Another Lemonza

 I finished another Lemonza. I set out to make 3 and this is the second.

This one is summertime bright. The fabrics were chosen by the bag recipient. I gave her the pick of my cat fabric and these are the cats she liked best.

I think the black text fabric works well for the contrast overlays.

The interior is a Stonehenge fabric.

I changed a couple of problems I had with the pattern, but there are still a couple of things that I don't quite like with the assembly. I think i may need to try making a pattern of my own based and what I have learned so far. 

It is still a great little bag for everyday. It holds the things you need like your license and your cards as well as a bit of cash and your phone.

I have one more cut out from this pattern. After I finish it, I'll experiment.

12 Days of Christmas In July Blog Hop - Decorating the Dog

 

Wow, its my day on the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop! Sarah, from Confessions of a Fabric Addict is celebrating all things Christmas for 12 days in July. After all, who has time to make handmade gifts or decorations in December.

I'll start with an introduction, in case you haven't been here before. I am Kate, a Canadian blogger, knitter, bag maker, sewist, and occasional quilter. I started knitting and sewing when I wasn't very old. I am also an engineer, with a specialization in process engineering. 

I live in a zoo. Well, not really but there have always been dogs in our home. For about 20 years, we fostered cats, preparing nearly 200 cats and kittens to become permanent members of someone else's family. We currently have a dog (Doug) and two cats (Mudd and Emme) who let us live with them. 

I'm a December baby, so I love decorating, and sometimes the decorating extends to the pets. 

Not every attempt is successful. You just know Doug is saying "You have got to be kidding."

Emme decided that she was so pretty that she would just be a decoration.

Dog bandanas turned out to be the most acceptable solution.

Last Christmas, it was cardinals.

Bandanas are quick and easy to make on the serger. If you don't have a serger, you can use a narrow hem or a machine overcast stitch. I make them from my stash fabric, large scraps and fat quarters. I made some Christmas ones this week, and I'll show you how I did it.

First thing to do, if you haven't done it for awhile, is to clean your serger.

I may have made a lot of bandanas lately. without cleaning it.

Next decide the size the the bandanas you are going to make. If you want ta perfect fit there is math involved. You will need to measure the dog's neck, add a bit extra so you can tie it, Then figure the length of the sides of the square using the Pythagorean Theorem. I have done the math to give you some general sizes (that engineering degree is handy sometimes.)

I usually cut a square in one of 4 sizes : 10" (XS), 14" (S), 18" (M) and 20" (L) . The square will give you two bandanas.

For these bandanas, I used 18" squares. This is a great way to use up a fat quarter somehow ended up in your stash. If you are worried about a one way print, I have found that the dogs don't seem to mind if it is askew (and the owner won't have a problem either).

I had a fat quarter of some vintage Debbie Mumm that volunteered for the job.

I squared it to 18". 

I cut the square into a triangle across the bias.

Then I chain feed all the edges through the serger, trimming off the width of the blade the make a nice clean edge. I use a balanced 4 thread stitch, usually using white thread. If the narrow points at the neck edge of the bandanas aren't feeding into the serger smoothly, I cut some 1" squares of stabilizer to help get the seam started. I cut a sheet of stabilizer into squares periodically and leave them in a box next to my serger.

In no time, you have a bandana made. I made 4 bandanas in about 45 minutes, from start to finish. This fabric is called Canadian Capers by Wilmington and it has lots of "iconic" images of Canadian winter. I had a scrap that was the right size for 2 bandanas.

The bandanas are quick and easy gift as well as fun accessory for your dog, or those dog owners on your gift list. Did you know that 95% of pet owners give gifts to their pets at Christmas.

Here is a picture of my granddog, Cassie, wearing her summer bandana, that I sent her this week. Cassie is a bit of a fashionista and asks for her bandana every morning.

I hope you enjoy making some dog bandanas. They look really cute on any dog, and cats like them, too.

A Fleegle

 I bought myself a Fleegle, recently. I really did need one (maybe).

This is a Fleegle. As you can see, it is loaded with beads, ready to knit.

This is the end with a tiny notch to catch the yarn.

To see how you use it, there is a YouTube video. 

I have been knitting a scarf and it has one bead every six rows. By using the Fleegle, I can make sure that the bead colours are assorted. I am still working on mastering the technique involved, but I don't drop the bead.

