Knitting Project Bag

 My blogging buddy in the UK made a zippered pouch utilizing the Pythagorean theorem
With this method the sides stand straight-up-vertical instead of sloping up towards the zipper.

I ended up with a tall zippy pouch with a somewhat narrow opening that would be perfect for a knitting project bag.

This, of course, was never my intention, as I rarely knit.

But it's tall-ish and has plenty of room for that sweater/shawl plus an outside clear vinyl pocket for knitting stuff.

To offset all that tallness. I added a riveted leather strap and to made the proportions work very nicely.

I cannot re-create this.

On the outside I used some awesome fabric from Ikea - yes! Ikea sells fabric.
The lining fabric is a gospel quilting cotton that I bought too much of for a fabric swap.

The two fabrics pounced on the sunny yellow zip because we're all tired of grey, drizzly days.  (or, the infamous minnesota blizzard, if you're over that way).

For some mid-weight structure, I quilted the inside lining. As I was winging it, I free motion quilted after I attached the zipper. this is not a recommended technique.

Finish measurement is about 9" long x 5" wide x 8" tall.
I didn't add enough sub-structure so my sides don't stand up straight and vertical, but they are.

 And, here it is. In my hand.

And, In my etsy shop, RunningWithHandmade

Fabric Wrapped Rope Bowl

Complete with threads hanging off.

Benta and Janine challenged me to tackle fabric wrapped clothesline bowls.
I dreamed about it.

A red, white & blue bowl....

Actually, they didn't challenge me. They just thought about it. lol

This is how I start my bowls. I wrap it tight into a spiral and push straight pins in to secure.
This particular rope is a cheap one -- $5 for 100 feet, which will make a good sized bowl. It's cotton braided around a styrofoam core. I didn't have any problems sewing on it but I did use a size 14 needle. Anyhoo, my pins won't pierce the styrofoam so I insert them just enough to grab the cotton bits. The pins help to keep the spiral flat while starting the sewing.

I also put a spot of Fraycheck on the end so it doesn't 'fluff' up. You could use any glue.

I make my spiral about 2 inches in diameter and then zigzag around in tight circles and even going back over the initial circles twice and then start going round and round. It's important to have the tail come off on the right hand side so you can zigzag in a continuous spiral.

 I really didn't want to mess with strips of fabric, getting tangled trying to wrap the cording.
And I was right. It is a bother.

So, in my dreams the other night, my bowl was designed with three rounds each of red, white & blue. With the rest of the bowl being the natural cotton clothesline.

I robbed my scrap basket - no real fabric was harmed in the making of this bowl. However, blue became turquoise, because there is no other color of blue in my scrap basket.

And just plain white up to my fabric strip colors felt wrong, so I switched threads and bobbin and put some red into the bottom of this bowl when the base was still flat.

 I really like my knot finish on this bowl too.   Three stripes, three knots?

 Overall, I like this bowl.    I'm not in love with it though.

It feels unwieldy big. And the contrast between the natural white and the fabric colors is more intense. Just using thread feels more modern and trendy.

I do like how the handles were even set off the top.


I can't say that I'm done with these bowls. They are amazingly fast and give such awesome results. They feed my need to make a craft in my small amount of free time. This fabric wrapped bowl took just over two hours. Just using thread is half the time. Big bang for my creativity.


I still need to trim thread tails and this bowl will go on the completed pile.

 My friend in Japan sent me an awesome t-shirt: SEW Elaborately Days - complete with vintage sewing machine.

Last, but not least, Fabric sale tomorrow in the church parking lot (??!!).
I'm gonna take my bike (3 miles into town) so I can behave myself.
With my tiny biking backpack.

hahaahahahahahahahahaha.

Airplane Foundation Piecing

 I made a quilt block for someone here in my small town.

 I say small but apparently my blogger friend in the UK knows two people in my teeny, tiny, town. Benta is one of the most thoughtful sewing people I know and she often shows up in the comments of a blog I follow. - I tend to collect writers and sewists from Oregon. What a small world it is....

This gal I'm making the block for put a call out for blocks from anywhere in the world to make a quilt and I had to join in.

