Inner Circle Finished!

 I started this bag in March of 2020. It got put aside and forgotten until my latest tidy binge. Now it is finished.

As you can see, the sun is shining today (after more snow yesterday) so I grabbed the opportunity to take pictures in the sunshine, though not outdoors since it is +4C. 

This bag has no hardware to speak of. It has a bag zipper at the top and a dress zipper on the interior pocket.

Of course, it also has the surprise kitties! It has a large slip pocket so I added a magnetic snap to the pocket to help it stay closed.

I also added my favourite add on, a key keeper, into the edge of the slip pocket. It keeps your keys in easy reach, instead of having them disappear in the bottom.

 The bag is kind of an oversized clutch, the right size for taking a few things on an outing. 

While I was tidying after I finished the bag, I decided to play with some of the scraps for the next project I have planned. Kind of "Proof of Concept".

It ended up smaller than I wanted, so I am rethinking sizes. However, I have a small friend who will think it is perfect for something. Of course, because I am an overachiever, it is fully lined and the seams are finished. Here is a picture for scale.

Tuesday night was Book Group on Zoom. I needed something to knit, so I started another pair of baby socks. The book was "Once Upon a Wardrobe" by Patti Callahan. The group enjoyed it.

Technically, the season of Easter isn't over until Pentecost, so I have another month before I have to change the tablecloth. ( We only eat at this table if we have guests.)

Inner Circle

 I got the pattern for the Inner Circle Bag from the Bag of the Month Club on March 1, 2020. I decided it was very doable and dove in, starting on March 4. Then things went sideways. 

Inner circle got tucked away, and I started making masks, and hand sanitizer pouches. So, last week, while tidying my sewing room, it popped up again and I decided it was time to finish it.

It did take awhile to figure out where I left off, and what needed to be done. I had the zipper attached to its facing, and it looked a bit wonky. I'm pretty sure that nobody else will think it is wonky, so, I will move forward. 

I realized that it needed its stabilizers, so they were cut and attached. I had second thoughts on the pocket, so I redesigned how it was going to work. Now it has a lining pocket.

Even I think the lining is pretty wild. So I went a little more subtle on the pocket lining.

This is the outside of the bag. The lining is actually a near perfect match. The fabric was embroidered denim from a long time ago, that was lounging in my stash.

It will be a lovely spring bag for somebody. 

Yesterday, I got the Income Tax Returns finished, so now I am free to play with this. It should go together quickly from here.

Ring Sling Bag

I have managed to finish my Ring Sling. It was the Bag of the Month Club pattern from January, and I started with the best of intentions in February. I finished it at my retreat this past weekend, and I think it was worth waiting for.

It has a nice long cross body strap, and four exterior pockets.

There is a nice big zippered interior pocket.

I sized the slip pockets to hold my usual notebook and my phone.

I used zipper by the yard for the first time. I think it looks quite classy.

I put it immediately into service to carry my things to the polling station on Monday, where I spent the day as an Information Officer.

The pattern is now available for individual purchase from Patterns by Mrs. H.  I notice that it says it is a quick sew. Well, maybe for some.

I finished some other things and my friends did too, but I will save that for another post.

My sweetheart, Doug Dog, celebrated his 5th "Gotcha Day" with us, this week.  His party included french fries and dried sardines. His friends loved it.

I Should Have Known Better

This is the outside of my new bag. It just has a small problem. The fold is suppose to be where the cut edge is. This piece will have to be used to make the base of some future bag, because it won't work for this bag. As I was cutting it, I was thinking about which side the fold was suppose to be on, so I have no idea how I managed to cut it backwards.

The good news is that I have more of the black twill. The other good news is that I cut the pockets exactly correct. That's a good thing, because I only have half a metre of this fabric.

Because I wanted to fussy cut the fabric, to make sure I got the cats on the pockets, I made a full pattern piece, and cut it flat.

The second pocket, which seems to be almost exactly the same, is cut properly, too. I have full cats for both sides.

This is Tula Pink Tabby Lane that I have been hoarding for awhile. I had a hard time finding it because nobody around here seemed to be selling it. I found it while I was on a shop hop, at a shop out of town.

