FO: Stonecrop Tote #SomethingOldSomethingNewMAL

We are jumping around in making order with this post. This is actually something that I just recently finished (whaaat?). The deadline for this project is June 7th, so I wanted to have all the particulars posted by then.

I love make alongs - it's rare that I can join them due to usually having a deadline I need to finish certain projects by, etc. Every once in a while one comes along at the right time and I am able to jump in and I find it's like inspiration and motivation just flow. Love it.

This project came about due from the Something Old, Something New Make Along hosted by Tayler Earl of Wool Needles Hands. In honor of Earth Day being last month, she wanted this to be about repurposing and using what we have - both things I love to do. The prompt was:

• Not a garment or wearable accessory
• Made with stash yarn
• Incorporate something repurposed (i.e. yarn from an unraveled sweater, etc)
• 1 month to complete

I love a challenge and a precise framework, and it just so happens that I had a great idea. I had learned about the Stonecrop Tote from a different podcaster, The Copycat Stitch (can you tell I like watching knitting podcasts? lol). It looked very cute so I had it on my wish list already, but having a challenge come up that was mainly about making bags made me look at it closer. I used Ravelry to hunt my stash for appropriate yarn and came up with 2 skeins of James C. Brett Marble Chunky in the purple colorway. This yarn had been given to me by a woman who was destashing her sewing supplies to me, but she tried knitting once and decided she didn't like it. So she gave me a big handmade duffle bag with about 5 skeins of bulky and super bulky yarns. I so rarely use yarn that big that I had no idea what I would do with these gigantic skeins, so when I saw that they would work for this pattern I knew it was meant to be. 

I did make some alterations to this pattern on the fly. It has you create the bottom and then just crochet in the round up from there, but when I made the prescribed bottom piece I knew the bag would be much smaller than I was wanting from the example photo. I am a notoriously tight crocheter - I make toys, after all - so I don't fault the pattern for this size discrepancy. I decided to just increase the bottom until it had 11 stitches between each short corner and then follow the directions from there. As the bag got taller, the sides seemed to splay out more than I wanted, so I did a decrease at each corner about 5 inches up from the bottom, then kept on going. Toward the top, I noticed it was still a little too wide open, so I decreased 4 stitches again about 5 rows from the top edge, and this certainly seemed to do the trick. My repurposed element would take care of the handles, so I just crocheted this baby until I used up all the yarn, which is great because now a yarn that I had no idea what to do with is not taking up room in my stash and it is a useful item. Perfect :)

Now for the repurposed part. I had planned on using some of the creamy colored leather pieces that I scalped off a couch that was in the trash at a condo I lived in years ago. I've used it here and there for a few handles, but barely made a dent in the stash. Perfect opportunity to use some more! BUT when I pulled out my box of leather, I discovered several belts that I forgot I had thrifted at some point. I had 2 other options, but I decided to go with a brown belt (originally from The Limited). I unpicked the seaming to hold the buckle on, gauged how big I could make the handles, and cut. I rounded the exposed edges and then used a heavy duty upholstery thread in my stash and started off just using the old stitching lines from the buckle and then matched that by hand on the other ends to attach it to the bag. Because of the size I wanted the handles to be, I decided to just incorporate some of the original belt holes on one side, and honestly I really like this as a feature now. It's a nice little nod to what this originally was. 

Once the handle was on, I could have just stopped and had a useable bag. Being me, I couldn't just let it lie. I didn't want to the bag to stretch out over time, and I knew a lining would greatly help with that situation. I went through my stash of fabric that was given to me (by a different person), and after much deliberation, I decided on a dark paisley print cotton. I was feeling a little of the ~dark academia~ vibe from the bag in general, so I felt that this print complimented that idea. 

To make the lining, I laid the bag out on the fabric and cut around (accounting for seam allowance). Then I cut out a pocket. I sewed the pocket first, then top stitched it to the lining, then put the lining together. Next, I wanted to add a magnetic closure to the top. I was given a lot of these as well, so why not? I added the closure to the lining, interfacing the area where the tabs to secure the closure. I did have to add some tucks in the fabric to account for my decreasing as the bag got taller, but I just did that as I hand stitched the lining below the top edge. 