The scarf is called Gneiss Scarf, and I am nearly finished.

It is going to need some serious blocking. 😀

Bandanas

 I seem to have forgotten to blog, lately. It has been hot, humid, and smokey here. I haven't spent a lot of time sewing. However, I've gotten back in the grove, sort of.

Last week, I put the binding on a quilt that a friend had made. She was unsure of the binding, so I did it for her, on the front side. She will do the hand sewing, herself.

I have a couple of requests for dog bandanas, so today I did a stash dive and came up with some suitable fabric. Since I serge my bandanas, it didn't take long to make 24 of them. It also used up 3 metres of fabric. There is space in the bins. I'm sure it won't last.

They are finished. Once the fray check dries, I will clip the thread ends and they can be off to their new homes, though I might keep a couple for Doug.

I noticed this on one of the fabrics.

I have no idea why manufacturers put this on cotton fabric. There are flammability rules for children's sleepwear. However, they don't say you can't use cotton fabric. They do say that cotton sleepwear needs to have close fitting sleeves and cuffs. When my kids were smaller, I made their pajamas because I wanted them to wear cotton to bed. I just added knit cuffs to their sleeves and legs. I think printing this on the fabric might just make a parent panic, 

Because today is a holiday in Canada, we had a fancy breakfast.

Waffles with Ontario strawberries, Nova Scotia blueberries and whipped cream made from Canadian cream, a patriotic breakfast. 

Bespoke

 Bespoke is a great word. The dictionary defines it as "Made for a particular customer or user."

It sounds so much more exclusive than "custom".

Occasionally, I see things on the internet, within a short period of time and my mind connects them.  The first one I saw was on a bag makers' forum, where someone thought that putting a metal tag on a bag that says "Handmade" looked unprofessional. 

Just like this. Now you can guess my opinion. I think that shiny hardware makes a bag look rather polished. This is my Flora bag, a bespoke bag for one of my dear ones. I imagine most people don't actually get close enough to read the tag.

Then I saw something about the price of a Hermes Birkin Bag. Apparently some people are willing to pay $250,000 for a leather tote bag, with shiny hardware. It boggles my mind. I love a nice handbag, own quite a few, but really? I was further shocked to discover that the bag has a couple of slip pockets inside, and is otherwise a big open space. You have to buy other bags to put inside in order to be able to find your stuff in the bag.  There was mention made of the bag being "aspirational". 

The next article I saw was why one should never buy a counterfeit designer bag. It made all sorts of interesting claims for why, including basically that it devalues the "real" designer bags.

Which lead me off to the whole idea of bespoke. I have been asked if I could make someone a bag. My answer is always "You can't afford it." This largely comes from knowing that people are not even willing to pay minimum wage for my time in making the bag. One of my "bespoke" bags takes probably 10 to 15 hours to cut, fuse and sew. That means that the bag should cost at least $150 plus materials. Someone who is asking is expecting to pay under $50. Many makers undervalue their goods because they just want to sell that bag. However, they aren't really paying themselves for their unique creations. 

My mind is still whirling at the amount of profit a $250,000 bag must make for the corporate body whose name is on the bag. Some of these bags could stand to be "devalued" I'll continue to support makers, I like knowing who made my item. Why would someone want an expensive bag that is the same as hundreds of other expensive bags?

A couple of weeks ago, my sweetie surprised me with this pendant. It came from a jewelry maker that he saw featuring her work online and decided that I would enjoy it. He was right.  It is perfectly imperfect, like all good handmade items are. 

Meanwhile, I finished my socks.

 One pair of big socks and one pair of baby socks. 

I am also making progress on my latest "bespoke" bag. The recipient choose the fabric and the cork. 

This is the back and the flap. It is pretty wild. Of course, the mess on the table doesn't help. The lining is much calmer. The bag is actually nearly finished but I am behind on photos.

If all goes as planned I will have a couple more finishes in a couple of days.

A Quick Project - Or Not

 Sometime in March, I decided to make phone clutch wallets for myself and a couple of friends. I used the Lemonza Wallet Clutch Pattern from Country Cow Designs. The tutorial made it look like a very quick sew. So, I bought the pattern, and read it over. I made a list of the things I was going to need to order, I picked fabric and got my friends to pick their fabric from my suggestions. I added linings, and waited for my order to hardware and strapping to arrive. 

