Out with the old...

What do they say...until you try, you don't know what it is you cannot do?  Well, I didn't know that I couldn't put in-seam pockets into a welt seam until I tried to do so on my raincoat.  This process was made a little more complicated by wanting the inside edges all bound because the fabric frays and the coat is unlined.  It has thrown me all off kilter.  I didn't want to keep working on it, but I didn't want to move onto a new project.  Meanwhile, it rained and rained and rained.  Now that it has stopped raining, I have nearly finished... just some flaps and then sewing on the buttons.  It is so hot and muggy here that I am certain some more rain is not far off and I will get to wear it this wet season.

In the meantime, I have done a little procastination sewing...replacing the old and worn with new and bright.  First up, a pin cushion.  The old one didn't have enough stuffing in it and the pins and needles often came out the sides or bottom.  The new one was made following a tutorial by Heather Bailey. Much groovier.

(ps I'm having trouble searching Heather's blog to find the tutorial.  I know it is there somewhere.  You might have to read the whole blog to find it, but that's okay, there is lots of good stuff to distract you on the way.)

Next a soft bag.  The old one has been used so much, the linen on the side you can't see is all torn.  The new one is Amy Butler's Covington Bag.  Only, this new bag is not such a good replacement as it can not hold nearly as much as the old one.  It is a strange pattern, because the lining does not have the pleats that the outer bag has, so it is actually a lot smaller than the bag.  I want a bag to be roomier than it looks, not the other way around.  The top panel is an Amy Butler fabric and the main panel is a canvas from Otilly & Lewis.  I only bought a small piece of canvas because this fabric is ridiculously priced.  At about half price, it was $85 / m.  I just wanted to see what the fuss was about.  It is supposed to be mildew resistant and less prone to fading than other canvases, but at that price, I don't think I will be putting it on my outdoor setting any time soon.  Nice stripes though.