So this is truly the most repurposed project I could muster - all the materials were pre-owned, most of which were destashed to me. The only thing I bought was the belt YEARS ago, and that was only $1. I'm pretty ridiculously proud of that. I could have gone a step further and used an old sweater worth of yarn, but realistically with my schedule and how crazy my life has been, I know I would not have been able to make that happen in the 1 month time period. I'm very happy with my new bag :) So much so that I've been carrying it to work everyday since I finished it. It works great to carry my lunch, my knitting, a book, etc. I was worried maybe the handles would need reinforcing, but they've held up great. The bag gets a little lumpy sometimes, but that's just the nature of anything crocheted or knitted, you know? It holds everything I need and it contributes to my general librarian-esque aesthetic. What's not to love?

I'm so glad that I found out about this Make Along. I had a lot of fun puzzling out this project and just as much fun making it up. Now I have a bag to use that I'm sure I would never have made otherwise. Thanks to Taylor of Wool Needles Hands for such a great prompt and excuse to make this up!

Summary:

Yarn: 2 Skeins of James C Brett Marble in Purple - Free

Fabric: 1/2 yard paisley cotton - Free

Notions: Leather belt (thrifted) - $1.00, magnetic purse closure - Free

Time: 1 week

Total Cost: $1.00

FO: The Best Knitting Bag

I follow a lot of knitters around the blogosphere and instagram, and when you see into a lot of knitter's home worlds you start to notice a few trends. I started seeing these very simple but very sturdy looking knitting bags pop up here and there months ago, and as time has passed it now seems that everyone has one of these bags. Everyone! I am talking about the one and only Field Bag by Fringe Supply Co. These are just awesome bags. They are made of canvas with a leather strap, they have pockets with grommets to help with multi colored knitting projects, they stand up on their own, and they are perfectly plain and ready for personalized embellishment. Everyone I see on Instagram with one of these bags has at least a few enamel pins on it - because why not? It's the perfect canvas. Oh right ... and they cost $65 each. Ouch. Now I know I'm cheap (I tout that here all the time), but $65? Do you know how much lovely yarn that could buy? I will say I appreciate that the bags are US made with sustainable materials, etc, so if you like these bags and like what the company represents, they are worth investing in. But if you are able to sew (which I am), then it just seems exorbitant to spend $65 on a knitting bag. Somewhere along the line I got it into my head to make one for myself - I've been planning it for a few months, but with Christmas gift making and then moving it just wasn't something I could get going ... until now! Meet my Faux Field Bag :)

I will confess - this is a blatant copy in most ways. I went to the Fringe website to get the finished dimensions, then drew out a diagram and added seam allowances. The bag's shape is not complicated, which is part of the allure to be honest, but it also made this very easy to draft. The bag is a basic box bottom with side seams. I wanted to make my bag out of this thrifted white denim because 1) I have a ton of it (4.75 yards for $2 - boo yah!) and 2) it would be the perfect way to show my pins. I lined mine with Pellon 40 (heavy sew in interfacing - great for bags) as well as a quilting cotton lining (I used two matching fat quarters), so the bag is opaque outside. I used the white denim for the inner pockets as well - two layers of denim with Pellon 40 between.

The inside is really cool - I wanted the lining to be light but still interesting as I didn't have any muslin on hand to totally copy the inspiration bag. I went with this neat medieval toile print - I bought two fat quarters in January at The Sewing Studio sale, and I liked how they looked for this project. Both of my cuts did not say the name of the fabric - anyone know? It's really neat with castles and a fully armored knight on horseback and a lady about to kiss a dude on a rock. It has a natural colored background with gray lines. Subtle but interesting. I like that it is light enough to really see inside the bag, which is what I was going for.

For the pocket, I totally copied Fringe. I made one as wide as the bag and tall enough to hold a folded pattern. I also added 3 grommets across the top to help with knitting color work should I choose to do that.

The opposite side has a pocket piece of the same size but that is sewn into sections - one larger on for smaller notions with 3 wide enough for a pen of knitting needles.

