2019 Wk 27 - Travel pouch - comments welcome!

This was inspired by a number of small handbags that I have been given or have made, but it is my own design.  I'm really pleased with it and want to make more so the instructions are here to remind me, but feel free to have a go.  (And if you do, do let me know how you get on with it!)

The pouch has a vinyl front pocket (passport or ID?) a zipped front pocket (cash ?) a big inner pockets for mobile and glasses and a back zipped pocket (for credit cards?)

I started with a piece of denim recycled from a pair of jeans (NB - dont use stretch denim next time!)  I cut it to 18 (second try I cut to 20") x 6.5"  and rounded the corners at one end (using a drinking glass).  I will later cut a piece from lining fabric, but that can wait until the denim piece is ready

I cut 1.5" off the end with original corners to make a pocket

To make the front pocket
Cut two pieces lining fabric 6.5 x 7
I used a zip that was more than 6.5" and added it to one of the pieces of cut denim and pocket (zip front to right side of denim, zip back to right side of lining)

Stitch, flip over both fabrics, finger press (because I'm lazy) and top stitch

repeat with the other piece of cut denim

To make the vinyl pocket:
Cut a piece of trimming fabric 2 x 14".  Fold in half along the length and press, then fold the long edges in to meet the pressed line and press in place.  Cut a piece of vinyl 5.5" x 7".
Slide the long edge of the vinyl into the folded opening, and stitch the trim over the vinyl.  The extra 7" will be used later, stitch along the long edge so it doesn't open

Place pins at a point 8" from the squared ends. Stitch vinyl to denim (with trim towards rounded ends)

Flip vinyl over (you could pin or clip it into place: if using pins only pin through the fabric not the vinyl)

To make the rear pocket: Cut a 4" piece of denim off the rounded ends. Insert zip as with front zip pocket

Stitch the bottom of both pockets and trim excess fabric (it was easier than trying to work out which side needed to be longer than the other!!!)

Back of denim

Front of denim

Lay the denim out flat and measure it so you can cut a piece of lining exactly the same size.

Pin, clip or tack half an inch at the squared end (wrong sides together).  I found it folded neatly around the zip (*)

Move the zipper pulls to the middle of the zip.

Hey you - at the back - yes you, the one not paying attention: MOVE THE ZIPPER PULLS TO THE MIDDLE OF THE ZIP.  Trimm off the zip ends in line with the denim.  Try *really* hard not to absentmindedly pull the zip to open or close it yet

Fold, flipping the rounded end on top of the vinyl, using the vinyl-to-denim stitching as the fold line (left below) and fold the lining the same (remember to fold down the end of the lining to match the denim (not shown).  If you flip them over they look like this

Make 2 small lengths of strap from small D rings and the excess vinyl binding earlier, or use ribbon.  If you don't have D rings you could just use the strap.

 

Place these at the sides, in line with the zip above the vinyl pocket: strap raw edges match the raw edges on the denim piece, and D rings and straps laying against the zip (as shown)

Now flip the lining piece onto the denim piece so the shorter sections are wrong sides together.  Check in the middle of the sandwich - the folded (maybe pinned, clipped or tacked) straight edged ends (shown in red) need to be touching and matching (*)

And breathe!!!

Now - stitch around the 3 raw edges!  No turning gap needs to be left as you created one at (*)

I was too lazy to make rounded  corners on my lining so I stitched from the denim side and trimmed the corners after.  Carefully cup into the convex curves - these will finish as concave so they need little triangles cut from the raw edge to *almost* the seam

Now find the opening with the folded (tacked, clipped or pinned?) ends, and pull the whole lot through there.  It may well need some re-adjusting but you should end up with this

Slip stitch the opening closed

I made a strap using rope folded at the end around a small lobster clasp and used embroidery thread to hold it all closed (this method) and tada!!!!

However (drat and fiddlesticks) the flap doesn't fold over enough, so the next version will have slightly longer measurements.  I'll have a go at using KAM press studs / poppers when I get a chance

And then I made another one with different pockets!

2019 Wk 26 - a bit of a bodge

For our sixth (!!) wedding anniversary (in 1994!!!!) husband bought me an iron candle stick.  The arms spiral from an iron plate and it held 6 cobalt blue pots which held tealights.  I love it!  It lives in the garden

Over the years three of the blue pots have broken and some years ago Jackie and I found some glass yoghurt pots that were a good size.  We forced ourselves to eat the yogurt (!) and I glued rope around the tops to stop them falling through.  Not as pretty, but did the job

Over the last few years the rope has started falling off, so I needed a plan C

I found a pack of solar garden lights in Aldi (funnily enough the same place the yogurt pots came from)!

