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too many projects started…

…not enough finished.

I’ve been really busy lately, but don’t have many pictures to post. How does that happen? This week I worked on a custom sweater bag with coordinating box bag. It’s almost ready for pics. Here’s a peek.

cathy bag

Doesn’t it look soft? It’s cashmere and sewing up beautifully.

I also finished up a gift for a friend who is moving at the end of the month. She brought some yarn to knitting group to destash because she didn’t want to move it all back to NYC with her. The yarn was so pretty and soft I decided to knit a cowl for her. You can check out pics on her blog. I’ve been really bad with pics this week. I just realized I didn’t take one of another box bag I finished and mailed off. Oh, well.

I’ve also started some refashioning projects. The denim pants are halfway to becoming a skirt. The striped shirt is going to become a cardigan. The floral shirt and jacket were from my neighbor’s garage sale.* I wasn’t planning to buy anything at the neighborhood sales this weekend, but felt I should at least stop by and say hello. I’m not sure how these made it home with me. Oops! The jacket has a removable quilted lining! Both are a little too big, but should be easy to resize.

refashion

A tablecloth sort of kind of came home with me as well. I’m thinking it will make some really beautiful tote bags.

table cloth for tote bags

All right. Better stop writing and start sewing so I have something to post tomorrow!

*If you are looking for kids clothes and toys, come to our neighborhood this weekend. The garage sales are kid central around here!

recycle and refashion: sweater was thrifted, client provided coordinating fabric, box bags made from stash fabric, clothes are from my closet, my mom, and garage sales, tablecloth from garage sale

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how to sew a placemat zipper pouch with only four seams

zipper pouch tutorial

I found this cute Orla Kiely placemat at Target a few weeks ago and wanted to make something quick and easy for my knitting. Because the edges are already finished, I only needed to sew four seams. If you want a gusseted pouch, you can sew two more seams. Either way, it’s a very fast and easy project.

zipper pouch tutorial

Materials
a placemat (mine was 14 x 17 inches)
a zipper that’s at least 14 inches
coordinating thread
heavy duty sewing needle
zipper foot

zipper pouch tutorial

Using your zipper foot, stitch each 14 inch side to the zipper, beginning and ending 1/2 inch from each side.

zipper pouch tutorial

With the zipper halfway open, turn the placemat inside out. Sew your side seams while holding the zipper out of the way. (This is why you left 1/2 inch unsewn on each side.)

zipper pouch tutorial

Turn the placemat right side out and you’re done! If your zipper was longer than 14 inches, you can trim the extra.

Optional Gussets

zipper pouch tutorial

Box your corners, but don’t trim. The triangles are small and won’t take up much room. Plus, you’ll have no raw edges that might unravel.

zipper pouch tutorial

Want to see more projects using Orla Kiely placemats? Thimbly Things made a cute purse with hers and linked to a bunch more adorable bags.

refashion: Using finished items like placemats make your projects fast and easy because your edges are already finished.

Thanks to Whip Up, Craft Gossip and One Pretty Thing for linking to my tutorial. Subscribe to my RSS for more crafty goodness!

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pinquitos change purse

bean bag zipper pouch

I love how these little purses turned out. They weren’t at all what I was thinking, but I really wanted to show off the flowers and mountains. A square zipper pouch was the best way to do just that.

bean bag zipper pouch

I didn’t want to wash them because I was afraid that the color might fade, but I had to because they were kind of dirty. I was worried that they might unravel, so I sewed a basting stitch around the edges before I put them in the wash. Good thing, too! The edges totally frayed up to the stitches.

The bags were a little delicate and I wanted to make them more substantial so I used some cotton quilt batting to give them their shape. I used the front of the bag for the outside and the back of the bag for the lining. To solve the fraying issue, I enclosed the raw edges in a french seam. There were a few holes from the original stitching that didn’t work themselves out in the wash. They don’t look like they are going to unravel, but I dotted them with some Fray Check just in case. These were super fun to make and I finished them in one evening.

recycle: bean bags purchased at garage sale, leftover batting from stash, one zipper was thrifted, one zipper was reclaimed from a garment

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custom wool felted bag :: black and white

I thought it would be fun to start showing some before and after photos of my bags. Let’s just hope I remember to take the before photos. I tend to get all excited and jump right into a project!