Another thing I blatantly copied was the handle, and this is something I've been planning since the idea first struck me. Months and months ago (probably 9 months or so), I rescued almost an entire couch worth of beige leather from the garbage at my condo. It's been sitting around all this time with no real use yet, so I'm super thrilled to have used a piece, even if it is incredibly small. I used a 1.5" wide strip and angled it down like the Field bag, making it wide enough for my hand to slide in as shown on their site. Since the leather was already beige, I just left this piece as it came, but it's pretty awesome to have so much of such a light (read: dye-able) color. This is my first time ever sewing with leather, and it seriously took no extra anything to do, which was surprising. I just stuck it in the seam and sewed. Granted I was already using a heavy top stitching needle because of the bulk of the other fabrics, but even so I was amazed it went in like a champ.

The drawstring casing was a last minute change. At first I had cut the bag with extra at the top to accommodate folding it over and making a casing, but when I went to sew that step I didn't like that the lining might easily be visible when the bag was closed. I wound up cutting off the extra 3" I had added and sewing the bag together where the outer and lining meet and flipping it right side out. I then used that piece I cut off as a binding, folding the ends in and top stitching (for the opening for the cord), then stitching it right side to the lining, then folding it to the outside and top stitching all around. This worked out great and I'm so happy with the finish - nice and clean everywhere and the lining doesn't show at all when the bag is closed.

Can you tell how thrilled I am with this bag? The day after finishing it, I carried it everywhere, and I have not stopped since :) There are a few decided differences between my bag and the Field Bag - mine does not have the raised seam down the center, nor does it have top stitching in all the corners. My bag also could use a slightly heavier bottom, which the Field bag claims. I've found that these really are not total necessities though, and my bag keeps its shape just fine. I'm planning a few changes for my next one (I bought some amazing Rifle Paper linen canvas for a fancy bag on New Year's), but they are small:

• make the bottom one or two layers thicker
• try top stitching the lining to the outside corners to reinforce the shape
• double up the leather for the handle, making it tanned on both sides and thicker
• make drawstring casing open on both sides with cords going through in each direction
• make inner pockets taller (my pens don't like to stay put)

That's all I can think of at the moment, but maybe I'll want to make a few more small changes. Honestly nothing big, as you can see. I intended for this bag to be a first draft for the fancy fabric, but I seriously love this thing just as it is. This really is a "portable yarn bowl", and coming from always just using random cosmetics bags I liked and whatnot, this is an amazing change. I may not want to use my other bags anymore - this is the only bag I need :) I will probably just make a bunch of them, lol. So I'm grateful to Fringe Supply Co for designing such a practical knitting bag, and I'm even more grateful I was able to make one for myself that was decidedly less expensive.

Summary:

Fabric: 1/2 yard white denim (thrifted) - $0.25, 2 fat quarters - $2.00

Pattern: Self drafted after Field Bag by Fringe Supply Co

Notions: 3 grommets - $0.70, 1/2 yard Pellon 40 interfacing - $1.00, white thread - $0.25, leather handle - free (repurposed), white cording - $0.25

Time: 3 hours

Total Cost: $4.45

Christmas FO: The Lego Bag

A few weeks before Christmas, my sister mentioned how my nephew, Luke, had seen a video of one of those Lego bags where you lay them out to play and then cinch them up to put everything away, and that he thought they were really cool and could I make him one? Most definitely! I didn't really know what to make him this year - my little buddy is getting older (he's 5) and he's more and more into electronics and speakers, not really things I can make easily. So I jumped at the chance to make something that he would use and think was cool. So I made this to go along with his Sarah and Duck softies.

I started with a 3/4 yard remnant of gray rip stop nylon fabric. I picked this remnant up in one of their additional 75% off remnants sales, so I don't remember how much it was but I know it was really cheap. Cheap enough for me to buy it with no idea what I would use it for. As soon as my sister asked me about the bag, I knew this would be the perfect fabric to use.

