The Bag That Happened Despite Me

Or maybe I should say "to spite me."  Bags can't think, right?  Nah.  

Okay.  It's a nice bag.  It's just not the bag I was trying to make. This was supposed to be such a simple project, just doubling the size of the tiny tote I did a couple of weeks ago.  First my reading skills failed miserably.  I needed TWO not one of some of the large pattern pieces I had cut and there was no more fabric.  Improv time! Sadly, my math skills were not up to my improvisation.  The bag changed and changed and changed some more.

Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with a rather long, squat bag with lots of pockets. If only I knitted or crocheted.  It would be perfect for skeins of yarn.

Tiny Tote From Free Tutorial

Sweet, quick, easy and from a free tutorial called the Pick-a-Pocket Tote at...I think it's Allpeoplequilt.com. You can just Google it if you're interested.  UPDATE: Here's the link for the tutorial thanks to Wonky Girl! By my standards, this is a tiny bag.  Note the glasses in the front pocket and figure it out from there. It is 10x8x4 inches.

Did I make any changes?  Of course, I did.  I'm genetic predisposed to make changes. I used a light/medium iron-on interfacing on all the fabric so the sides will stand well, polypro webbing rather than making the handles from fabric, and edge-stitched around the top of the bag.   One thing I wish I had done differently is to increase the length of the webbing so that I could put it on my shoulder.

It's going in my carry-on bag for my embroidery stuff and a few extras toys such as the iPod.  My usual traveling embroidery case opens like a book which is great for car travel but a bit much on a plane.

A sneak peak at a set of new designs that will be wee ginger-haired people.

Six outside pockets for the iPod and the essential snub-nosed
 scissors to be extra sure the TSA people are happy.

My Fusion pen in case I need to trace out a new
design.  You never know! I might go into a sewing
frenzy and finish the three designs I've got ready.

Once again, I only used stash fabrics including the webbing which was left over from the Departure Satchel. I might just get this stash under control yet.

Purse Organizer

I'm in a sewing mood lately, and this is a project I've wanted to do for a long time.  The goal is to be able to change handbags easily without emptying all kinds of pockets.  Most of the tutorial and patterns I've seen for purse organizers are made to fit a certain bag size and shape.  That wouldn't work for me.  My bags come in all shapes and sizes.  One idea I saw, however, was just a long piece that could be rolled to fit.  I have a lot of  "stuff," so my strip is long!

The larger pockets have small pleats at the bottom.  They take up less
space on the base fabric that way.  It also folds easier than having flat
wider pockets to accommodate the bulk of larger items.

I lined all the "stuff" up and decided to make seven larger pockets for bulkier things such as tissue packets, phone, and the rolled up shopping bag

and smaller ones that are about pen-size for pens, my favorite stylus (am I the only one with fingers too fat to type on that tiny phone keyboard?), comb, and that sweet invention for hanging your handbag on the table when dining out.  That would be the silver circular things sticking out below.

Rolled up, it fits nicely in the new bag I made, the Cate from Paco Bean,

but it could be folded to fit in any bag and around any larger items that might be carried.

Another "I've been meaning to do this forever" project finished AND using only fabric from the stash again!  In this sewer's world that qualifies as a minor miracle.

Paco Bean's Cate Bag

Not bad!  It's a simple bag, not too big.  If I recall correctly, the finished size is 9x11x3.  I thought it would be a good size for everyday.

The pattern is clearly written and easy to follow.  My one really tiny (okay, petty) complaint is that the pattern pieces don't have the dimensions for the straight rectangular pieces printed on them.  It would have saved me needing to tape pieces together to get the dimensions.  If pieces are straight lines, I'd rather cut them with my ruler instead of the pattern pieces.

I added clips on both handles because I could, and I FINALLY figured out how I could remember to do this. As soon as I finished making the handles, I slipped the hardware on them.  I cannot tell you how many times I forget to put these things on.  It would be too embarrassing.

Clips in place so they won't be forgotten.

There was a zipper with two slides in the stash, so that got used.  One change I made was to make the top lining pieces from the exterior fabric.  I wanted all of the pieces that would show on the outside to be from the same fabric.  Had I followed the directions, that fabric next to the zipper would have been the lining fabric.

I'm hoping the zipper will not be a pain to use.

All the fabric was, once again, from the stash.  I may get this stash under control after all.

I think the lining is a linen.

The New Brimmed Hat

I got Betz White's cadet hat pattern on a whim while buying another pattern from her shop.  I thought it would be a step up from my usual baseball hat when I want a brim.  I took her up on the "make do" idea and used fabric from old jeans for the outside 

and an old men's shirt for the lining.

One issue I had was, no doubt, due to my crappy sewing skills.  The directions said to sew around the top seam.  As you can see below that was a disaster for me.  After removing that stitching,  I sewed about a quarter inch down on the crown instead.