My incremental bag making continues. These will have their interfacings fused, and then I will attach the lining, before I go back to the outer pieces, which have to be recut.

Last week, I made a pieced binding, for the church quilt. There wasn't enough of the jelly roll the top was made from to make the full binding, so I took some scraps from my stash and some from a friend's stash

The pieces at the top are from the quilt and the pieces at the bottom are the volunteers. I used pieces 8" or longer, and cut the full width of fabric pieces in half.

It is surprising how long it takes to sew little pieces of binding together to make about 300 inches.

This is the end of a morning's sewing. The binding is now trimmed, folded in half and rolled, to go onto the quilt, tomorrow. I will post a picture of the completed quilt.

One Day Only!

I have started sewing my new bag, and today I have pictures of the part that will not normally be seen.

The bag is The Ring Sling, and is the January bag for the Bag of The Month Club.

The pattern has you make the lining first. I am trying something new, for me. I usually cut out all the pieces, including the stabilizers, then do the fusing, then, finally sew. I find this method to be tedious. I spend a lot of time not sewing, then I just sew. So this time, I prepared just the lining pieces, and sewed the lining. Yesterday, I cut the main fabric and started attaching the zipper. Today, I finished the lining.

The lining is ready for the rest of the bag.

However, to admire it properly, I turned it around.

See, doesn't the lining look nice.

This is the slip pocket side.

A closeup of the pocket, that shows the sections for my phone, my pen, and my business cards.

And the zipper pocket side, with both the pocket zipper and the outer zipper going in the same direction! I usually manage to get the zippers going in opposite directions.

The weather has been dreadful, with rain, freezing rain, snow, wind. This gives me lots of time to sew.

My amaryllis has been giving me a break from the weather.

More flowers have appeared and there are still more to come.

Meanwhile, while I was admiring the flowers, I noticed this in a pot that was brought in to overwinter.

One tiny Sweet William flower, just the thing I need to make me smile.

Diaper Bag - DONE!!!

I often underestimate how long a bag is going to take me to make. I have been making the Highline Tote by Betz White, and I have been working on it for over 3 weeks. Most days I have been working for at least an hour, so I am guessing this bag took close to 25 hours to complete. If I make the bag again, there are some things I will do differently, but on the whole, I am quite pleased with this bag.

Want to see it?

The bag has  a zippered top, and two large outer pockets. These pockets can hide the handles or straps that aren't in use. It has handles to carry it.

Some clever straps that can be used as a backpack or zipped together to carry on one shoulder.

A zippered pocket outside, under the flap, and another inside.

A divided slip pocket for diapers and wipes.

And a carabiner, to hang keys from so they can be found in a hurry. The middle of the bag has lots of room for a change of clothes, bibs, snacks, a book for Mommie to read.

When I finished the bag I was doing my final ironing, and I had my hand inside holding my tailor's ham, to smooth everything out. I got up near the top zipper, and I felt a lump in the seam. I put down the iron and the ham, and felt again. I discovered I had left a Wonder Clip inside the bag. So, I had to open the seam in the bottom of the lining, and fish the clip out. Am I the only one these things happen too?

I love to go to craft shows and get ideas. I usually come away without buying anything. However, this weekend, I went to an Artwear show and sale. This is what followed me home.

This lovely jacket is much more purple then the picture shows. (why do cameras hate purple?) While I am quite capable of making the hoodie, I would not have managed those lovely embroidered feathers. I expect it is going to become a frequent choice this winter.

A Diaper Bag

I received a request for a diaper bag.  We consulted and settled on the Highline Tote by Betz White. The tote was the September pattern for the Bag of the Month Club. (link in sidebar)

The tote has a lot of interesting elements, so, as usual, I have lots of pieces to put together. I am currently at Step 15 of 40. I have completed the two outer pockets.

I love the way the fabric is coming together.

The main fabric is "The Fox and The Houndstooth".

Aren't they dapper fellows?

The lining is "Polar Pals".

Canadian babies need silver foxes with toques inside their diaper bag.

