FO: Cacti Project Bag

Sometimes you make something that makes you smile from the inside out. This is one of those types of projects. This is an oversized knitting project bag for large items, such as sweaters, keeping multiple projects in one bag, or for blankets, if I ever climb on the crazy wagon (I dislike knitting on heavy projects).

This oversized project bag, despite the machine attempting to eat the fabric multiple times (I had to dismantle the needle plate even), was simple to make and is exceedinly pleasing as a project bag because:

• The cute cacti fabri (it just HAD to come home with me from JoAnn's)
• The material is very stretchy
• The material is thin and flexible for a large lined bag
• Pull-string bags are just fun to open and close

I have purchased a number of faux leather tags to add to projects, but haven't used any of them until yesterday. It's hard to find an object that can use such a large tag, but this project fit the bill.

Just between you and me, the tag is actually covering up a minor sewing error (one part of the folded hem was coming loose, so I had to sew a 2 inch line under the existing line to keep it in place)--and noone can tell! It's actually a blessing in desguise that I needed something like this in this exact spot because it makes the bag look more store-bought and adorable.

I have a Weekender Sweater in there that is nearly complete and there's still about half the height space left for additional knitting or yarn.

I love it so much. I plan on using the leftover fabric to make a small project bag for socks. I might, however, have to turn it horizontally, as I don't have much left, but I feel like I can't chunk the leftover fabric from this print. It's too cute!

My husband was pretty impressed with this one. He looked at me and was like, "you really should sell these Anna!" My response was that I'm still learning to sew and I worry that there will be a flaw (like a seam not wearing well due to my novice skills), and it took me two hours, despite it being an easy project. Maybe in the future though, when I feel like all of my homemade project bags have held up well in the years.

But for now, he has volunteered me to make a backpack-style one for going to places like Six Flags.

FO: Christmas Project Bag #1

It's December 3rd! Can you believe it? I can't! We have one of the two trees up and I have yet to decorate the outside of the house because it keeps snowing.

Since it's officially December, I figured I would share some Christmas project bags that I sewed early this November. This was my first pull-string project bag (and Christmas bag) made, and the process went smoothly. Win, Win.

The 12'' x 14.5'' size is just right for shawls, hats, mittens, light-weight sweaters, etc. I have been squeezing in my flax sweater for twin B in there, but with the two yarn hanks inside, it's a little snug.

The fabric is festive and playful with a hint of glitter, so it's fun to have this around during the holiday season. Since the fabric was a little busy, I decide to go for a solid cream colored liner.

I hope you are enjoy the joys of the seasons, both in the way you celebrate and with the start-up of vlogmasses, and such. It's such a wonderful time in more than one way.

Next post: Christmas project bag #2 (a quilt-like pull-string bag).

Copycat Fringe Supply "Field Bag"

Friends, I don't know about you, but I caught the "Field Bag" project bag bug from constantly seeing knitters show off their bag on my Instagram feed.

I looked up these supposed bags online at the Fringe Supply Co., and they are priced at $65, not including shipping! Yikes! (They are really well made, I'm sure they are worth the cost, but I'm too cheap to spend over 70 bucks to ship one to my door.) The maker in me accepted the challenge to find material similar to the original Toffee version (and others) and voila! A really close copycat version! Thanks Joann Fabrics!

^^ LEFT column photos coypright: http://www.fringesupplyco.com

Photos on the left column are the original bags, and photos on the right column are my re-creation. Aside from the lighting in the photos, and a couple of subtle differences such as width in strap, the label and minute differences in dimensions, I have to say it is really close! I added a "KUAS" tag so it wasn't naked in the front. Heck, I even folded the bag and ironed the vertical crease and included pockets in the inside because you have to have the little details if you are going to go all out anyways!

 I am very pleased with this bag. I will be creating more in the future, but I still have to work on another Christmas project bag before it gets too late in November.

Not bad for not having a pattern. I have made bags in the past, and took those templates and made the bottom boxier for this one. My one gripe was that after changing my sewing needles out for the "heavy duty" ones, because I was using canvas fabric AND thicker thread, the machine kept eating the fabric and kinking up the thread and I must have re-threaded that machine 30 times (and unpicked dozens of stitches) before I realized that I inserted the needle in the wrong direction, and that does make a difference in performance!!