Bad top stitching

Better side stitching on the crown

I'm pretty happy with the final results overall, but wish I had used a mid-weight interfacing on the crown and top to make it hold its shape better .  The pattern didn't call for interfacing except for heavy Pellon in the brim and some interfacing on the band as long as you used a heavier fabric.   I thought the band would have been solid enough without interfacing and the rest could have used interfacing to hold the shape better.  On the other hand, maybe if I had been able to do that top stitching  better, it would have held the shape better.

I'm going to give this one more try using some old khaki's and the interfacing.  At $12.95 for the pattern, I've got to get more than one hat from this!

Studio Cherie's Departure Satchel---I Did It!

Even though I left out some pockets, this bag is still filled with them.  That front bird fabric creates a large open pocket that's gonna hold all kinds of stuff like my water bottle and glasses, and magazines.  Then there is the zipper pocket on THAT pocket.  I think my phone will go in there.

The back has a sleeve that fits over the extended handle on luggage.  In the pattern, there are instructions for another pocket on top of the sleeve, but I wanted that beautiful fabric to be the focal point.  You can also close off the bottom to make it into a pocket if you don't want the sleeve.

Perfect fit on the luggage

Sits nicely on top of the carry-on

On the inside, I decided to leave out the hidden pocket and the zipper on the top of the laptop pocket.   Just don't have a need for them.  

Laptop pocket

Two large pockets on the other side

The pattern worked out great.  I had a small issue with printing.  A couple of pieces lost a fraction of an inch even though I was printing actual size.  Fortunately the measurements are included on each piece making it easy to fix that issue.

And there it is!  All ready for that upcoming trip.

Did I mention that I only used fabric from the stash?  So unlike me.

Lil Blue Boo's Hungry Bunny Pouch Completed!

Oh, the misery when you don't follow directions!  I turned a rather simple project into a PROJECT.  First I only scanned the directions.  The part about cutting the pieces back-to-back being essential because the bunny is asymmetrical?  I missed that.  Hence there was a bit of extra cutting to get all the pieces to match up.

I did, however, zero in on the hand sewing of the lining in my quick scan of the directions.  I'll spend a hour machine sewing to get out of ten minutes of hand sewing so that had to change.  In a consultation with my sewing muse, Sandra, I was advised to sew the zipper pieces together as usual,  then just sandwich the rest and sew around the edges.  Being literal I sewed all the way around the edges. No, you gotta leave an opening for turning. Okay, ripped out a few stitches, turned it right-side out, and sewed up that opening. Done!

My  bunny was supposed to be two different fabrics in the front like some of Sandra's.  Somehow that did not happen.  Still, it's a cute little thing and the lining is lovely as you can see if you look inside there.  Check out this link  and this one for more examples of Sandra's awesome fabric choices.

The pattern (AND the directions) are at  Lil  Blue Boo.

No I've Not Been On An Extended Vacation...

I've been away--from my blog.  Sometimes life gets busy with things that make boring blog posts.  However, I finally made it back into my sewing room yesterday.  My embroidery machine proved to be the clear winner in the productivity department. It managed to create these from some Huck towels I made last year.

The towel is crooked in that last one, not the design.  Designs are from the Embroidery Library (emblibrary.com)

In the same amount of time that my machine got all that finished, I got this far with the hungry bunny pouch I've been meaning to make.

Honestly, I had two towels finished before I was able to decide which fabrics to use for the damned bunny. No, I am not using the red polka dot zippers for it.  I just dumped all my zippers trying to choose a zipper. Another towel was nearing completion before I was able to decide on the zipper and interfacing.

Don't look for the finished bunny anytime soon.  This morning, as I tried to put the pieces on the zipper, I realized the bunny is not symmetrical.  I should have read the directions more carefully.  Okay, I should have READ the directions. It appears that I've not cut things right, and  I've used up all that polka dot lining fabric.  Good thing I have a few more towels ready to embroider while I try to decide on another fabric.

Inexpensive Way to Keep the Sewing Machine Pedal Foot From Sliding

As I sew, the foot pedals slowly slide farther and farther back until I'm forced to go crawling under the tables to retrieve them.  Consequently, I've been lusting after what the Keepsake Quilting catalog calls the "Pedal Betty" forever.  The catalog price on that sweet little device to solve my problem, however, is $27.99 to $37.99 depending on size. 

While staring at this remnant of Grip Stop fabric I bought at Joann's,

I decided to try a much less expensive solution that worked out really well!   I sewed two squares of the fabric of the size I wanted wrong sides together, flipped so that the grippy dots would be on the outside, and top stitched around the edges.


These are the serger and embroidery machine pedals



and these are for the two sewing machines

 Joann's charges way too much for the fabric IMHO, but coupons and/or remnants bring that down.  I paid about $4 for the piece I got and have quite a bit left over for other projects.