I noticed that the pattern suggested that I use a different interfacing for the lining than I usually use. The designer said it was thinner and would make a tidier bag. The interfacing wasn't available from any of my usual sources. I was going to use my usual when I discovered a new supplier, who had that interfacing, so I order some for the three bags. (that was mistake #1)

I cut all the pieces. One piece of fabric may have been cut upside down, and I didn't have enough to fix it, so I had to leave it. Nobody will notice, right? (that was mistake #2)

I fused all the interfacing, and realized that the new interfacing was not giving me the crisp finish I like to the fabric. I made the zippered pockets for the inside, and it refused to lay flat when I pressed it. Very narrow double sided tape helped but didn't really solve it.

Onward! I decided to make one bag first and find the other pitfalls. Mistakes 3, 4, and 5 followed. Some mine and some the pattern designer's instructions that just didn't work for me. I persevered. The bag is finished.

Three months in the making, my quick little bag is ready for its first outing.

This is the back of the bag. My label will be going on the front on the other 2.

Because I am a klutz, my phone has an Otterbox (ruggedized) case. The pocket is big enough to get it in and out with ease.

It is always difficult to show the inside of a bag, but it has 12 card slots and two slip pockets as well as the zippered pocket.

The flap flopped back farther than I liked, and I discovered when the bag was finished that the lining wasn't completely caught at the attachment to the bag. I solved the problem by adding a couple of bar tacks near the top edge of the bag. they don't really show and solve the problem perfectly. I.m happy with the bag now, but I'll be making a few changes on future versions.

The fabric is entirely from my stash. The lovely hardware is by Emmaline Bags. The cork fabric is from MM Cork Supply. Seat belt strapping is from Blue Calla Designs.

Since Sandra of MMMQuilts is having her monthly DrEAMi linkup, I will add my squirrel project for this month. Drop over and see what others have done.

A friend is having her first grandchild this summer, so I broke my long standing rule and knit one baby sock between the first and second sock of a pair, the day after I heard the news.

It is in Turtlepurl's lovely self striping yarn, and is made from the leftovers of the first sock skein. The skeins are perfectly matched so I will make the second baby sock when the second adult sock is finished.

Holiday Bag Making

 In my part of the world, today is Victoria Day, the unofficial start of summer. It is our hope that from now until September, our weather will be warm enough not to require woolie hats and mittens (though the possibility exists.)

Since Saturday was wet, I got back to some sewing I had started over a month ago. I had the foolish idea that a simple phone wallet wouldn't take too long, and that I should make three of them at once. I spent a lot of time cutting out three bags, linings and stabilizers. I got everything fused into place, then I got distracted by some volunteer work that needed to be done.

I did make the inner zippered pockets for all three, but nothing else got done.

So, after a session on Saturday, I finished the back of the bag.

This is a new to me bag designer, and I followed that pattern, closely, thinking that she might know how it all goes together. That may have been a mistake. In the first place, she said to use an interfacing that is not my usual for the lining, because it would be thinner. Turns out, I don't like the one she suggested because it doesn't press as flat as my usual.

She also wanted the flap portion of the magnetic snap installed after the flap was finished. That proved nearly impossible. Not going to try that again. Fortunately, I have given up on the idea of making three at once, and I am just working on the one I am keeping. I will make all my mistakes here first.

Yesterday, I made the front of the bag.

It went better. The magnetic snap went in first. Of course, I should have put my bag label on at the same time. After the front was finished, the bag label couldn't go on the front without either sewing the pocket to the front, or ending up under the flap when it is closed.

So, it is now on the back of the bag.

Today, I made the card slots and slip pockets for the lining.

Learning from past mistakes, I checked to make sure that the card slots were the correct size to hold cards.

My first wallet ended up off centre and half the card slots were too small for cards. Now I keep a old card in my drawer to measure the slots. 

Now that I am using my own experience, I top stitched the tops of all the pockets. It makes a crisper fold that makes it easier to get the cards in and out. I discovered that a blind hem foot does and excellent job of keeping the top stitching even .

The foot has a step in it, so you can run the fold along the lower edge.

 The next step involves cutting the lining to match the outside. That seems like a good job for the beginning of a sewing session, not the end. So it can wait until tomorrow. Hopefully it will all come together quickly.

For the flower lovers, I have a picture of our apple trees.

They really look good this spring.

And, of course, Emme and Mudd. I think Emme is telling Mudd a secret.