Progress - Drop Everything Day 11

My journal says that I have been pretty consistent at working on something every day. Some days I sew for 2 hours, other days, I read patterns for 20 minutes. My challenge, my rules, so it all counts!

I received the pattern for the February bag for the Bag of the Month club. It is called the Window Shopper Tote, and it is huge! I expect it will make a great travel bag. You can see samples of it here.

Meanwhile, I am making progress on my January bag.

The outer shell of the bag is finished. Like a recipe I have never done before, I am following the instructions pretty much as given.  Looking at it, I see things I would change if I ever make it again. I think I would make it a bit smaller, to begin with. The bag is much larger then my usual purse. However, there is room for my knitting project bag along with my usual stuff.

The outer pockets don't sit quite the way I would like. I think if I do it again, I would add some fleece to the outer pocket. The pattern calls for just one layer of interfacing. Since the outer pockets have magnetic snaps, I think a stiffer pocket would be more to my liking. I also think I would skip the back pocket (which is the same as the front) and put in a zippered pocket at the back, for my keys and phone.

Finally, I think I would replace the twist lock with an inset zipper.

While the twist lock looks fabulous, very professional, it is really hard to install, requiring assistance from the resident brawn, as well as a punch to make the holes. It looks lovely and shiny, now that it is in. You can see the camera reflected in the plate around it.




Next up is a zippered pocket in the lining.

My initial plan was to use the purple zipper (of course), but I am going to line the pocket in hot pink, so I am thinking the blue might be better.

The white, which goes with both fabrics will just be lost, I think. Although, looking at the picture, maybe it is the right choice.



In my spare time, I have been continuing work on my lace socks.  The heel is turned, and the foot is nearly half done.

I used an "Eye of Partridge" heel, and I think it suits the sock, nicely. The yarn is a bright white, with a sparkle in it, but I took the picture late last night, so it looks ecru.

Hint of the Week (thanks, Michelle): My machine started making a loud clunking noise, so I cleaned under the bobbin. Now it is nice and quiet, again. When was the last time you cleaned the lint out of the bobbin area?