There are a total of 4 zippers in this bag. The first is under the flap at the front.

I have long had a hard time sewing the hook side of hook and loop tape, because the hooks tend to catch my thread. I figured out that if you take your thread snips and clip off the tops of the hooks in the seam allowance, the problem is solved. Why didn't I think of that sooner?

We had a visitor on the weekend. My grandcat, Mike, was staying with us. He was a huge help in cutting and fusing the interfacing.

A Bag of Bags

My Quilt group met this morning, and I took this for show and tell.

It is a bag full of bags, that I completed in the past week.

The outer bag is Gabby. It was the April pattern for the Bag of the Month Pattern Club. The others were impressed by the binding around the outer zipper pocket. Of course, it is caused by the stabilizer being too thick to fold the facing all the way into the opening, so I tried to keep it even all the way around. It worked really well. The stabilizer in this bag is "Stiff Stuff" by Sew Lazy Girl.  You can find the Gabby Bag Pattern, here.

The other side of the bag is plain. The front will be determined by the user. More by luck then anything, all the zippers are going the same way. I never seem to think of that until the bag is finished. The zipper pull says "Handmade" on it.  I got it here.

I think a bag needs lots of pockets, so this bag has them.

A zippered pocket is on the inside as well.

Of course, some little cats jumped into the bag to become the slip pockets.

As I was finishing this bag, it was promptly claimed by a dear one, so it will be off to BC this week.

I was in the mood to play a bit, and there was a fat eighth sitting on my cutting table.

This is a mash up of Noodlehead Wide Open Zipper Pouch, and the Sweetpea Pod. I think it will be perfect for all the pens, point turners, and other stuff I take with me to retreat. I now have a half of a hot pink zipper, that I will have to play with.

A Bit of Progress

The weather suddenly turned really hot over the weekend. I was looking for a cool activity, so I spent some time sorting through some of my books and magazines.

I get a gift of money to buy something just for me, for my birthday each year. When I was a stay at home mom, I used to get myself a subscription to a sewing or quilting magazine. I saved them all. Now, in 2016, I can look up most anything I am looking for on the internet. I never created any sort of index for the magazines, so I am not sure how I ever figured I would find anything again.

Here they are, packed in a box, for paper recycling. I have barely made a dent. I will try and do more for the next paper recycling day (in two weeks).

I also filled a box with books, to send to a local book sale. Maybe some beginner sewist will enjoy them.

On Monday, I did a happy dance, after I received my order from Emmaline Bags.

I love these zippers.

The zipper pulls say "Handmade" and she wraps them in pink tissue to protect them in transit.

I also restocked my hardware,

I have big plans!

I actually got started on a summer bag, for me.

The fabric is much brighter then it looks here, but my Ott Light bulb burned out in my sewing room, and I haven't got a new one. You can see from the cutting list the shape of the new bag. Hopefully, I can get some more of it cut out, today.

Polaris - March Bag of the Month

Spring seems to be here to stay, so I was able to take my pictures outside, today. Not a snow bank in sight.

I liked the look of Polaris, when I saw the pattern. However, I followed the pattern, mostly as written, and I struggled with it.  However, after stitching and restitching the lining ( a total of 4 times) I am going to declare it done!

You can see that it is a small bag. I am pretty sure that all my "stuff" wouldn't fit into it.

I fussy cut the fabric for the front and that back, so they are identical. I am pleased with how the colours are all going together. Not bad for stash diving.

This bag was made entirely from my stash. I didn't purchase anything, specifically for this bag.

The inside, with a zipper pocket, credit card slots and a slip pocket. The credit card slots are the only modification I made and I used this tutorial.

I think if I make this one again, I would add a couple of inches to each dimension, and use fusible fleece instead of Soft and Stable foam. I think I might also either make smaller piping or leave it off altogether.

The pattern is part of the Bag of the Month Club patterns. The individual patterns will be available for sale, after the end of the program in June.

Now, a couple of Spring pictures.

I think my forsythia is going to bloom by the weekend, if the weather stays warm.

My grandcat, Alby, has a touch of spring fever, I think. Either that, or his dad has been letting him watch Spiderman.