Also happening in the sewing room:  I'm trying a new configuration for the sewing machines.  The sewing tables are now back-to-back away from the wall rather than against the wall individually.  The thought is that I will be able to put the serger and the embroidery machine on the floor for extra space when machine quilting.  The back table should provide support for the heavy fabric as I'm sewing. Well, that's the plan. We shall see how that works out!

Yes, that is fabric stored under the table.  I really have to stop buying fabric.

This furniture moving does count as housework, right?

Made the Noodlehead Sidekick Tote

This is a great pattern!  The instructions are well-written and easy to follow.  I will admit I chose a boring color--again. 

The photo above, however, makes it look old and worn out already.  It looks much better in person--a nice chocolate brown.  The lining has some color, though.

My flap pocket has a snap because I'm still in my snap obsession phase (or should I say craze).

The recessed zipper instructions were so clear even I couldn't mess them up. 

I pretty much stuck to the pattern.  Yeah, I can't believe it either. I only made a few tiny changes.  First, I used a medium-weight canvas material instead of the interfaced cottons and linens the pattern shows.  Then, I didn't make the strap adjustable.  I convinced myself I didn't need it, but I may regret that later.   When I'm getting close to the end of a project these things happen. 

For some reason, my bag came out an inch narrower and almost two inches shorter than the size listed on the pattern. This problem with getting the sizing right happens to me way too often.   I even used a little metal piece with different seam measures on it to make sure I was using the 3/8" allowance.    Must get new glasses.

Quick Look at the New Quilt Top

Remember this hand embroidered square I showed in this post?

design from Lecien site

  It was supposed to become a baby quilt, 

 

but it grew and grew

 Into a twin size.

I decided it would look nice in what will be the pale yellow bedroom when Kiefer moves out in a few months.

Now, onto the quilting.   I'm going to do this one by machine.

My Favorite Hand Quilting Notions

I often find new sewing products by reading blogs. I'm not talking about the paid reviews, just the "here's what I use" posts.  Just in case I'm not the last remaining hand quilter, I thought I'd share a few things that make my hand quilting easier.

First, a new one I stumbled upon at the fabric store, the Protect and Grip thimble from Clover. 

 

 It is grossly over-priced for what it is, but  since only Clover is making them, they can charge whatever they want!  I got this from Overstock.com. for $7.99--cheapest place I could find one including the local store.  Overstock has a lot of sewing items and no shipping charge. 

Why is this thimble so great?  The rubber keeps it from falling off your finger and the metal tip has that great rim that helps push the needle through tough spots. This turned out to be worth the extra money.  Added bonus:  freaking cute!

That thimble still won't replace these plain, old rubber finger tips that I've been using for years for hand quilting. This goes on the top hand to help pull the thread through. the thimble is on the bottom hand, right?

Please don't buy these at any specialty sewing stores.  You can get them at the office supply store for so much less--$2.49 for a twelve pack at Staples.  They stay on and make pulling the need through so much easier.

Next are these flat-head pins from Fons and Porter . 

I held off on buying these because I thought I pin was a pin.  I was wrong.  I bought some because I read that the flat head caused less distortion when piecing.  That really does help, but the super thinness of the metal part of the F & P pins also greatly lessens the distortion.  Another plus is that they come in the pretty tin WITH a window to see what's in there.

This one is also from Fons and Porter, curved safety pins for holding the fabrics and batting together. 

I'm not convinced that this brand is necessarily better than any other curved pin.  It's the curve in the pin that's worth paying a little extra.  These pins are easier to put on and create less fabric distortion than regular safety pins.  I've never been a fan of using straight pins for this purpose.  Straight pins are  either snagging fabric or pricking my fingers. 

The F & P pins are good quality, and I love the nice box with a window--decorative,  convenient, and matches those straight pins mentioned above.  Gotta make the sewing room look pretty.

Miss Angelica and the Bibs

This is Keegan's step-granddaughter.  I finished up bibs with the left-over fabric from the blankets just before she arrived for the 4th.  These are the baby bibs for the soon to arrive Arabella.  I used the free pattern from http://www.poopockets.com/free/bibs/bibs.htm.

These are Angelica's bunnies in matching bibs.  I just reduced the free bib pattern by 50% to make bunny bibs.  The neck is just a bit tight for the Baby Binky Bunnies.  Next time, I would reduce the pattern just a little less.

We had a perfect day for celebrating Independence Day, 90 degrees and next to the pool.

Keegan and Angelica

My son, Kiefer and Keegan's partner, Pep

My lovely husband, Brian. 

Angelica with her dad and mom, David and Keita.

Oh, yeah.  That baby is coming soon.

Angelica's Uncle Carre

 Hope all my American readers had a spectacular, fireworks-filled Independence Day!