This custom bag turned out way better than I had imagined. It is so soft and I love the lining! I also like the little bit of garter stitch on the handles. More pics here.
my first clothing alteration
M had these comfy Gap pants that I picked up from a yard sale, but they were really bulky. She’s pretty long and skinny and these were definitely cut for a chubbier toddler. The other day I decided to fix them. After all, they only cost me like a dollar or something. What was the worst that could happen if I screwed them up?
I took a pair of pants that I knew fit her well, laid them on top and traced them like a pattern onto the larger pants. Then I sewed two new seams and cut the excess fabric and pockets off. It’s not the neatest alteration in the world, but they look MUCH better on her. I can only imagine they feel better, too.
They’re still a little big overall, and I have a feeling she’ll get a lot of use out of them this Spring.
felted wool messenger bag :: green with button flap
I’ve been sewing up a storm! Here’s the last of the green bags for March. It comes with a matching zipper pouch, too!
I really like this pattern and will definitely make more in the future. (I designed it myself, but I’m sure I didn’t invent it.) If you are tired of bag blog posts, have no fear. My next bag is a covert custom design, so I won’t be posting the details for awhile. After that, I have another custom bag, and somewhere in between I’m going to be sewing a little Ferrari outfit for Bella. The new season starts this Sunday. We can’t wait! (Lisa, if you watch the 2007 season review video, there are clips of Mika toward the end.)
commuter tote bag
Here’s another one of the green items I’ve been working on for my shop this month. More pics here. I’m working on one more: a green felted wool messenger bag with a flap and button closure. Details soon!
felted wool coffee sleeve :: green cables
I’m still feeling a little green, and not in a good way. I did manage to do some sewing yesterday. I got my coffee sleeves finished. I’ve only posted one on etsy so far. I got the photos uploaded and then needed to take a little nap. The other one is from the same sweater, but without the cables. I had more I wanted to write about it, but I think I’m done for the night. More pics here.
i’ve been a busy bee
My etsy shop has been a little empty because I’ve been busy with lots of custom bag orders. This past week, I finished four bags and I have another one left to do. I’ve also been inspired by St. Patrick’s Day and have been working on some green items. I’ll post them in the next few days. Meanwhile, here are the latest bags.
sleep sack #2
Remember my first sleep sack? I finished the other one and just in time. Bella had outgrown her size medium Halo sacks, so I had to get this one done. I just love these sacks. The fleece is so soft and warm—much cozier than the Halo sacks. They make me want to sew one in a grownup size.
plastic-bag bags
Remember when I had that cute-as-a-button card idea in my head and it just wouldn’t go away until I made them? Well, I’ve had another idea bouncing around in the ol’ cabeza for awhile: knitting with grocery bags. I didn’t invent the idea. Lots of people have been doing it for years. We even had a program on it at knitting group last month. That’s what really got me excited to try it. I had wound some plastic bag “yarn” using the loop method and planned to knit up two squares to make a zippered tote. I had an eight-inch zipper recycled from a pair of T’s old pants that I was going to use.
Well, knitting with double-thick Target bag yarn was horrible. The bags are sticky and even with size 13 straights, knitting a square was brutal on my wrists. I couldn’t bear another square, so I folded it in half, seamed up the sides, and made a clutch instead.
I was surprised at how frustrating it was to knit this up, especially because the resulting knit “fabric” is so flexible. It’s actually kind of soft. And I really liked the texture.
The lining came from the same pants as the zipper. Sewing that in was also a challenge!
Even after I finished this project, I still couldn’t let go of the idea. I wanted a successful project. So I wound some more plastic yarn using a very cool single-ply method that Jennifer showed us at knitting group. Unfortunately, Jennifer is blogless, but she brought some very cool items for show-n-tell. She’s crocheted rugs, totes and even place mats out of bags. A few weeks ago she showed me how to make a crocheted tote bag. Here’s the base:
I like how this is shaping up much better and it is much easier to crochet the single-ply yarn. I also like the texture; it kind of looks like a woven basket.
The only problem is now that I’ve had some success, my interest has kind of dropped off a little bit. I do a few rounds here and there, but not every day. Don’t expect any updates on this project anytime soon. Maybe in a few months I’ll have some progress to show.
another custom bag, sort of.
My friend Joanne asked me to make a custom bag for her, but she left all of the color choices up to me. Her only request was that I used colors that said “Spring” or at least did not say “it will be cold and dark forever.”
This wool felted up so soft! I wish I knew more about what kind it was, but the label just said 100% wool. I have some left over that I’m thinking about making into a scarf. It would be so soft around the neck!
the littlest kundhi
You know how some kids have imaginary friends? We think M has an imaginary dog. She’ll walk around the house slapping her thigh shouting Dawg! when clearly there are no stuffed dogs, wooden dogs, dog pictures, dogs barking outside, blocks with dogs — you get the idea.
Last weekend T had a little talk with her about these dog outbursts. He told her that Mom wasn’t ready for a dog and probably wouldn’t be for a long time. If she wanted a pet, she should start asking for something small, like a fish. It was a cute conversation.
Later that night I got this FreeCycle email: Offer – goldfish with two bowls, food, a net and supplies. Kind of weird, don’t you think? Things get taken so fast on FreeCycle that when I responded I didn’t expect that I would actually get it. Well, I did. I took it as a sign. Meet the littlest Kundhi:
He doesn’t have a name yet. I was thinking Enzo because he’s a really fast swimmer.
Enzo sounds a lot like Elmo, though, and I didn’t want M to get confused between fish and furry red muppets. T was thinking Victor Vito or Freddie Vasco, but aren’t they bears?
What do you think, blog readers? Help us name our fish!