To make the base, I folded the fabric in half, then folded each half in half twice. This gave me a square that I used as my size indicator - I drew a wedge shape on that square of the folded fabric, making sure the wedge was one quarter of a perfect circle (meaning every place on the line was equidistant from the center point) and cut it out. These unfolded to become the base pieces of the bag :) Technically you could use just one circle, but my fabric was more sheer than I like so I wanted to line it. Two circles made this easier as far as enclosing the edges too, so I definitely recommend just cutting two pieces. Next I cut out 2.25" wide bias tape from a lime green broadcloth I had on hand, folded the bias tape in half, and sewed it to the edge of one of the circles. I made sure to fold the edge of the bias tape under at the opening for the cord (so it was finished nicely outside). Then I sandwiched the bias tape between both circles and stitched all the way around, leaving an opening to turn it all right-side out. I pressed it flat once it was turned, then closed up the gap with my machine (my nephew will not care that there is a single line of stitching a few inches long - he probably with never notice it). That was it!

Next I threaded the cording around the entire circumference of the bag, giving it enough cord to lay completely flat plus about 7" on each side to tie off and pull closed with. I threaded both ends through a white cord stop I picked up at Hobby Lobby, then knotted both ends together... And it was done! Quick and simple - gotta love it.

The finished bag ended up being about 2 feet  in diameter when laid out flat - plenty big enough to fit his other gifts inside :) To close the bag, you just slide the bias tape along the cord and slide the cord stop down to secure it. It's so easy even my 5 year old nephew can do it. I embellished the bag with enamel Pikachu and Pokeball pins (which I ordered from China on ebay - so cheap, guys). I just thought he would like them, and they jazz up the bag a bit. Now Luke can play with whatever random toys he wants and just close this bag to make sure he still has all the pieces when he's done.

Summary:
Fabric: 3/4 yard remnant of gray rip stop nylon, 1/4 yard of lime green cotton broadcloth
Pattern: self drafted circle with bias binding
Notions: 2 yards 1/4" cotton cording, white cord stopper, thread
Time: 1.5 hours

Christmas FO: Stripe Stricken Bag

So you've seen the first bag I made from this pattern - the simple version, lol - now let's look at this version - the full she-bang. This time in stripes! 

When I told my other sister, Marisa, about my plan to make her a bag for Christmas, she said she wanted it to have clear compartments so she can see what's inside and she wanted it pretty simple. Not knowing what she meant by simple, we face timed and I showed her my Trello board that has my fabric stash so she could pick from there. After joking that I would make the bag out of her most hated fabric - a cotton poplin printed to look like medium wash denim that inexplicably has whole apples, half eaten apples, and chewed apple cores on it that I ended up with in a thrift store lot (she judged me pretty hard for having that one, lol) - she settled on one of the most boring fabrics I had in the category I was showing her: a black and white stripe cotton. Really? I was showing her all kinds of pretty florals and novelty prints, most from fancy quilting brands like Michael Miller and Alexander Henry, and she picks something this plain? She also said that if I added any color that it should be plain navy blue ... ok ... After reminding myself that she can have what she wants since it's her gift, I figured out a way to make the bag still interesting by playing with the stripe directions, so at least it feels a bit fancier than something you'd get in any old store. Anyway, let's see how this bag is different from the Mix Tape bag, shall we?

For this bag I used the entire pattern - the outer bag and the pocket pages. The pattern includes 4 different pocket options. I went with 4 of option A - all vinyl and all with zippers. But more about that below - let's keep looking, lol.

Inside the covers of the bag has the only navy blue - mesh pockets. Funny story - I knew I wanted mesh for this bag, and certainly mesh isn't expensive from various fabric and bag suppliers online, but shipping costs more than the piece of fabric itself and I just couldn't feel ok with that. That's when I thought of mesh laundry bags! I went to the Dollar Tree expecting to find at least a mesh washing bag or something with white mesh, but I discovered that they actually sell pop up mesh laundry hampers :) And they even had a navy blue one :) So I got an entire hamper worth of mesh for $1 - Ho yeah, I'm cheap, lol. But this mesh worked just fine. I made one side with an open topped pocket - this pocket is capped with the striped fabric.

