But what has it got in its pocketses, eh?

Post 20 of 21 in the series, "Why I Haven't Blogged in Over Six Months"

Sometime this past summer, I got a call from a good friend of mine who needed help constructing some sort of pocket to cover up the damage her dog had done to a chair that belonged to her landlord. She managed to find some material that matched close enough and we got to work. Here's what we came up with...



This was actually a learning experience because when I started sewing on the fake leather we were using, the foot of the sewing machine kept sticking to it and making the stitches wonky. I remembered reading in one of my trusty sewing books that you could use cooking oil or non-stick cooking spray (like Pam) in this situation. I was pretty nervous about trying it because it just seemed wrong but we were getting desperate. To our amazement, as soon as we smeared some oil along the edge of the material where I was stitching, the machine pulled it right through without any problems. We actually screamed with excitement- a sewing victory! Yay!

Anyway, our end result wasn't perfect but it was adequate. The pattern was mostly improvised but partially inspired by a similar project on page 266 of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts: Basic Techniques for Sewing, Applique, Embroidery, Quilting, Dyeing, and Printing, plus 150 Inspired Projects from A to Z.

Hobo Bag (Work in Progress)

Post 14 of ? in the series, "Why I Haven't Blogged in Over Six Months"



This is another project out of the book Simply Sublime Bags: 30 No-Sew, Low-Sew Projects, by Jodi Kahn. I bought this book because it included fun projects to make out of unusual items. This bag was supposed to be made from a zippered pillowcase so that you don't have to worry about sewing in a zipper. Since I've conquered most of my zipper phobias I decided to cheat and use some fabric I found in the remnants pile at the fabric store instead. I also wanted to include a lining and some pockets (which would have been a terrifying concept about a year ago but now, totally doable). Once I got the whole thing put together, I realized that the bag could really use a gusset (to make it flat enough on the bottom to be able to sit upright on its own) and a longer strap. I have yet to make these alterations and the current strap is still just pinned in place (which, at least, will make it easier to fix). I feel like I'm on the right track with this one but for some reason I ran out of motivation. It got shelved and I had almost forgotten about it but I happened to stumble upon it while looking for something else. I do plan on finishing this bag but probably not until next year.