3.2.10

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.

4 comments:

Bernice said...

Nice pincushion - looks like a great size. But you'll have to make another. I find I can't operate without 2 - I need an 'inbox' in the 'pinning area' and an 'outbox' in the 'sewing area'. Thanks for the distraction. I have an enormously ridiculous amount of work to do tonight and am having trouble maintaining concentration and enthusiasm. Just popped over for a quick visit!

Samantha said...

Love your new bag, but I also like the old one, what is the pattern of the old one?

katherine h said...

Hello Samantha Jane,

The old bag was not made from a pattern. It is just 2 rectangles sewn together with a couple of stitching lines in the corners to give the "paper bag" bottom. Same thing for the lining, with a strap sandwiched in between. To make the main rectangles of fabric, I made a sampler of remnants using different embellishment techniques (gathering, ruching, pin-tucking, fraying etc).

Mary Nanna said...

lovely work - those pin cushions look great, as do the bags.

I was wondering how you were getting on with the raincoat. My attempts had me swearing I'd rather just shell out and buy one .. but time plays funny tricks on the brain - like childbirth you forget the pain and as our rainy season approaches I'm starting to wonder whether I might have another go this year...

Looking forward to seeing yours when you resolve the pockets issue-