I love a sunshine yellow fabric. As soon as I saw this yellow, I knew a Salutations Trail Tote was in order! Salutations is an upcoming fabric collection by Rashida Coleman Hale for Ruby Star Society.

It’s always a struggle for me to get through February, so I’m glad it’s March and we’re finally having some sunny warmer days here in Wisconsin. I think that’s why I crave using yellow this time of year.

I made this sample Trail Tote for Sewtopia for QuiltCon, so you may have already seen it there. Amy and the Sewtopia crew are always so incredibly supportive and I’m glad to be able to call them friends. When it came down to making a quick sample of course I said yes!

Try it out

I think that’s what’s especially great about the Trail Tote. It’s a quick and relaxing sew. Nothing too complicated. Of course you could leave off the exterior zipper for an even quicker finish, but I think taking the extra time to add it is worth it. If you haven’t made a zippered pocket on a bag before, I would definitely recommend taking the time to practice with some test fabrics and a zip before making the Trail Tote. It’ll help you get a feel for how things go together and give you a boost of confidence when cutting into your fabric.

Coming up

I’m also excited about working on some new projects. I spent the majority of last year working on my fabric collection and the sewn samples in addition to the Plover and Trail Tote patterns. So it definitely feels like a relief to be able to decide what I want to make now! Exciting!!! I have a Pepin Tote that I’ve had sitting half finished since before Christmas, so after that who knows!

Where to buy Salutations fabric

Lastly, Salutations is coming soon to shops. It’s available on pre-order from quite a few, so a quick google search should give you lots of options. Or check your local quilt shop! It’s a beautiful collection of both quilting weight and canvases.

Project Details:

• Pattern: Trail Tote (Large size)
• Fabric:
  • Salutations canvas by Rashida Coleman Hale for Ruby Star Society
  • Accent is Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun in Roasted Pecan
  • Lining is Oh Lucky Mini Dot in pink by Alexia Marcelle Abegg
• Get the following supplies from my shop:
  • 6″ zipper* (for Small size)
  • 8″ zipper* (for Large size)
  • cording for making piping
  • strap hardware kit (1″-wide for the Small OR 1.5″-wide for the Large)
  • magnetic snaps OR take it to the next level and use a Loxx fastener
  • waxed cord or leather zipper pulls for that special finishing touch!

* pattern assumes fixed-length zipper and zipper tape width of 1”/2.5cm you can substitute by-the-yard/continuous zipper, you’ll need 7 ½”/9 ½” [19/24 cm] and one pull (per bag)

I am so excited to introduce you to my Trail Tote pattern! It’s a great beginner-friendly pattern that’s so versatile! 

Here’s a quick list of the pattern’s features:

• two sizes to sew! Small and Large
• piping detail
• front exterior zippered pocket
• interior slip pocket
• adjustable crossbody strap
• magnetic closure

If you’ve been following along here long enough, you may have already seen the Trail Tote! I designed the Trail Tote back in 2014 as part of a promotional collaboration. Well, a lot has changed since then. I knew it was time to make it into a full-fledged pattern with all the 2025 features you enjoy! 

• cutting layouts
• revised instructions
• full-size pattern pieces (including rectangles)
• Large size reduced slightly for a better fabric yield
• A0 file for printing at a copy shop

I hope you’ll love using the Trail Tote pattern to showcase all your favorite fabrics! 

Today through February 10th only (ends Monday, February 10th at 10 pm CST) pick up your PDF or Paper (yep, printed patterns are available right now!) pattern for 20% off! No code needed!

Need supplies?

Below are some supplies for the Trail Tote that are available in my shop: 

• cording for making piping
• strap hardware kits, be sure to select the hardware for the size tote you are making!
• zipper for exterior pocket (6″ for Small size, or 8″ for Large size)
• magnetic snaps (antique brass, nickel, and brass)
• leather pulls or waxed cord for that special finishing touch!

Project Details:

• Pattern: Trail Tote (available in PDF and paper in my shop)
• Fabric: Orchard Run (my upcoming fabric collection with Robert Kaufman Fabrics)
• Accent for both samples is Essex Yarn Dyed in Shale – find it at your local quilt shop!
• Supplies used are all available in my shop, see links above

Hope you enjoy sewing up a Trail Tote! Have a great weekend!

I am excited to share my newest fabric collection!!!! I worked on this collection for almost all of 2024. It’s finally time to share a glimpse of my new fabric collection with Robert Kaufman Fabrics — Orchard Run!!!!

About the Collection

Orchard Run is a collection of 25 designs printed on Robert Kaufman’s Cotton Flax basecloth.

My past collections have mostly been printed on Essex as the basecloth, so it’s a little different that those! Cotton Flax is 80% cotton and 20% Flax and weighs 6.5 oz per yard. I classify that as a mid-weight fabric perfect for bag making. Just to give you a general idea of other types of fabrics you might typically use, quilting cotton is usually 3.5-4.3 oz. depending on the manufacturer. Essex is 5.6 oz and Big Sur Canvas is 9.6 oz.

Cotton Flax is still is a versatile fabric! I made bags, home dec items, a structured garment, and a quilt!

I’m so thrilled with how the fabric turned out and excited to finally be able to share it with you. It was fun to be able to explore more color combinations than in the past, especially having fun with the greens!

In shops in August ’25!

Here’s the super important part – it’ll be shipping to stores in August of ‘25! Yep, it IS a ways off, but I hope it’ll be worth the wait! If you’re interested in any of these fabrics, please share this with your local quilt shop and ask if they’ve ordered. 

It’s really the only way to help make sure that a shop that is local to you will have it! If you let them know that you’re interested in Orchard Run they can have it on order. That way they can be sure to get some!

I hope this quick glimpse of the collection will stir up some inspiration and get you excited about sewing with it – when it does arrive in shops.

Orchard Run Projects

I’ll be writing more about my inspiration and sharing some fun pictures, too. I’ll be posting about the individual projects when it gets a bit closer to the release date (so maybe sometime starting in a month or two?!). I know it’s hard to be inspired to make something yet not have the fabric available, so please hang in there!

I will be sharing one of the projects here in just a week or so – so keep an eye out for that!

Thanks so much for your support and encouragement! I’m so excited for this collection! I hope you really love it! It is always an honor to see my fabric designs being used in your projects. Thank you so much for joining along in this journey. I love being able to share sewing with YOU!!!

Looking for past collections?

If you’d like, my past fabric collections might be available still at your local shop. Riverbend, Riverbend Big Sur and Around the Bend should have some availability in shops right now. You might even be able to snag some Quarry Trail or Driftless (if some is left)! Or try searching Etsy or google “Around the Bend Robert Kaufman” or “Quarry Trail Robert Kaufman” or Quarry Trail Anna Graham” or “Driftless Robert Kaufman” or “Driftless Anna Graham”.

For anyone who’s read this far, I’ve got a pattern that will be available in just a little bit (hoping for next week!). Thanks as always for reading, I appreciate you!