The other side cover has the navy blue mesh, but this time I pleated the fabric to accommodate thicker items and this side has a zipper. I put the zipper as well as the top of the other side pocket so that they are up when the bag handle is up (if that makes sense), so this zipper looks like it might be on the bottom of the pocket in this photo, but it is correctly positioned when the bag is closed.

Another added touch to this bag is that I added velcro to the center pocket area to attach the pocket pages - which are completely removeable (how cool is that?). This is 2 strips of 3/4" wide velcro stitched side by side. I also made sure to play with the stripe directions inside this area - so the stripes that cover the seam allowances here are perpendicular to the stripes on the bag.

Also this time I made the stabilizer pocket fully functional :) On the other bag I accidentally sewed this pocket closed - after all the work sewing in velcro and whatnot. This time I made sure that didn't happen, especially because this may need to be washed since it will be carrying makeup. I used the same hard cardboard canvas that I used in the previous bag - 2 pieces stacked - so the handle stays nice and straight when you hold the bag.

So here you can see that striped top of the side pocket - I made sure to pattern match with the stripes underneath, so this pocket edge kind of blends in.

And the zipper pocket. You can see the pleats better here too.

I played around with thread color on this bag too. For the outside, I did all the top stitching in black, but on the inside pocket pages I did everything in white because it blended in better. Here is a close up of the zipper and handle area. It's not perfect when you look close, but I'm still pretty proud of how it turned out.

I love all the stripe directions around the handle :) I had to break it all up somehow, right? How else can you make a plain stripe fabric interesting? I'm particularly happy with the bias binding. I think it really sets off the rest of the bag.

Also this bag sits much better when closed since it has the pocket pages inside. Basically the pocket pages keep the entire area filled even if there isn't a lot of stuff inside, so the bag keeps its shape better.

And now to the pocket pages! I tried to keep the multi directional stripes going here too with the center area binding (p.s. that piece was improvised by me, lol, not part of the pattern) and the bias binding. This pocket page is what made me question my sanity in starting this project.

The pocket page has 4 zipper pockets in vinyl. The vinyl is pleated so you can put thicker items inside without a lot of distortion. Add the thick vinyl to the fact that it is then pleated, than add the fact that I am sewing through zipper tape as well as zippers that have thick plastic teeth that are technically not supposed to be sewn over on a machine, and you end up with a lot of broken needles. Like a lot. I think I broke 7 or 8 needles on this project. Craziness! I was so frustrated making these pages I actually had to set it aside for a week and muster up more mental strength. I switched to a heavier needle (thicker than I would usually use on a cotton like this but I can't remember the number), and then I only broke 1 more needle, so that's progress, right? I also had to contend with the fact that my pockets somehow were not the same size once the zippers were sewn. I pleated them all identically, so it had to be something with the zippers. Also I would not be making any additional pocket pages (thank heaven), so the velcro would not be sewn in the center to cover the pocket edges like the pattern indicates (seriously - you don't need infinite pockets and to put the velcro on each page is a waste of velcro in my opinion). So I decided to make a band to cover this area. Once I had every pocket top stitched to the base, I measured how wide my band would need to be, added seam allowances (which were folded under before top stitching this piece on) and went on my way. I decided to use this opportunity to change the stripe direction once more, so this band is perpendicular. Now you can't tell that my pockets weren't the same size :) Problem solved!

This is what the back of the pocket page looks like. I was worried it would look super messy with all the top stitching on the edges of the fabric, but happily that all stayed within the velcro so it's completely hidden :) This is also 2 strips of 3/4" wide velcro - I used the soft, non-grab-everything-kind so it wouldn't pick at the fabric. I seriously love the bias binding! Are you tired of hearing me say that yet, lol?

My final touch to this bag was a bit tongue in cheek. My husband had the idea to add a bit of the apple core fabric since Marisa was so offended by it, lol, plus she calls everyone a bitch when they disagree with her, so I made a patch :) I fussy cut a very offensive already-bit-into apple piece, backed it with a heavy sew on interfacing (Pellon 40), and overcast the edges all the way around. I also used my machine to embroider a little message for her, lol. (For the record if this were for anyone else I would never have made such a thing, but this is my sister who requested the humping deer hat, so she was certainly fine with it). I was kind and just pinned the patch inside the back of the pocket page, so she can remove it if she so chooses.

