Bazinga

One of my favorite shows is The Big Bang Theory. When TBS is showing eighty-seven episodes in a row I'm all "Yessssssssss!" about it (while my brother would bemoan this and wail "Whyyyyyy?" if he were to be in my presence). Anyhoo, I don't know if you've ever noticed but they have a Rubik's Cube tissue box cover on the end table next to Sheldon's spot. I wanted to make one, and put Google to work to find me some assistance. There are oodles of listings if you want to buy one, but very few if you want to make it yourself. But I found this tutorial at Polish the Stars, gathered my stuff, and set to.

I have been excellent about destashing lately, and didn't want to buy a huge honking amount of yarn in various colors to have most of it left over. In my local craft store, right next to the plastic canvas, they have little 20-yard paper spools of yarn. I bought one of each color, and 2 of the black and had plenty for this. I measured the plastic canvas sizes to see which one I needed, and bought some needles (though yarn needles would have worked fine too).

I ended up using much more red than I should have--it was spun oddly so some parts were thin and others thick, so I wasted a lot looking for even lengths of yarn. Plastic canvas comes in different mesh sizes (like cross-stitch fabric)--I have never used plastic canvas for anything other than to give a firm base to my handbags, so this was a new sort of adventure. I bought one sheet of this size, and it was perfect.

After a few false starts I finally had my rhythm down and this stitched up pretty quickly. I can see why senior citizens like to make things out of this stuff--the holes are large, the needles aren't tiny little things, and projects come together quickly. This took me a few after-work evenings to complete, plopped in front of the TV watching the inspiration show.

I actually used a Rubik's Cube for the placement of the colors so that it would 'work.' In an insanely anal-retentive way it would have bugged me if I had sewn these squares in an order that was not a solvable puzzle. Not that I can even solve these things--I get one row to match and fancy myself a genius. 

I like the sharp contrast the colors have with the black. This was pretty fun to make--I don't know of anything else I could make that wouldn't have that "granny" look to it. though, so this is probably it for my plastic canvas adventures for a while.

My brother even liked it. His exact words were "Is that a Rubik's thing? That's bad ass!" Those words will never be in such close proximity ever again, I'm willing to wager. Oftentimes I want to make something for the sake of making it, but I don't necessarily feel the need to own it, so I gave this to my brother-in-law figuring he could use it in his classroom (plus I rarely make him anything--I think I knitted him a scarf once and that's about it). He got a big kick out of it.

What are some of the quirky things you've made?

Patchwork Totebag Tutorial

Ahoy ahoy! Ready to sew yourself a cute patchwork totebag? You can use scraps, yardage, fat quarters, whatever you've got that you want to use. I finally found one of the Denyse Schmitt fat quarter sets at Joann's,. My coupon made it a sweet price, indeed.

To make this bag as I did you'll need four fat quarters, a half yard for the lining (more if it's a directional fabric), a half yard of fusible fleece, and a piece of plastic canvas to make a rigid bottom (optional). Throw in basic sewing stuff and something to mark with and you're all set. A few rules of thumb: backstitch at the beginning and end of every seam, and we'll be using a quarter inch seam allowance, unless I indicate otherwise (which I will, towards the end).

We're going to prep the lining first--we'll be fusing our fleece to that and the adhesive needs to cool to set properly. Sorry, I was in the zone and forgot to take pictures of this part. Fold your lining fabric from selvage to selvage. Cut two three-inch strips from fold to selvages, and then trim those so they're 25 1/4 inches long. From the rest of the lining fabric you'll need to cut 2 pieces that are 11 3/4 by 12 1/4 inches, and 3 pieces that are 4 3/4 by 12 1/4 inches. Cut the same out of your fusible fleece. Fuse everything according to the directions that come with the fleece. Set those aside to cool.

