, there’s no substitute for Soft and Stable [Amazon]. Nothing supports like it. It's what gives these pouches structure, allowing them to stand and to be fully open when unzipped. The 36“ x 58” package was enough for these 5 pouches, plus at least 3 more. When you get it out of the package, you may worry that the folded creases may be set in, but a quick steam iron on a polyester heat setting gets the creases out as if they were never there. I was so surprised by that!
Zippers by the Yard and zipper pulls
I used Zippers by the Yard, which is basically a long length of zipper tape without any attached zipper pulls. Then I took a few colors of individual zipper pulls and slid them onto the zipper tape. I was worried about that process, but it was WAY easier than I thought it would be. Just watch Annie’s video that you get as an add-on to her Clam Up pattern or take a look at this quick video I made:
Instructions
Cutting
A bit of careful cutting is required, so here’s a cutting layout to help you along. To give an extra bit of wiggle room on the binding, I’ve sized the binding strips 2.5“ (instead of 2.25”). I’ve labeled the pouches A through D, so as you cut each fabric piece, separate them into 5 groups:
- A: (size XL) foundation-paper-pieced awareness ribbon on the front
- B: (size L) 8-strip patchwork
- C: (size L) 5-strip patchwork
- D: (size L) 5-strip patchwork (darks)
- E: (size L) colorblock
Sewing and Quilting
For the striped patchwork, sew the strips together with a scant 1/4“ seam allowance. If you sew with a full 1/4” SA, the patchwork may not be wide enough for the pattern piece.
You can choose to have the bag quilted or non-quilted. And let me tell you, quilting Soft and Stable is smooth as butter. It’s really fun to quilt on, and I enjoyed coming up with a variety of straight and curvy quilting lines. This focal pointed design comes straight out of a book from my quilting library: WALK by Jacquie Gering. See page 53. You’re welcome.
Then just follow instructions in Annie’s pattern and watch her add-on videos that you get with pattern purchase. As Annie suggested, I used freezer paper to make the pattern pieces. For the triangular grab tabs I used scraps of pieced fabric - a fun touch! I used Aurifil 40wt thread throughout, in Medium Grey and Black (to match the zipper tape). I used a walking foot and 14 Topstitch needle for the entire project.
So get the ByAnnie Clam Up sewing pattern, some Soft and Stable [Amazon], pick out your favorite Monochrome 9 bundles, and have fun sewing!