And that's the stripe stricken bag :) This was a lot of work, but again everyone was amazed at the factory like finish. I'm very glad I had the Craftsy class to make this one with - particularly when I ran into problems with the pocket page. Now that I've done all this work and made a few of these, I want one for myself! I'm not sure yet what I want to put in it, but rest assured I will make one, lol. I've even had other family members request these for birthdays, so I'm sure there will be more in my future. This turned out to be a very useful pattern and a fun challenge, so I would definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in bag making!

Summary:
Fabric: 2.5 yards black and white stripe polished cotton (thrifted), navy blue nylon mesh (from laundry hamper, lol)
Pattern: Everything In Its Place Organizer by Annie Unrein (from Craftsy's Sew Sturdy: Travel Organizers Class)
Notions: Bosal In-R-Form fusible foam interfacing, clear 12 gauge vinyl, 6 pieces of zipper by the yard in white, thread, heavy card stabilizer sleeve
Time: 15 hours

Christmas FO: Mix Tape Bag

So we've finished my many year end round ups, but I can't quite let 2017 lie yet. I still have to blog the items I made as Christmas gifts :) I'm going to blog them in chronological order of when I made them, so let's start with this cute bag!

When it came time to decide what to make as gifts for my family this past Christmas, I'm honestly not sure what put this pattern into my head. I've had the Sew Sturdy: Travel Organizers Craftsy class for quite a while, but I had never watched it let alone made a bag. When planning for Christmas, I decided that it would be a nice gift to give, but knowing it would be a fairly involved project I decided to tell my two recipients my plans as see what customizations they might want - if I'm going to put that much work into a project, I want to make sure it will be something they will enjoy. I presented my sister, Shannon, with the idea of making a bag to hold all of her cross stitching supplies. Cross stitching is her one old lady habit :) She said she liked that idea, and that she would want it to hold patterns, 2 thread boxes, and maybe her little zipper bag of notions. She wanted the fabric to be a surprise. She said, "It can be fun, but not too crazy," which I interpreted as what I've made. So let's take a look at the bag!

The bag is called the Everything In Its Place Organizer Bag by Annie Unrein. I believe you can buy the individual pattern from byannie.com, but it also comes as a pdf download with the Craftsy class. The bag is a suitcase style zip open organizer that measures about 14" x 11" and 4" deep (if I remember correctly - I forgot to measure them and the pattern doesn't say). The pattern includes making this bag as well as making pocket pages - which I did not need for Shannon, but I did end up making for my other sister, Marisa. Check back soon for a post on that bag. The bag I made for Shannon just has pockets along the inside covers of the bag.

The bag has great structure and stands up easily by itself - the bag is empty in these photos - and this is due to the foam stabilizer. The pattern recommends Soft and Stable, which is a By Annie's product (who teaches the class), but I had Bosal In-R-Form fusible stabilizer on hand which Sara from Sew Sweetness says is a good substitute in her patterns, so I went with that. For Shannon's bag, I thought she might like this cassette tape print from the Geekly Chic quilting cotton line. I had 2 fat quarters I grabbed at some point, so I did not have enough for the entire bag. I actually am really glad I had to pick coordinating fabrics, but it did make gauging how much fabric I needed a challenge since not only was I using more fabrics than the pattern is written for but I also wasn't making the pocket pages which use a lot of fabric, nor was I quilting the bag which also takes extra fabric that you trim away. When all was said and done, I used:

•  2 fat quarters for the main panels and the handle (using the scraps for little pieces like the extra inside pocket and the pocket trim)
• 1/2 yard black and white houndstooth quilting cotton from Hobby Lobby
• 1/3 yard of the acid green atomic print quilting cotton (from my stash)
• 1/2 yard of purple broadcloth for bias binding
• 1/2 yard of Bosal In-R-Form fusible 
• 1/4 yard of clear 12 gauge vinyl from Hobby Lobby