From your fabric you're using for the outside you'll need to cut the following:

From the fabrics that will make up the front and back panels, cut 2 of each fabric measuring 12 1/4 by 4 1//4 inches. From the fabrics that will make the sides and bottom cut a total of 3 pieces measuring 12 1/4 by 4 3/4 inches. For the pieces that will be the strap cut 2 each of 3 fabrics measuring 8 3/4 by 3 inches.

Take your front panel pieces, and sew the long edges together, right sides facing, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Do the same for the back. Press those seams open.

This next step is very important if you want to make sure the bottom goes in nice and neat. You'll need to make a mark 1/4 inch in from each of the corners that will be at the bottom of the bag.



Take a side piece and one of your patchwork panels, right sides together. Line up the dots, and pin the pieces together. Sew using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, stopping at the dot. Do not sew that wee bit from the dot to the edge. Do the same for the other side piece and patchwork panel, minding the dots. Now take those two pieces (consisting of a side piece and a panel) and sew them together, lining up the dots and all that jazz. You should now basically have a large patchwork tube with tiny unsewn bits at the bottom corners. Press the seams open.

Ready for the next step? Make sure your tube is inside out and get your bottom piece ready. I like to do one side at a time--you could certainly do this in one shot, but I find I can line things up better by doing it as 4 separate seams. To each his own, so do what feels best to you. OK, we're doing the longer sides first. Pin from edge to edge--you'll be flattening that seam a little bit and pushing the side panel out of the way. Pin well. It helps.

Sew from dot to dot. Take your time at the corners and try to keep the side panel out of the way. Repeat for the other long side of the bag bottom. Now you'll do the same for the short sides, except you'll be moving the front/back panels out of the way as you sew the side piece to the bottom. When you're finished your corners should look like this:

Turn it right side out and check your handiwork. If you're not satisfied, pick those seams out and give it another go. You want it to look something like this (minus the stray threads that I just noticed):

Give the bottom seams a press to make it all look tidy. Now we're going to do the lining. Take your front and back panels, and your side and bottom pieces. Make your dots 1/4 inch in from each corner along the bottom, just as before. Sew your side pieces to the front/back panels, stopping at the dots. Sew it all together so you have a large tube, just as before. Press the seams open. Insert the bottom as you did for the outside, sewing all the way around. The fleece can make this part a little more fiddly to work with but good news--if these corners aren't perfect they're tucked down inside the bottom of the bag where no one will see them. You should have a nice sturdy-looking lining when you're finished.

Now for the straps. Take your pieces that you cut for the straps, and sew the short ends together, pressing the seams open. You should have two long strips now.

Place those, right sides together, against your lining strips, and sew the long sides together. You should have two loooooong tubes.

Turn those inside out. You might be thinking "Oooo Bethany, you big jerk, making me turn a skinny tube." But I assure you it's not that bad. Once you've got them right side out give them a nice press, and topstitch at whatever point you like (I did 1/4 inch in, just because).

Take your exterior bag, right side out. Pin your straps, lining up, centering the ends on the end pieces of your front and back panels. Make sure they're not twisted.

I placed mine so that the strap would contrast with the bag when I was finished.

Stitch these down 1/4 inch from the edge. I always go over the straps a few times, for peace of mind.

We're almost there. Place your lining and your exterior together, one inside the other, right sides facing. Pin all around the top. We are going to leave a gap between the stripes on one of the panels.

Sew around the top, minding the gap, using a 3/8 inch seam allowance. Reach inside and turn the bag right side out, shoving the lining down inside the bag.

If you're inserting the plastic for a rigid bottom, cut a piece that is approximately 11 1/4 inches by 4 inches (check to make sure it's not too large). Make sure the edges of the plastic are smooth. I also like to round the corners slightly so they're not as pointy. Put this through the gap we left in the top, and place it in the bottom between the outside and the lining. When I first made this bag I was concerned that the corners would poke through in no time, but after four years of heavy use they haven't.