My next bag will have a "webbing" strap and slightly thinner rope for the pull-string. I'm a happy knitter! Have a great weekend!

All Things Halloween

Happy Halloween, dear friends!
I've got to head out trick-or-treating with the kiddos, so here's a quick collection of all things Halloween that describe my week leading up to today:

 A Halloween project bag, sewn by yours truly.

I was really pleased with the results from the comination of the contrast fabric (liner) and the main outer fabric.

As a side note, I teach piano lessons, and every year I try to make reviewing Music Theory fun and exciting by changing the up the scenery. The holiday is the best time to squeeze in extra reviewing because I can make it fun like this.

Welcome to the haunted music trail! It's not the best lighting, and looks better when it's a bit darker, but here's the jist of the trail leading up the haunted graveyard.

After every short excercise they get to trick-or-treat in my pumpkin buckets.

Hey, my twins just turned 8! Can you believe it?

 I have never made fondant for a cake, so of course I tried my hand at making them Minecraft cakes. Yeah, two cakes. And I've never make two cakes, let alone two fondant cakes. LOL.

It took a total of 10 hours (1.5 days), and the fondant got a little distored while picking the little squares up after cutting them. Oh well. The boys loved them and that's all that matters.

Finally, these were photos taken today of my burning bushes and Sunset maples. Ah...

 

 Have a wonderful and safe Halloween folks! We are about to go trick-or-treating now!

Knitting Project Bags!

Meet a project bag prototype.

It was created after me lusting over knitting project bags from knitting podcasts and the like.

These handmade bags are normally $25-$35 online, so I decided to dabble with the sewing machine again to make my own since I had leftover fabric from all sorts of things.

Then came ambition.

I decided to scour the Walmart fabric section to see if, by chance, they had a pattern for the type of project bag that I've been seeing.

They actually did! And I took the last one. (Ok, well, two different pattern packets...but more on that another time.)

Meet Simplicity knitting bags and organizers 1079. It's a 2015 publication. I figured, it's "simplicity," so it must be relatively simple for a neebie, like me.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.
Not.

I had to figure out how to cut out the fabric correctly, so the pattern wouldn't be upside down. That's a learning curve all on it's own for someone who hasn't really done many patterns (or at least a sewing pattern in a long time).

I managed. Eventually.

I couldln't resist making a Halloween themed project bag. It also gave me that extra nudge to finish it quickly, since Halloween was 2.5 weeks away.

I was stumped pretty much at the first couple of directions. A huge part of why it took three solid days to finish this was because of me being careful, making sure I was cutting them out correctly, or reading through all the instructions first (the knitter in me) and trying to get a generally idea of the construction since there are a lot of parts to this bag (surprisingly).

The pattern photo left out a few important details, like: it has an "outside" pocket! Or it has a divider! These are nice, but unnecessary features for me that confused me in the end without a clear photo visual.

The pockets really challenged me, but after ripping it out a few times, I finally understood how to sew the shaping on the bottom. That pinching in shaping is used three times for this project, so luckily I practiced on the darn pocket first!

I'm really proud of this feature, which was my idea. They wanted me to just sew a cord. This looks so much more professional. I'm still working on finding that perfect handle to clip it on to. I figure, I can also clip this onto a backpack or purse.

This bag is very spacious. I can easily store 4 balls of yarn or a sweater project (which I plan on doing).

I bought this ring puncher, but it actually destroyed the fabric on my bag and didn't crimp together correctly. I am very dissapointed in this, and hope it doesn't get pulled wrong and fray around the ring. The center is too jagged for yarn to pass through. :(  However, this bag is only going to be used around October and was my "guinea pig" bag for future ones.

I love the denim on the bottom. My next bag will have more of it; it looks so polished.

I hope you like it! I am super proud of myself.
I'm back to knitting though, my brain needs a rest! I'm not used to thinking and scratching my head so much while doing patterns! ;)

Here's a funny thing. I decided to sew my own bags to save myself money. How much money did I spend on tools, hardware, different fabric, etc.?  Um, probably 4-5 times the amount of a bag sold online! Life of a crafter, I say.