Showing posts with label bags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bags. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Ring around the Roses

I have a handful of unfinished projects in my pile of fabric. More are back at home, many more. I brought two with me. Both I was able to finish over my spring break! This here is the first unfinished project I dealt with.


This bag has been finished, save for the handles since the summer of 2005. Yes, it’s taken me six years to finish this sucker. Should it have? NO! I’m not sure why I put something so simple as making handles off for so long, but I did. I even used up some scrap fabric I’ve had.


I don’t think finishing this up took more than an hour, if that. It was one of my goals on Sunday after making the scrubbers to complete this piece. I’m currently looking for an excuse to use it, but biking to classes certainly puts a damper on carrying something like this.

When I do another bag like this, I’m going to do a few things differently. Such as how I finished the top seams. I initially folded both sides over and sewed them together back in 2005. That made sewing the outer fabric and the lining together a bit difficult around the seams. Now I realize I should have just sewed the sides together, then hemmed the top. Hindsight is always 20/20, right?

Friday, July 2, 2010

New Fabric and Aprons

So, I haven't been up to nothing. Work has pretty much held me hostage for the past few days. Who wants to work 7-8 hour days when working for minimum wage? Certaintly not I, but that's the schedule I'm stuck with and I am greatful for the money. Without my job I wouldn't be able to fund my sewing addiction/hobby. There's always that blasted give and take to everything isn't there? Now, don't get me wrong, I like my job, I just wish I didn't have to work as often and got paid more. Hence why I'm going to graduate school, to get a "grown up" job.

I have been tampering with my sewing machine and fabric these past few days. I had this lovely apron (pardon the akward picture, the sunlight hasn't been working with me to get decent pictures) half finished for a few months now. And I got around to dragging out the iron and ironing board so I could finish it! I quite like it with the pink and black, I feel I could have added a bit of black detail to the bottom and at least one pocket, but oh well, it's finally finished and I'm not tampering with it anymore...

Aside from sewing I've revisted my local fabric store (JoAnns) and dug through the remnant section. Remnants are how I justify my mass quanitiy of fabric. If it only cost $4 a yard (or so) and the object only cost $5 to make.... I'm slowly, slowly adding more handmade garments to my closet. Mainly dresses, which I hadn't worn much in previous years. I've found that dresses keep me cooler and with the AC going out a lot at work, it's not worth it to wear pants.

The lovely pink and yellow popsicle fabric is for bags. A free pattern for Charlie reusable bags can be found at Burda. I've modified the pattern a slight bit for most of the bags I've made (pictures will show up later). The pink fabric is actually going to be made into a bag for one of my friends. I have to draft a pattern for that, not especially hard with grocery-like bags.

There was a sale this weekend, or rather is a sale, for patterns. How could I pass up $0.99 patterns?? Answer: I couldn't. I caved and bought 3 patterns, one for shorts which I desperately need. I can't find shorts the right length! I'm a bit too small for the misses sizes and I don't want to look like a hoe in junior's sizes. Making my own just seems logical. I also have a pattern for a dress and cardigans. I need to stop buying patterns though and start sewing more!

And lastly here's a picture of some lovely clearance fabric, everything was on sale for $6 or less, and since I didn't buy more than 1.25 yards of anything, I was pleased. Fabric and patterns all for under $12, now that's a steal.
Hopefully I'll get around to more sewing this weekend, but I never know. My old computer's hard drive bit the dust and I still have files (and pictures) that I need to get off of it. Evil technology, attempting to rui
n my weekend by making me retype things as opposed to working fine and allowing me to sew.