Neaten everything up at the top of the bag, pinning everything in place. Fold in the raw edges of the gap, and give those a little press in addition to pinning. Now we'll topstitch it all in place. I did my first line at 1/8 inch in from the edge, which is about the closest I can get that doesn't stress me out.

I added a second line of stitching 3/8 from the edge (so 1/4 inch from the first line). When I leave a gap at the top of a bag instead of at the bottom I like to add an extra row of top-stitching for an extra little bit of security. Give it a final press. Then strut around with it, just because.

Inserting a bottom like this isn't something I do often. I usually use the triangle method to make a flat bottom. But this method works really well when you want a contrasting bottom in your bag. It also works well if you want to make something like these milk crate covers where the inset piece is pretty large. I've tried to not mark the dots and leave that wee gap, and I always end up with pleated corners that don't all look the same, so those dots are very key to a neat inset bottom.

As ever, if you find something I goofed or have any questions, please let me know. As with all my tutorials, feel free to sell the finished product (though I would appreciate a touch of credit and a link-back if you blog about it). Happy sewing!

My Very First Bag

Wanna see the very first bag I sewed? I had been sewing for a few months and really wanted to make something out of this adorable cowboy fabric I had seen at my local craft store. It took what felt like forever to put together, and I had to sew the lining to the bag three times (because I didn't know where the handles were supposed to go so I kept sewing them in-between the lining and the exterior), but I got it. I've used this bag for over four years now--I lug my lunch, water, current read, etc. to work in it.  It's finally starting to look a little worse for wear...

I used a bandana for the red bits and felt like a genius for doing so. The little cowboys and girls have that wonderful vintage look that I love. I'm keeping this forever and am going to use it to hold my other firsts that are beyond practical usage but very nice for purposes of nostalgia.

It's still completely usable but it is looking a little bit grungy...especially since the red bandana got wet at some point or another and bled everywhere.

This weekend I made myself a new one, and I'm starting the tutorial for it as soon as I publish this post. It's the tutorial I mentioned in this post on how to do an inset bottom (it gives your bag a flat bottom but not by doing it this way or this way). I'll have it up for you this weekend :) Here's a sneak-peek of the finished product--I used a more...mature fabric this time.

I used four fat quarters for the outside and the straps (with a bit left over) and a half yard for the inside and straps (with none left over). I also used about a half yard of fusible fleece, and a piece of plastic canvas to give the bag a rigid bottom (that part is optional). Come back Sunday for the complete how-to!

Corduroy Patchwork Bag

When we were down the shore in August we were in this cute little boutiquey shop that sold all kinds of handmade goodies. There was a handbag there that my sister admired. She didn't want to drop the dough on it (her shopping list now includes diapers and formula, which don't come cheap) so she said, and I quote word for word here, "I'm just going to let Bethany make it for me." Reread that. She's going to let me make it. Ummmm....ok. My other sister is going to let me make her a leather bag once I educate myself and assess my sewing machine for leather-working capabilities.

I took my time with this one. As I finished a part of it I walked away and came back to it. I tend to marathon-sew, which lends itself to tiredness and frustration (and mistakes). It took me four evenings to make this, but only because I was figuring things out as I went. If I made it again it would take two evenings, max. Wanna see it?

The version she saw was made of a burlap type of fabric, but way too tightly woven to be burlap. I could find nothing similar, but there aren't many fabrics that are more fall/winter than corduroy. So I went with a fine-wale corduroy that felt almost as light as quilting cotton.

I varied the direction of the wales to give it some textural interest...or something. I took my time and was super precise with the patchwork bits so that all the squares were even and neat. I didn't want there to be a bunch of seams on the bottom, but I also wasn't in the mood to do an inset bottom, so I sewed a few strips of gray to the bottom, and did the squished triangle method of creating a flat bottom. Wow, I just used the word 'bottom' four times in one sentence.

I made a sample corner on some scraps to make sure my measurements were correct. I tend to overthink and then "correct" something that was just right. It came out just the way I wanted it to. There's a piece of plastic in the bottom (I use plastic canvas cut to size) to keep everything from sagging.