I pulled off the stakes and slid the lamp part into the iron ring at the top of each arm

and I have a working garden light!!!  I am delighted!!

I have done a bit of sewing too - I appliqued the final scraps of rainbow onto some spare denim, and I gathered up all the rainbow cork scraps and after a bit of playing managed to fit them into a jigsaw puzzle that gave me almost a rectangle almost the same size as the denim.  Not sure where this is going but I hope to have some inspiration soon

I've also been embroidering for the local Scout packs, and for a museum exhibition about pleats and drapes

I have plans that may see more crafting in the future - wish me luck!

2019 Wk 25 - Rainbow weekend

Jackie has been here and we've had (of course) a fabulous weekend but unfortunately it's come to and end and she's on her way home :-(. 

We both have a crazy number of reminders of the weekend - and more than a few are rainbow themed!!

We made rainbow necklaces and embroidered a tshirt for Gay Pride month

 We made these fab rainbow bucket bags, based very loosely on this Pin

The designer machine quilted them more or less in the ditch - we went for in your face Kantha type quilting and for this lovely textured look

By making the bucket bags slightly smaller than the instructions said we managed to have some rainbow leftover so we make these Pythagoras zippy pouches with the remainder rainbow and some beautiful cork fabric with rainbow splashes

We used some other cork too - this lush claret red cork - to make another zippy

Oh, and then went on to make these framed retreat pouches (that were much easier than I last remember them being)

and finally some of these from this gorgeous fabric from South Africa from Sharon, lined with some spraytime

 Love you Jackie - come back soon!!!!

2019 Wk 24 - D4G update and some new ideas

Niki set off on her safari adventure on Wednesday morning.  She's packed everything into these two backpacks and is clearly apprehensive about going and missing her mummy (not!)

She's sent a few pics - I think it's safe to say she's having a great time!

As well as the two backpacks she also took a suitcase filled with 48 Days For Girls kits - and these have been delivered top the lovely Pamela who has undertaken to get them to Connie at Kisumu

I have bought some more brushed cotton for more D4G kits - if you ever wanted to know what £180 worth of brushed cotton looks like here is your answer!

I don't know about your sitting room but we have two double sofas - he has one which he shares with the cat and the TV remote controls and I have one that I share with my hand sewing projects!  My project basket was a rubbishy woven one with the lining on the outside rather than the inside to stop it scratching the sofa.  

So I made myself a fabric caddy, with pockets that holds it all and is gentle on the sofa, and can be picked up and moved if I have to share my sofa with another person!

I have been thinking about being unemployed from next month (!) and maybe offering a sewing / making / mindfulness class.  Something that will teach people a new skill but just as importantly let them zone out of the daily stresses of life and concentrate on themselves.

I've been Pinning loads of ideas, and decided to try this one - handmade fabric beads.  I store my embroidery threads on clothes pins, so used one to wrap fabric (and wadding) around
 

and then started stitching.  The phone clearly doesn't like zooming in that much, but they were really good fun to make and only took about 20 minutes each - what do you think?  Would there be any interest?

And finally this week I was going to a meeting and needed pen and notebook.  I was tidying up some leather (Jackie arrives in less that a week so I need to have *some* work space to share with her) and made a quick pen holder before I put it away!

2019 Wk 24 - the last ten days

The "last ten days" in the heading has two meanings - the photos are of crafty stuff FROM the last 10 days and I have about ten days left at work (gulp!)  They have made me redundant and there isn't much work coming my way so I have been doing a bit more making than I would normally get a chance for!

I have planned the finish of my rainbow hexie flowers - not much more piecing to go, *just* assembling and quilting and binding after that!!!

Even though the weather is up and down at the moment I am sleeping under a coverlet that is just patchworked blocks quilted to a cotton sheet.  But I only made one coverlet which means I don't have one for the opposite laundry change! (This one, which I love 
http://slikstitches.com/2014/07/teal-on-tuesday.html?m=1)

Anyway I wanted something sunny and bright and found this FQ pack from Jackie

I chopped it into squares and sashed it with 2.5 inch strips and in very little time I had this:

I just need to find some binding (shopping excuse!) and some time to quilt it and then I'm all set!

The Chertsey Museum class last week was paper foundation piecing.  It's difficult to teach and the fabric sort of gets pinned in place inside out upside down and back to front, but it seemed to go OK even if there wasn't much ready for a photo opportunity by the end of the class!

 A number of the ladies did bring back their bowls from last month - looking good!