I’m calling this my X and O bag. Can you find them?

custom wool messenger bag

custom wool messenger bag

custom wool messenger bag

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custom wool felted bag :: teal and white

I have to give props to my friend Cathy. She picks the neatest sweaters for her custom bags and always has the coolest coordinating fabric choices.

cathy's bag

I’m not sure what I like more—the beautiful buttons or the purple floral print.

cathy's bag

cathy's bag

She also requested a coordinating box bag for her knitting. I love making these bags. They give me lots of practice with zippers!

cathy's bag

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denim messenger bag for christina

I’ve been wanting to make a bag like this for awhile, but just couldn’t figure out the pattern. I fiddled around with a prototype that didn’t work out too well and then abandoned it for a few months. (OK, a year!)

upcycled denim bag

Then my friend Christina asked me to do something with her Fairy Jeans. I did a lot of sketching and research and actually got a lot of inspiration from diy skirt and maternity jean tutorials.

upcycled denim bag

When we went shopping for her wedding gown, she mentioned that she liked the color combination of dark blue and champagne. She also asked me to incorporate one of her finance’s blue silk ties. I used it for the lining of the flap and lined the rest of the bag with tan cotton.

upcycled denim bag

I’m going to make one more of these bags to make sure I’ve got my pattern down and then I’m going to offer it as a custom bag listing in my etsy shop. More pics of the bag in my sewing gallery.

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custom wool felted bag :: gray

Who knew it would be so hard to find a plain gray wool sweater in the winter? When I got the request for this custom order, I had to visit a lot of stores to find the perfect sweater for the job.

gray wool felted sweater messenger bag

I’ve developed a new style strap that I really like, and I’d like to find a way to put a zipper in without hand stitching. I don’t want to compromise the beauty of the ribbing with a seam, though, so I’m not sure there is another way. Suggestions?

gray wool felted sweater messenger bag

While I was looking for this sweater, I picked up some new, spring colors and I’m looking forward to making some more felted bags. It’s time to experiment with some new styles and I can’t wait to get started! More pics of the gray bag are posted in my etsy shop.

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custom wool felted bag :: maroon

I had hoped to sell a lot of items on etsy during the holidays, but I didn’t have a lot of time to make things to stock my store. Fortunately, it was because I had custom orders! One of my favorites was a matching messenger bag and scarf. The sweater was huge and superwash wool. It didn’t felt at all, so I had a lot of fabric, but I had to be careful it didn’t unravel while sewing.

maroon wool felted bag

Most of my bags are one of a kinds, depending on the shape and design of the sweater. I’m thinking of writing up a standard pattern, though. I really like how this one turned out.

maroon wool felted bag

I’m also loving my scarves. I made a bunch for Christmas presents this year. I hope to have a tutorial for these up on the blog soon. They are so warm!

maroon wool felted bag

Soon to follow, all of my handmade holiday gifts!

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a million little pieces

Ok. That’s a little bit of an exaggeration. I’m talking about all of the Christmas toys that come with too many pieces and nothing in which to store them. I have to give a thumbs up to the folks who designed M’s drum. They put a handle on it, so you can turn it upside down and store the drumsticks and other instruments inside. Brilliant!

Her awesome eco-friendly tea set could have used an awesome eco-friendly tote or basket, though. And it would have been great if her cute wooden “paper” doll set came with a cute wooden lid. Plus, there is the growing collection of matchbox cars and Thomas trains. I needed to get control over all these bits and pieces, so I sewed up a bunch of drawstring bags last weekend.

These were super easy and economical. I bought the set of fat quarters from Michael’s with my 50% off coupon, the ribbon came from a thrift store and the muslin lining came from one of my amazing garage sale fabric scores last summer. Total for all of the bags: about $4. I love these so much, I’m thinking of making some for my knitting projects. M thinks they’re pretty cool, too.