The version she saw in the shop didn't have the black band around the top, but I like the contrast it gives. I also didn't want there to be stress on a bunch of seams if it was patchwork all the way up with the drawstring running over them. I've never sewn a strap tab onto the side of a bag like this, so that was a first. A very fiddly first since I did them a step or two later than I normally would have.

There's not a spot on the fabric up there, even though it looks like it. Just needed to put that out there. I found a great gray fabric for the lining at Joann's--not really a solid, but not a print. Just enough something to it to give it a little oomph. The inside has the usual--slip pockets on one side, and zip pockets on the other. It may be my finest zip pocket ever.

I was also going to do a zipper closure but once the drawstring was cinched I didn't know if one would be interfering with the other. So I went with a mag snap. Sometimes they aren't desirable (though oh-so-simple), especially if a bag is kind of shallow. This bag was perfect for it.

There are a gazillion and seven tutorials (give or take) on how to insert magnetic snaps, and the packages usually come with directions. When I do mine I fuse a small square of fleece to the wrong side of the lining where the snap will go. Once inserted, I don't spread the prongs in different directions. I squeeze them towards each other over the back of the snap. To get an extra bit of pinch I use pliers and protect the snap surface with a fleece scrap. I then place another square of fleece over the back of the snap, and sloooooowly stitch a square around the snap (see just above), and then trim any excess. To my mind this makes it a bit more secure. I once had a snap come out of a bag I had made for someone (talk about horrified!) and started doing them this way. I haven't had any issues since (and maybe I wouldn't have anyway), but at the very least the weight of the bag isn't directly on the snap but on the stitching.

It's funny--I put this off and put this off...and put this off. I was nervous about replicating something, even though it's basically a boxy patchwork bag with a flat bottom and some hardware. I certainly didn't want to rip a bunch of stitches out of anything--have you ever tried to rip stitches out of corduroy? Not even a little fun. But I couldn't be more pleased with this. While it's interfaced and sturdy, it's not stiff and structured. The fabric is soft and warm looking, and while it is a pretty basic bag, the hardware steps it up a little bit.

Want to see the original that caught her eye? My version is a little taller, but all in all I don't think I did too bad.

What do you think??? Pure honesty is A-OK and preferable to the alternative, which will give me a false sense of awesomeness :)

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Comments

You folks leave me so many wonderful comments. When I'm all "Waaahhh" about something you're all "There, there." When I'm all "Guys, I think this is a major fail" you're all "No! I love it!" A well-timed, well-worded comment truly brings a smile to my face. And then there are the comments that don't get published (yeah, I exercise control over that). But in the interest of total honesty I thought I'd share a few with you, just so you can see what I get to ponder behind the scenes. You're welcome :)

Wow! Two hours of surfing and you found nothing better than the post where I ask for prayers and/or money? Clearly you're doing something wrong...

Four hours? Wow. Ask the guy up there for help and you can cut your browsing inefficiency in half.

Nothing much to this comment. Until you read their webpage. I do have an annoying co-worker this might work on, bwahahahahaha.

Awww, genuinely fastidious. Of course.

Really? Fastidious used twice? Eyes on your own papers, people!

 I always watch out for brussels, too. As in the sprouts. Blech.

You hear those crickets chirping too, right?

Just keepin' it real, yo.

Preppy Pleated Bag of Ugh

Ahoy ahoy! Did you know that 'ahoy' was the recommended way to answer the telephone when it was first invented? Saw it first on The Simpsons, saw it again on The Big Bang Theory,  so you know it's spot-on accurate. Anyway, I decided to make myself a bag for the winter. I have one that I've used for a few years now (and still receive compliments on), but it's more fall-inspired and I wanted something new. I butted in front of my sister on the to-do list figuring that if I left myself until last it'd never get done, but if I put her last I sure wouldn't let her down. I should have not done that, as I think karma was wagging its little finger at me going "Tsk, tsk, selfish selfish!"

