Chalk Bag Number 2

 I made a chalk bag for my son's girlfriend. Her request, via my son, was for a Hawaiian-style fabric.

***UPDATE on missing christmas package at bottom of post.

I didn't quite get this done in time to ship (hallalujah! see two previous posts on The Missing Package). I was also sick most of December, finishing out my year with a bad case of bronchitis and flu (and the usual forced overtime which didn't help).

I had made one before in 2010 (!) for my son and the link to the tutorial had broken so I spent most  of November searching for another pattern.

Thankfully, someone else had saved the original tutorial that I liked, and this time, I printed it out to save. The internet is so capricious.

Anyway, most chalk bags patterns are round cylinders with a round bottom. This one is more ovoid-shaped with a gusset. It's narrower because of the gusset. It sits closer to the body.

Oh - for those who don't rock-climb or do gymnastics -- the chalk bag hangs from your climbing belt. You can dip your hand in to chalk up so you don't slip as much. Especially useful in rock climbing gyms. The inner bag cinches up tight to keep the chalk inside of the bag when in storage.

The Happy Face cord lock was bought in Japan

Fortunately, the son and girlfriend drove home for New Year's and I was able to present this, in person, to the girlfriend who wins the very appreciative award. 

I love giving handmade but the properly appreciative recipients get more.

This is the one I made my son, 7 years ago.




These chalk bags are pretty easy to sew - I can get one done in an hour. They require some specialty parts - elastic cording, sturdy grosgrain belting/ribbon, tie strap or something similar.
I saw some newish inspiration while searching for a tutorial online of making them with anime features. Gets  my mind percolating.



***Update on missing Christmas Package. Thursday afternoon we heard some (excuses) words about the parcel lockers. "They appear to have been tampered with."  They did find a package addressed to ds from a while ago. They didn't say from whom.

My question is WHY have no parcel locker keys been given out? And, if someone is tampering with the parcel lockers, why is a package mailed more than two months ago  - not taken? Not given a key either?
Why did it take three weeks to get to this point?

We are still awaiting word on this "Launching a big investigation."

uh-huh.
I read this to mean I will have to go through the claim process to get $50 out of USPS. (priority comes with automatic $50)  --- To buy more fabric and re-make.
On a good note, ds put an offer on a house this week so we won't have to deal with apartment package delivery anymore.

Lunch Sewing

I had today off to sew. There's an overwhelming leaning aspect to the sewing room that keeps me out sometimes. I desperately need a little elf to sort and straighten.
After my doctor's appointment, I did go in and came up with fabrics to sew Ayumi's Lunchbag fairly quickly. Ayumi (aka Pink Penguin) has written other tutorials and she is fantastic at piecing together fabrics if she doesn't have enough. And the fabrics she has are beyond cute in the way she mixes them.

This bag reminds me of the chalk bag I sewed for my son. It also incorporates a drawstring closure to keep the contents in/safe/dry. You should also read the comments for this tutorial post. Several sewists dropped by with their links to the bags they made.

Made December 2010

This is a small bag that can be used in many ways. I plan to sew a couple more as part of my trip gifts (summer trip to Sweden & Finland). Along the way, I will change up some details.

1. The bag bottom was two pieces of fabric sewn together. It can be one piece, embellishments can be sewn prior to construction. The seam on the bottom does make it easier to make a precise box corner.

2. I did sew a touch bigger seam on the lining and this worked perfectly. Sometimes when linings are made the same size as the outer bag, you get a lot of waddage hanging around inside instead of a slim fit within the other.

3. You see the pocket I added? Hidden.  I might add a zip pocket or at least a pocket with a flap. All of my bags have tipped over (overloading - moi?) at one time or another so a flap for the hidden pocket would be good.

4. Some exposed seams on the cover which I would turn under one more time so no fraying threads keep sheering off, bugging me, making me twitchy.

5. The linen I used could be stamped on with a word or two. . . .

I love how easy this was to make. It turned out fabulous with ideas on how to take it to the next level percolating.

Chalk Bag

My next to last Christmas Sewing project was making a Chalk Bag for my son. This bag holds the chalk when you are rock climbing. You hang the bag off your belt and it stays open while you climb. When you need to chalk your hands, you dip your hand in. When you are done, it cinches tight to keep chalk from going everywhere.
Some internet searches via google yielded several results from the  outside fabric to how to cinch it to actual patterns plus instructions. These bags retail anywhere from $25 - 40.
I used this pattern and it worked quite well.

My son liked the Swedish flag motif on one bag(swedish ancestery). I used fabric scraps I bought a few years back (for the airplane cover) from one of my favorite fabric stores in Portland. The outside fabric is a weather-resistant blue fabric and I used a purchased 1/8 yd of bright yellow rip-stop-type fabric for the flag. I searched for Grosgrain ribbon in bright yellow but could not find it wide enough.
For the inside fabric, I used a scrap of the soft fleece I used for the airplane cover that goes over the acrylic windshield. It's a  bit thicker than regular polar fleece but similar. I had several barrel locks in my stash but at the store bought one more because I couldn't remember if I had one. I also found nice sturdy elastic cording. The regular cording at this store was kinda crappy and wouldn't hold up to cinching.

Basically - you want the inner bag to cinch - and the outer bag stays somewhat rigid.
I finished the top with some belting - also bought at RCT and added a elastic loop for holding a brush and two belt loops for the carabiner attachment.
I also placed a piece of plastic boning (or use a plastic cinch strap) at the top to fascilitate the rigid opening.

You definitely want to utilize your 'jeans' sewing machine needles (size 18). There are many layers to this bag.  After sewing too many CD holders and this chalk bag and swearing through multiple needle breakages, I need something soft and delicate to sew next.

Here are some other links to interesting design possibilities for making your own chalk bag:
1. REI
2. Blue Ridge
3. Swedish
4. Petzl