I think I was feeling pretty spring-y when I made these two yellow and floral Yarrows! If you’ve been here long enough, you know I’m a fan of yellow and mustard colors. When it’s been a cold winter, yellow is such a hopeful color.

New to dry oilskin?

Dry oilskin maybe be new to you, so I figured I could do a little rundown of this particular substrate. I’ve been enjoying using it for a few years now and there are many quilt shops that carry it – a google search for “dry oilskin by the yard” should turn up quite a few. I believe Merchant & Mills is one of the most common/easy-to-find manufacturer of dry oilskin, but I’m sure there are more manufacturers as well. I’m pretty familiar with Merchant & Mills dry oilskin and enjoy working with it.

It is a great bag making fabric! It’s easy to sew with, yet still has a bit of structure that bags need. It is not like waxed canvas though! Dry oilskin is more like a regular cotton canvas and doesn’t have a waxy feel to it. It’s a bit lighter weight and has more flexibility than waxed canvas. And it’s water resistant!

Yes, it can be more costly, but like waxed canvas, I don’t use interfacing with it. Instead I use interfacing on the lining pieces. It’s also a wider fabric (usually 54″ or wider) so that makes the price seem a little more doable. I use a size 14 universal needle and I think that works pretty well for most projects I’ve sewn using dry oilskin. I think for a small project like the Yarrow, it’s a fun opportunity to grab a 1/4 yard and try it out to see how you like it. I’ve used it for the project size of the Firefly Tote, too. I think I might try it on a Crescent Tote next! Dry oilskin does lend itself well to projects with curves!

Hopefully that little rundown gives you a little more information – I hope you’ll give it a try! The Wristlet uses the dry oilskin in Yellow (purchased from Oak Fabrics).

Quilting Cotton Tip

For the Yarrow Pouch I used quilting cotton for both the exterior and linings. It does make for an overall lighter weight/less structured project (I recommend a bit heavier weight fabric for the Exterior fabric, but sometimes I can’t resist a cute quilting cotton design like this one! I would recommend two layers of SF101 on the exterior if you go this route! Apply the first layer, but trim away the seam allowance first (the sides where the zipper gets applied uses a 1/4″ seam allowance whereas the other two sides use a 1/2″ seam allowance), then apply the second layer as the full size.

Project Details

• Pattern: Yarrow Wristlet & Pouch (here’s the Yarrow Sew-Along)
• Wristlet Details: Dry oilskin in Yellow from Oak Fabrics, lining is First Light by Ruby Star Society (purchased from Stitch Supply Co.), zipper by the yard was purchased from My Handmade Space, leather wrist strap and hardware available in my shop
• Pouch Details: Cider by Basic Grey for Moda, lining is by Jen Kingwell for Moda (both purchased at my local quilt shop – Olive Juice Quilts), zipper (Monster Snot), hardware, and zipper pulls available in my shop

Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy some sunshine!