Some Domestic Sewing - Market Bags

This morning I stood at door to my sewing room and sighed. I don't even feel comfortable showing you a picture of it. I am determined to look at everything before it is put away so setting up my sewing room is quite a task.
There is no rush though and I am quite enjoying finding 'lost' projects or fabrics that were bought for a particular project that was never started. I have a lot of little projects that need attention as I go through the boxes.

Yesterday it was a tiny triangle thread catcher that was fabric triangles with wadding. I stitched it up and still have to put two more buttons on it. When I finish it it will go on my bedside table to hold my earring studs when I take them off before bed. I don't always wear earrings but I hate it when they roll of the table before I get to put them back in the jewellery case.

Now for a market bag.

Today I came across the curtain fabric samples that I bought cheap from a curtain shop. I made one market bag from them years ago. Now, instead of putting them in a box, I am making more bags. I have finished one and the second one is ready to be sewn. There is more that I haven't cut off, hanging in the wardrobe but I think that can wait until my sewing room is tidy.

I used a green bag to get an approximate size. I was able to cut off a 4" strip for the handles. My rectangles for each side of the bag are 59cm wide by 41cm down. I used two pieces wrong sides together for each side to make it really strong.

I pressed each short handle piece in half, opened it out, then pressed the edges into the centre and folded it down the centre again. I opened it out then stitched each strip together to make one long strip. I then folded it as I stitched the open edge then the folded edge. I used 233 cm of handle strip. This is a standard way to make handles.

I stitched the bottom seam with two rows. I then turned down 2.5cm across each top edge and stitched it down 14cm in from each side. The side sections will get turned down after I do the side seams.

I layed out the handle strip so it went all the way around and joined up under the bottom of the bag. Between the outside edges of the handles measured 21cm and the length of the handle sticking over the top of the bag was 38cm so I could get two handle sets out of my strip.
(There is not much table space in my room at the moment!)

I stitched from the top of the bag, stitching a square before starting down one side of the handle. I stitched a square at the other end and stitched up the other side of the handle. I then finished the other handle section the same.

I then stitched the side seams and finished the top facing.

I decided to bag it to make a 4" base. I zig zagged over the first row of stitching just to make the corners a bit stronger. I also left the corner untrimmed so if the stitching does give way there isn't a hole in the bag.

To give it some nice definition I stitched each fold at the corners and I also stitched along the bottom folds.

Strong enough to hold a watermelon. It is on the bench here but I did test it out.

I need to make one for the doll too :)

This market bag is part of my year of gentle domesticity. I thought Jenny over at Jenny of Elefantz had a great idea to focus on the home this year.

Happy Quilting and Crafting,

Val

Easy Binding and a Sandy Intruder

As I go through my sewing room boxes I am finding all sorts of things. 

Yesterday I had an orphan block from the second quilt I started. I decided I didn’t really like the fabric so it wasn’t worth finishing a big quilt. I put together some of the blocks and started making a smaller quilt. This block is a left over. I have backed it and bound it to put under my overlocker.

I used the simple method of joining the binding for the first time. It worked like a dream.

Here it is on You Tube.

I overlapped the binding tails and put a mark in the same place on each one on the raw edge instead of putting in a pin. I then cut off a short piece from the end and used it to measure and mark two points past the first marks instead of using a ruler. I cut off at the two new marks.

You still have to think as you put the ends right sides together and at right angles but it is so easy.

Another thing I tried today was a new thing at the corners. I stitched along to 1/4" from the corner then with needle down I turned the project so I stitched out to the corner and backstitched then pulled it out and did the corner as usual.

Angling out to the corner rather than stitching straight to the edge seems to make the corner mitre better. I usually struggle with the mitre but they all turned out great with no particular fiddling.

Most of my sewing is still doll clothes. I have the open neck blouse with the convertible collar almost ready to publish.

I have only had the Christmas tree up for a week and hope to put it away in the next day or two. I used every decoration that I had and I think it turned out really nice. Those are the last of my birthday flowers. They have lasted a really long time. My daughter had them delivered on my birthday. Such a lovely surprise. The other daughter had a parcel sent from T2 with my favourite things.

There was a little canister wrapped in the tissue paper.

If you have been looking at my blog you will know I have recently moved to the sea side. When we lived on country acreage I always kept a net with a long handle for toads and snakes. I brought it with me but I wasn't expecting crabs! I had to chase this little fellow outside. He is about 2" wide. Little, but he kept sticking his big claw up at me. I didn't use the net. An egg flip did the trick because he was near the door.

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year for 2015.

Happy Quilting and Crafting,

Val

Sewing Buddy

I have been sewing and drawing designs in my craft room a lot lately. Stumpy has his new mat to sit on behind my machine but sometimes he just has to get a bit closer.

From the same basic pattern I have made a dress and a sweatshirt. It is a lot of fun seeing what I can create.

Happy Quilting and Crafting,

Val

Creating some images for my blog header

I wanted to add some nice colour to my Doll Design blog so I played with inserting pretty fabric looking images inside the line drawings of my designs.

I normally use Fireworks for this type of thing. I find it easy to use without to many features that I don't need.

This is how they look. Pretty cute, I thought. In Fireworks you copy the floral image then 'paste inside' the drawing outline.

I figure a lot of people use Photoshop so I looked up how to do this in Photoshop. It is a whole new language for me! Not sure I want to swap to photoshop. My understanding is that it does do more than Fireworks but it is mainly for photo editing. I suppose if I want to make some nice marketing photos for my doll patterns I need to look at it.

Anyway, to do this in Photoshop you need to draw your vector shape on one layer. Get an image on another layer. With the image layer above the drawing layer, right click the image layer and select 'Create clipping mask'.

I haven't quite finished the blog header but I put up what I got done the other day because I really liked the look of it. Better than white space, anyway. I will finish soon.

I am still sewing lots of doll clothes. This time last year I was making a little Christmassy sewing things every day of December. I got 22 done. See my blog archive for Dec 2103. Scroll down to 23rd Dec where they start. I looked through them all and the gnomes are my favourite.

I made this bright little dress yesterday. The white bib is stitched on top of the bodice. I can see a lot of potential here for different shape front pieces sewn on rather than pieced. I am also playing with pleats so this skirt is pleated rather than gathered.

Why not visit my Doll Designs blog to see my latest pattern and check out my blog header.

Merry Christmas,
Val