The zipper was a seriously lucky thrift store find. I grabbed a bag with 15 yards of zipper tape and a box full of zipper pulls for something like $2 a few months ago not knowing what I would use it for. Technically this is the wrong type of zipper - this is a sport style with thick plastic teeth and Annie recommends a handbag or dressmaker's zipper because you can sew through the teeth of those while the one I used is technically too big. I made it work, but it was a challenge and I broke a few needles in the process. Doesn't it look good though? I threaded the pulls on at opposite ends to get the double opening zipper. Since I had no instructions, I had to watch a you tube video, but I figured it out thankfully.

The insides have just a couple of pockets. I made one vinyl pocket following the video's instructions and I used the cassette tape fabric for the trim (basically I was trying to use that anywhere I could). I changed the pattern and made the fabric pocket on the other side myself. I used two rectangles of the green fabric, one with Pellon SF101 interfacing fused to it - sew them together along one long side - press them right side out. I had some decent size rectangles of the cassette print, so I made a smaller pocket the same way (interfacing one side) but sewing it completely around and flipping it before top stitching it to the larger pocket. Totally easy change to make. I didn't think Shannon would need the mesh pockets the pattern suggests, nor would she need a zippered pocket since all she wants to use them for are paper patterns and books.

As you can see the pockets are the perfect size for patterns :) I hope she can easily fit all hers inside.

The height of the bag turned out to be perfect for 2 boxes of thread plus there is a nice little area around them to add a notions bag.

This is the bag closed with the boxes still inside - perfect! She could even add the thickness of some patterns and it would still close just fine.

I did have one little snafoo with sewing the stabilizer sleeve at the top of the bag. This area is technically a pocket - you sew it with velcro at the top edge to keep it closed and once the bag is sewn you add a piece of heavy cardboard or something to keep the bag from "pooching" when you use the handle. Everything was fine until I was sewing the binding to enclose the seam allowance at the zipper edges. I forgot about the pocket and sewed right through its top edge :/ There were so many lines of stitching in that line from the velcro and everything that I had no idea which thread to snip if I was to rip it out, so I just went with it. I used 2 pieces of flat cardboard panting canvas cut to measure and slide them in at the side, then basted the edges closed. I sewed the rest of the bag together with this hard stuff in there already, which definitely made things trickier to get my machine around, but it worked out ok. I figure that a cross stitch supplies bag will probably not need to be washed in the machine, so it will be fine. And it looks so nice inside with that binding :)

I did have one other (more) unfortunate incident. When trimming the bias binding after getting it completely sewn around the bag (both passes), I snipped a hole in my binding :O I was not happy. This bag was completely finished at that point and had to sit in my room for over a week until I finally buckled down to cover it up. The only thing I could do was cover it with a small piece of binding and I hand sewed it with a ladder stitch to try and keep it less visible. I don't think it would be noticeable if you didn't know it was there.

So that's the particulars of this bag :) Frankly I would've kept it for myself, lol, but it was Christmas so... Shannon got lucky. This was a very involved project - from watching the class to gathering the supplies to sewing - but it was a very rewarding one because the finished bag looks so professional. My whole family kept commenting on how it looked factory made (to which I said, "How dare you question my skills.")

I definitely liked this Craftsy class to make this with as it made the entire process much easier. Frankly, that pattern was very complicated without the video class to explain. I guess it's because I haven't made a lot of bags, but since this technically has no pattern pieces (just instructions on what size rectangles to cut), it got pretty confusing given the changes I made with fabric types and whatnot - the class made the pattern much more understandable. Plus Annie gives a lot of extra tips and explanations as to why you should do things a certain way, which is always nice. I'm glad to have given this pattern a try and to have a nice and custom gift for Shannon this year. I think I fulfilled the prompt of "fun but not too crazy," and it fulfills needs she has in a bag. She says she likes it, so let's hope she's telling the truth, ha ha.