It only took three weeks to happen...ahem.

 I wanted to send her an airplane block.

When I opened my box where I keep certain airplane treasures, I found two blocks from when I last sewed them (Mikey is now nine years old).

This red one is done and just needs the outer sashing. I used a Aunt Grace '30's reproduction fabric. Tickles. An airplane made of airplanes.

 Many years ago, I bought this rubber stamp from ByrdsNestQuiltShop during one of my SewExpo forays.

Because it had an airplane on it.

The stamp is numbered from one to ten.

 It takes nine seams to make this block.

You start with your first fabric right side up over the stamped muslin covering the number one space. Then you place the #2 second piece over that first piece RST and flip it over to sew the seam between #1 & #2. Finger press and sew the third piece down in the same way.

You have to be careful to use a scrap big enough to cover that area and extend out past the seam lines. Lots of scrap wastage.

Foundation piecing differs from paper piecing because you sew through a muslin foundation and sew from the back side. Flipping it over, back to the front, seam on the back.

It's supposedly more accurate than paper piecing, specially at the corners,  but it's all fiddly. I'm happy to make a couple but making enough for an entire quilt? No thank you.

One blue airplane block done.

FYI: This stamp pad is over twenty years old and did wash out from the white (easily).
Stamp makes a 3" square inner image.

Rusty update: He's back in remission on his pancreatitis attack a month ago. He's 14 years old and I think we needed to adjust his pain meds to make him more comfortable. I swear he looked like he was dying a month ago, and now? back to being an old dog.

Airplane Charmer

Benta from SlikStitches offered to send me some airplane charms after I suggested she should. She even offered a swap which I think turned out to be amazing.



Look at all the goodies! 

She has an embroidery machine and took the time to make an airplane tag for me. The guilt free chocolate ( actually minus calories as all calories were expended traveling east to west), a tea towel with bunting on it, a beautiful singer card, and a gorgeous drawstring bag with an airplane charm.






The bag is drawn closed with a "Made in Great Britain" ribbon!

Such a cute detail and one that will make it easy to recall who made me this bag.

The chocolate. We just popped up to 86' Thursday  - that's almost 30' for you guys across the pond.
Needless to say the chocolate had to go visit the fridge while I was away at work yesterday afternoon.
It didn't last long after I arrived home from work. Dinner and all that.

A pop up featherweight Singer sewing machine card.
This is going straight to my sewing room.




Look at the fabric in this bag - too cute with all its retro sewing.







Thank you Benta, This was a lovely swap.

Drawstring Bags

Inspired by Benta, still sewing, with 20 minutes remaining on her recent trip to Ireland...
She cranked out two more bags in that twenty minutes!!!

My two bags took more time then 20.
Since the bag only measures 8" x 10", you can easily make these with fat quarters. 
 I buy yardage 'cuz I'm in no way a cool quilter person.
Svetlana made the tutorial - go make one.

There's an amazing amount of room - four easter egg yarn balls easily fit inside.

The red grosgrain ribbon holds the bag tight but is easily opened.

I used a basic Kona white cotton for my lining. These are lined drawstring bags folks.
My spotted orange came from a little fabric shop in Turku, Finland - just down the street from Finlayson's Department Store.
I just loved the faint checkerboard design covered in random polka dots.
No selvedge name to it either.

While there was a chance of 20 minutes, I thought to sew two at a time.

I hand-stamped the label with a new rummage sale aquisition.
Two  ***complete***  sets of alphabets!
I tossed the other stamps and the dried up stamp pads.

I used instead my washable Crayola purple ink pad that I have had since the kids were littles.
Which is quite amazing as the littles are now 24 & 26 years old.

I set the ink by giving it a good hot press.
I zigzagged closely the orange piece to the white and then used my pinking shears on the white. I then sewed it down with a straight stitch to my drawstring bag front.

I had this bag pinned to my computer as an idea to corral some swap items for Benta but went with the flat zipped pouch instead. Then Hadley made them, and then Benta made them. I got caught up in the madness.
Really - between the day job, yardwork and assorted other little life problems, I needed something fast to sew.
I love all the inspiration found with bloggers who like to sew.