Mission.....Complete

The duffel bag is completed.  It's pretty awesome, if I say so myself.  And my husband thought it was awesome - and when was I making him one?

 I have it hanging here on my dining room chairs - wish the middle hanger could have been used - it sags a little in the middle when it's not supported.  You can maybe make out the handle at the top, the zipper - once again, the largest zipper I have ever worked with - but not bad to work with at all.

Here you can see the shape of the bag - it's a little shorter in the back.

You can't see it in these photos, but there is a row of the webbing on the bottom of the back, and about the middle of the curved bottom front.  That's just to give it additional support.

The fabric is a nylon canvas - waterproof - I tested it in the sink.  It really is.

This was a fun project and I'm glad my friends on twitter thought of me when it came up.


Happy Sewing!
Susan

Almost there....

I'm in the final stages of the duffle bag.  This photo shows the last stages before it actually takes shape.

The body of this bag is just one large piece.  The webbing is both for accent and to give structure/support to the bag.

There is a great handle on the top - I special ordered it.  It's attached with the webbing and I did some of that corner to corner tacking to make sure it's firmly attached.

There is welt on the top, and around the side pieces, which will make the edges more sturdy.

It's hard to tell from this picture (I had to stand on a chair to get it all in one frame) but there is also a fold up flap on the front that velcros down.  It's for holding a fishing rod, I've been told.

At the bottom, there are velcro strips - I bought this 'one wrap' that has the loop on one side and the hook on the other, which makes it a great option for attaching to the hooks on the back of the seat.

Just three more seams and it's done!

Happy Sewing,
Susan

Custom Order - Part 1

I'm starting a custom order today for what I will call a duffel bag.  It has a unique purpose - it's being made to fit behind the back seats of an SUV and attach to the rings on the back of the seats to hold it in place.

I'm just getting started - so far, so good. 

Here's where I am - my supplies:

1. canvas material (nylon, waterproof) - black
2. webbing - beige
3. handle
4. velcro (black so it doesn't show against the fabric)
5. zipper - special made with two heads
6. black thread - heavy duty of course

I'm just starting to cut it out, but I'll be sure and take some pics when it's done too!

Happy Sewing,

Susan

New Cases

I've been experimenting with a couple of new cases - I'm not sure what to call them - cosmetic, travel, project?

The styles/sizes were requests based on a case someone had, or a specific use they needed a case for.

The first one ended up a little larger than intended - ok, I read a measurement wrong is all.  So this is for cosmetic, traveling, it zips around the top, has a small handle on the top and pockets around the inside.  It measures 8" x 12" and ended up about 10" tall - it was supposed to be more like 8" tall.  So I'm not sure if it's good or bad that it's bigger.

I put peltex in the top and bottom to help keep it's shape, I didn't put any in the sides and I'm not sure it needs it, although maybe a layer of craft fuse would be ok.  I don't want it to be too stiff, but it might need a little more structure on the sides.

The zipper for this one is a little down from the top, so it actually isn't too hard to maneuver.

The next case is a similar style, it is 8" x 10" and is only 3" tall.  On this one, the zipper is actually in the top of the case,  I had a bit more trouble getting this case to 'finish' the way I wanted, but I think I've figured out what I need to do to correct that.  On this case, I also put the peltex in the top and the bottom, but I also think it's needed in the sides for the smaller case.  So I'll probably test that theory out on the next one.  The purpose of this case will be to hold the essential oil bottles, so there will also be an insert that will hold them with some organization - not just floating around.

I will probably be working with this style case for the next couple of weeks, perfecting it, and possibly writing the pattern for it as well.

I'd love to hear what you think!

Happy Sewing,

Susan

Hands?

My friend Jane posted a blog yesterday challenging everyone to share their hands.  I talk with Jane on Twitter, she has an etsy shop, and a facebook page that you can check out too.

Jane also created a facebook page just for this topic:  Hands Exposed!

So first of all, it's kind of hard to take a photo of both of your hands together without assistance.  Well, unless you have a tripod, timer on your camera (that you know how to use), or magic.  I have none of those.

I have small fat hands.  I can buy the smallest size gloves they make for women and the fingers are always twice as long as mine are. 

I'm a bit of a fanatic about my (fake) nails.  I've been having them done for so long I'm sure I must not have real nail left.  It's actually time to get them done again, so they are looking a little ratty.

I'm not sure what else Jane wants to know about our hands - but here they are!

Happy Sewing!

Susan

Next - Complete!

Here is the tote that I ended up making from the sunflower fabric combo that I wrote about last week.  I wasn't sure how it would work, but this style works well for it. 

This is a pretty large tote - larger than I like - which probably makes it a popular size.

You can check out the detailed information on it here!

Hope you like it!

Happy Sewing!

Susan

Next...?

I finished up using the purple batik (see previous blog post), well mostly.  I have a little piece left that I couldn't decide what I should make.  I didn't make all my normal set of items from this - I made both sizes of box pouches, both sizes of flat bottom pouches, a couple of small pocket pouches, a kindle hipster purse, an ipad hipster purse, and my regular hipster purse.  So no cell cases or zipper wallets.

The next challenge is always deciding what fabric or fabrics to use next, then what to make. 

I picked out this 1/2 yard set of six coordinating fabrics - now I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them!

So I guess, stay tuned to see what I come up with!






Happy Sewing,
Susan

New Pattern Shop - Craftsy

I just found out about Craftsy this week - so I opened a shop for an additional place to sell my patterns.

Currently I just have the one pattern, but I am actively writing a second.

You can check out Craftsy, or like their facebook page.

If there is an item that I make that you would like to purchase the pattern for, let me know and I'll get started on it!

I'm also going to sell kits for my zipper wallet in my etsy shop, so look for that soon.  A kit will include the printed pattern, 2 zippers, swivel hook and fusible fleece.  Several zipper colors will be available.

Happy Sewing!

Susan

February Is Purple

Hard to believe that it's February 1st already - where did January go?

February is the purple month to me - after all, amethyst is the birthstone (I know, my birthday is in February). 

So my first fabric to work with in this new month is this lovely purple batik fabric.

Wonderful fabric, isn't it?

I'm not sure yet what all I'm going to make - and I have a mere two yards of it.  So I'm going to use it all up, and you can check my etsy shop within the next few days to see what I decide to make.

If you like the fabric and want a particular item from it, let me know now!

Happy Sewing!

Susan