If you like this bag, check bag in a few days for my second bag I made from this pattern where I made the entire pattern with the insert :)

Summary:
Fabric: 2 fat quarters of Geekly Chic by Amy Adams, 1/2 yard purple broadcloth, 1/2 yard black and white Hounds tooth, 1/3 yard acid green atomic print cotton
Pattern: Everything In Its Place Organizer by Annie Unrein (from Craftsy's Sew Sturdy: Travel Organizers Class)
Notions: Bosal In-R-Form fusible foam interfacing, Pellon SF101 fusible interfacing, 38" of zipper by the yarn in white, thread, heavy card stabilizer sleeve, soft velcro
Time: 8 hours

Christmas FO: Sand Free Beach Bag

As Christmas drew nearer, I was becoming concerned that I hadn't figured out what to give my in-laws yet. They aren't really the cute animal type and I haven't the faintest if they would use a knitted item. They are very big beach goers though, and my husband threw out the idea of making a beach bag for my mother-in-law. Immediately I remembered a bag I'd seen on pinterest or somewhere that someone had made using pool screening. I liked the idea - that the screen would hold your stuff in but filter out the sand - but I wanted the bag to be prettier than just a mesh bag. So I married the idea with a traditional beach bag and came up with this: 

I decided to make a nice bag, but to replace the bottom pieces with screen. This way the bag is still aesthetically pleasing yet functional in a special way. I really love how it turned out!

I started out with 1 yard of a home decor weight fabric I picked up at a thrift store. It was brand new with a tag still on it from where the previous owner bought it at Walmart, lol. I then thought of Simplicity 1905 as a cute bag pattern I'd always wanted to try (oop now, also picked up at a thrift store). I really love the styling on the Lisette patterns, don't you? I find I want to make them more than the regular patterns. I decided to make View B which has a gathered bottom and front pocket, but no big bow. For the contrast I grabbed another thrifted fabric from my stash - a fairly light weight white poly cotton - and I picked up a length of screen from some scraps my parents had saved for patching their screen.

Sewing the screen on was one of the final steps with making this bag, and it went really well when I used my teflon foot. I had no problems with it sticking or pulling the fabric in any odd way. Smooth as butter! I was slightly worried that the stitches wouldn't hold the screen on well, but I shouldn't have worried. It all went together wonderfully.

So the bottom is now completely sheer. The idea is that you can put all your stuff in the bag while you're at the beach, then give it a shake before going into your car so you aren't stuck with sand in places you don't want it to be. I always hate that everything I bring back to the car from the beach gets the car filled with sand, so hopefully this prevents that happening.

I followed the directions for the pattern with some small changes. I left off a really deep side pocket (frankly I didn't want to puzzle it out, lol). I also made the bag's lining as directed, just without sewing its bottom on. The pattern has you make a full outside bag and a full lining, but I didn't want multiple layers on the bottom to affect the straining of the screen, so I just sewed the lining and the outer fabric to the screen as one piece. To keep the insides neat, I bound the bottom seam with pre-made red bias binding. Worked like a charm! I did include the smaller pockets inside and I like the size of them - perfect for your phone and glasses or other things you don't want just floating around in the bag.

The outside of the bag has a small pocket too, and I made a small change there. The pattern has you add a contrasting strip to the top of the pocket piece, but when I tried going by the directions I couldn't figure it out so I just left it off. I did add the little loop and button though because I think they look cute. The button was a one-of that I got in my vintage button salesman kit a friend gave me a few years ago. I love the color combo - it feels more classy beachy to me than a big plastic one would have.

In the end I really love this bag. I think it was a cute idea that really played out much better than it might have, lol. I didn't add any interfacing to the bag so it's perfect to fold down and carry with. My mother-in-law particularly mentioned how she liked that it could fold so well :) I hope she gets a lot of use out of it, and now I fully plan to make one of these for myself in the future!

Summary: 
Fabric: 1 yard light canvas with red and white floral print - $0.50 (thrifted), 1/2 yard white poly cotton - $0.25 (thrifted), pool screen scraps - free
Pattern: Simplicity 1905 - $1.00
Notions: thread - stash, premade bias tape - $1.00, button - stash
Hours: 4
Total Cost: $2.75