Gratitude and Grace by Pat Sloan for Benartex
We recently had the wonderful opportunity to work with Pat Sloan’s lovely new fabric line, Gratitude and Grace.
For these designs, Pat chose to focus on giving ourselves grace whenever possible, and helping ourselves by helping others. Pat took inspiration from the energizing colors of dawn and sunlight, and the calming and reflective shades of the night sky.
With its beautiful combinations of paisleys, plaids, small florals, and geometric motifs, Gratitude and Grace provides a wide variety of choices for bag makers, quilters, and makers of all kinds.
We are big fans of Pat Sloan, and had a lot of fun making some of our new bags with Gratitude and Grace.
Hot & Heavy
First, we made our iron carrier/purse, Hot & Heavy. This pattern has instructions for iron carriers in two sizes, and also makes a very cute purse! The smaller size is a great way to carry a small travel iron, while the larger size fits most standard size irons.
We decided to make the larger size with Peaceful Garden in Teal for the main fabric, Quiet Mornings in Green for the lining, Squishy Hugs in Teal for the coordinating fabric, and Helping Others in Green for the inner pocket and stabilizer sleeve.
For the smaller size, we chose Good Friends and Family Time, both in Blue.
Our model maker, MaryAnne, took lots of photos as she made these bags, and we hope you will enjoy seeing a peek into that process!
Hot & Heavy’s construction process is very similar to our ever-popular Clam Up pattern. So if you have made that bag, this one will be especially easy!
The pattern includes templates to make it simple to create the pleasing, curved shape.
MaryAnne found our ByAnnie Stiletto & Pressing Tool to be helpful during this project, especially when it came time to attach the zipper binding. We also created Add-on Videos for this project, and those show the binding process in detail.
Drop Zone
Next, we decided that our Drop Zone pattern would be another great way to show off Gratitude and Grace.
Drop Zone includes instructions for zip-up trays in three sizes, and it has an almost endless list of uses! Great for everything from sewing supplies to keys, you are going to want at least one in every room. These trays open completely flat, but have a unique diamond shape when they are zipped closed. They also make fantastic gifts for just about anyone. Use special fabric or a little embroidery to make them just right for the recipient!
Drop Zone can be made with or without hardware, allowing you to add a D-ring, triangle ring, or swivel clasp, or just have grab tabs on the ends to help with opening and closing the tray.
We used the Helping Others print for all three bags, choosing the blue colorway for the large, green for the medium, and orange for the small.
Many of the steps for Drop Zone are completed while the project is still flat, which makes construction quick and easy. A small amount of hand sewing is required for tacking down the sides of the inner panels. These panels are great at making sure your items don’t fall out the sides of the tray!
We also created Add-on Videos for this project to help you succeed. The pattern includes a coupon code that makes these videos free!
Cut It Out!
Cut It Out!, our scissors/thread snips case, includes instructions for projects in two sizes. This makes a quick and fantastic gift, and is also a great way to display Gratitude and Grace.
We made both cases with the same fabrics, but switched up the positioning of the prints to create interest.
We used the Orange colorway for this set. The plaid print is Squishy Hugs, the small floral is First Flower, and the larger floral is Helping Others.
Cut It Out! offers a great opportunity to learn to use our magnetic snap sets, and is also wonderful for perfecting your binding techniques. Since this project is flat and not particularly bulky, it is quite easy to bind.
And now for a look at our latest patterns!
Zip It Up 2.0
A refresh of our popular Zip It Up pattern, Zip It Up 2.0 has clearer instructions, and better illustrations.
We also filmed an Add-on Video and added some new features! We improved the handle, added more pockets inside and out, and used our Fold-over Elastic to create handy loops at the center of the case.
These loops are awesome for organizing thread, Wonder Clips, or other small items.
We chose Good Friends in Blue for our main fabric, First Flower in Blue for the lining, and Family Time in Blue for the coordinating fabric.
When combined with our white Fold-over Elastic, the lovely dark blue of Family Time created a fun illusion of stripes!
Zip It Up 2.0 has a quilted outer pocket that makes a great place to safely store an iPad or other electronic device. Soft and Stable provides great cushioning.
On The Go 2.0
Our popular pattern, On The Go, was also due for an overhaul. On The Go has always been Annie’s favorite bag, and now she has made it even better!
We added some depth to the bag (which enables it to hold more and makes it easier to assemble). We changed the style of the carrying strap and how it is attached. We also improved the illustrations, made the instructions easier to understand, and created an Add-on Video.
On The Go 2.0 features a multitude of handy pockets for carrying all your essentials, and is perfect for travel or daily use. This perfectly-sized bag has convenient spaces for credit cards, receipts, loyalty cards, coupons, and more, and a larger main compartment that is great for your phone, glasses, and other items.
We used one of our favorite Gratitude and Grace prints, Peaceful Garden in Purple for the main fabric, Squishy Hugs in Blue for the lining, and Helping Others in Blue for the binding.
On The Go is small and mighty, just like Annie!
Side Hustle
We are very excited to show you our long-awaited sling bag pattern Side Hustle! Streamlined and comfortable to wear, Side Hustle keeps your belongings safe and secure, whether you choose to wear it crossbody as a sling bag, or around your waist.
The Side Hustle pattern includes instructions for bags in two sizes, with two different hardware options. You can make a Swivel Hook Strap or a Side Release Buckle strap using our brand-new ALL METAL side release buckles. You'll love how easy they are to connect and disconnect. That makes it extra easy to put on and take off, especially when worn around the waist.
We designed this bag to keep your items safe, organized, and easy to access, all while keeping the profile of the bag streamlined so it’s comfortable to wear!
Peaceful Garden and Squishy Hugs, both in the Teal colorway, were a perfect choice for this small Side Hustle.
We made it with a side-release buckle so it will be easy to use as a fanny pack, and we oriented the zippers so it will be easier to use for that purpose.
For our standard Side Hustle, we decided to use Peaceful Garden in Purple for both the exterior of the bag as well as the hardware tabs. Paired with our zippers in Blastoff Blue, we love the sleek look these fabric choices achieved.
Many thanks to Pat Sloan and Benartex for including us in this blog hop. It was a delight to work with these gorgeous fabrics, and we are looking forward to seeing what the other bloggers have created!
Giveaway
And now for the giveaways! Here’s your chance to win a Gratitude and Grace Layer Cake! A special thanks goes to Benartex for the fabric for this fun giveaway. To enter, leave a comment below to say what you might like to make with this beautiful collection.
Leave a comment on THIS post to enter
Giveaway ends on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 11:59 CST
Winner chosen at random on November 11
Open to all – both US and international
We will choose a winner at random and notify them by email so be sure your email address is in your profile.
Gratitude and Grace