Sewing Monday

Last Monday I had the day off so I decided to tackle my long-neglected pile of to-be-sewn items. I did a bit of mending and then tackled the stack of bags that needing finishing of some type or another.

This bag has been waiting for at least a year to be finished. I made this bag during a free sewing class that was offered at the public library last year. The instructors encouraged people to bring in fabric that could be reclaimed. The idea was to take old clothes or other random fabrics and put them to a new use. The class was loosely structured. Students were instructed to bring fabrics and an idea of what they wanted to make. The instructors used the class time to help students work through their projects.

I brought along an old stained tablecloth that had a fantastic edge and some other fabric scraps. I wanted to make a tote bag. Being the big dreamer that I am, I didn't want just any old tote bag...I wanted a tote bag with pockets and layers and fringe and I wanted it to be perfect! I did a pretty good job except for one major mishap. I didn't sew the handles in deeply enough for them to be secure. If I carried any type of weight in the bag, the handles were likely to fray and dislodge themselves from the bag.

On Monday, I reinforced the handles by adding a layer. I don't think it turned out too terribly and now I have a fully functional tote bag.

Next in line was finishing a Sophie bag that I knit 2 years ago. I wanted to do something different for the handles but never found a solution that I liked. So, for the sake of finishing, I just added a zipper and decided that I am going to go without handles.

I knitted this little bag using random leftovers with the intent of lining. That was a LONG time ago. I've since learned how to sew linings in a tidier fashion, so I guess it is good that I waited. The reault was a tidy looking bag with the zipper edges tucked in between the lining fabric and the outside.

It was a pretty productive day of sewing. I had started the day hoping to plow through my pile and then move on to something from my new sewing book, Bend the Rules . There are lots of cute projects in this book that I am excited to try out. However, after I finished the pile of bags, I was out of sewing energy.

Instead, Becky came over and we had a knitting evening. We had a lot to talk about since Rhinebeck is coming up! We are getting there via a Yarn Safari. We will be accompanied by Jamie who's coming all the way from Minneapolis to share her birthday with us and all the sheepy goodness that is Rhinebeck.