Honestly? I don't know when I've ever had so much trouble making a bag before, especially a bag I've made more times than I can count. It was kind of embarrassing. It's almost as though it did not want to be brought into existence, and was fighting tooth and nail to stay folded in its plastic bin instead of being cut and stitched. Shall we review the issues? Let's!

Before I even touch on the stitch issues, let me just say that I sat to sew and was out of brown thread. This is maybe the third project I have not had thread for. I've apparently reversed my former ways--instead of having seven of a weird color for no apparent reason I am down to a bobbin's worth of some. What is that? I'm just going to revert to my old ways and buy too much thread. It's better than speeding off to the shop in a tizzy and starting a project already annoyed. OK, onward.

First, the bag was supposed to be plaid. I agonized for about an hour over the brushed cotton that I thought would be just right--not too flannel shirty, not too...flannel shirty. That was pretty much the only requirement. I found one that was brown, cream, and just enough pink to have some color to it without it being dominant. The bag ended up being decidedly NOT plaid as the fabric was woven crooked. At first I thought it was because I had a headache when I was cutting out the pieces, but nope, crooked fabric. I tried to make it work, because I'm overly optimistic about my skills to make crooked things look straight, but nah. So it ended up being houndstooth. Which I still insist on calling herringbone.

I had just the right amount of this and the brown in my stash to make this bag. Those side elastic-top pockets? Had to redo those about three times. What I thought was a notch in the pattern piece wasn't, it was just a nick in the paper. Then I measured from the incorrect notch. Then I measured incorrectly again. It was at that point I started truly cursing the bag. It was really bad. I should be ashamed of the things I said. I didn't have enough to cut the piping fabric on the bias, so that didn't want to cooperate either. It was only twice that part had to be done. At this point I think I uttered "If you don't start following directions you will never be seen. Never." I think it laughed at me.

Thank heavens for the lining. The inside of the bag is so me, and such a fun surprise when you unzip the top. The zipper pocket was sewn to the wrong side initially--glad I didn't cut the slit where the zipper goes. If I had done that, I seriously would have trashed the whole thing from frustration. Who, me have a temper? No way. But the inside is so worth it.

This is a huge bag, but I tend to cram so much stuff into mine that it'll be nice to not walk around with something completely overstuffed with junk. The outside pockets will be great for phone and keys, and the inside pockets for whatever else. The outside of the bag is actually kind of plain:

It's a great example of why I shouldn't sew when I have a bit of a migraine. I would normally not  have chosen a small-scale print like this for such a large bag (I am quite pleased with the contrasting handles though). I have been online and in the shops much more than could possibly be healthy, and I have not seen a single fabric that stands out and says "Oh yes, I AM the one." Oddly, though I say this bag looks bland, my bag last winter was bland too. It was one of those brown shearling bags with what looks like wool poking out of the seams. This one needed SOMEthing extra, so I found this pin in my stash of stuff, and it gives it just enough color now to break things up.

I left it hanging in the dining room so I could see it with fresh eyes in the morning. It looks much better with a pop of color. I was thinking a red crochet rosette would look good, but then thought it might look too fallish. I'm not fully in the mindset of warm wooly-looking tweed-like fabrics so I think I will appreciate this much more when the weather turns cold.

With all the frustration it ended up being worth it, but I need to put it away and forget about it until I'm ready to use it. It's like I have handbag cabin fever. I'll love it. But after it gets away from me for a few minutes. I wonder if that's why when I make a bag for me it has to be a quickie...maybe I'll get so tired of it before it's done I won't want to use it... Hmmm..... something to ponder.

On the other hand--I have figured out exactly what I'm doing for my sissie's bag--corduroy patchwork and grommets. I hope the stitchery gods take pity on me and make it easy breezy. Everyone cross their fingers!