Need: A lunchbag for work
Requirements:
- Large enough to accommodate the storage containers we use in our kitchen, which are wide, shallow, and stackable.
- Does not need to maintain temperature.
- Needs to have sturdy handles
- Whimsical design
Issue: After checking local shops and online, I did not find a bag meeting these specifications
Solution: Make the bag myself using materials on hand
Materials
Bubble wrap (a ton of it came with Christmas packages!)
Scrap yarn (odds and ends from the bottom of my yarn basket)
Ribbon (formerly tied around a box of cookies)
Transparent nylon thread
Tools
Iron
Ironing board
Parchment paper
Sewing machine
Scissors
Guidance from: Etsy’s Fusing Plastic Bag tutorial
I fused 4 layers of bubble wrap total and sandwiched it with scrap yarn to make the fabric for my new lunch bag. I used three shades of scrap yarn to give it a “hip” look. The iron was on the highest setting possible, but because I did not pop the bubble wrap ahead of time it took a lot of time to iron it flat. Parchment paper kept it from sticking to the iron or the ironing board. I love the cellular look the bubble wrap gave the bag.
The main body of the bag is one large rectangle, and the sides are two smaller rectangles. I used transparent thread to attach the handles (reinforcing as much as I could) before sewing the sides together. The transparent thread allows the focus to stay on the bag than the edges.
I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and it has worked out brilliantly. Just the right size!
Lessons learned
- Pop the bubble wrap ahead of time
- This was really fun and took less time than expected
- I might fuse additional plastic to the base of the bag next time to give it additional stability
Project: Sparkling up a thrift store skirt then designing a handkerchief skirt to wear with it.
Starlight Parade
After finding a pretty pink and purple skirt at one of my neighborhood thrift stores, I used my sewing machine to attach sequin trim. Use sharp needles and be prepared to swap in fresh ones! Attaching the trim was time consuming because there was a lot of hem to bling-ify, but it was pretty straightforward to tack it on with a zig-zag stitch. Some of the tutorials I reviewed called for a straight stitch, but it was too tricky to keep the sequins lined up under the foot for me to use a straight stitch. The zig-zag stitch casts a wider net so as long as the stitch made it over some part of the sequin I was happy. I am seriously considering getting a sequin foot for my sewing machine because I know I will have future projects that call for sequin trim.
The skirt was worn in the Starlight Parade, where my troupe had gone gypsy to blend in with the other dancers. We were asked to be as shiny as we could because we needed to stand out in the night. I wore lots of junk jewelry because I am notorious for dropping things and do not want to lose any of my good jewelry. We all wore gold streamer belts and wove glow-in-the-dark necklaces into our hip scarves so we could sparkle even more.
Two and a half miles of walking and dancing later, we still shone, albeit wearily. Confidentially, it is more exhausting to wait for the sun to go down and the parade to start than it is to walk the parade route, as we had to be in place hours earlier. The great thing about being part of this parade is that it is the closest I will ever get to being in the Main Street Electrical Parade, and the crowds are awesome!
I was so enamored with my new skirt that I wanted something to go with it. I found a couple of yards of a sheer fabric at SCRAP not long ago, and it was sitting in my stash waiting to be incorporated into a project. The colors looked nice together, so I went with it. I used this accent overskirt tutorial from Sheikhani as a jumping off point. Since I didn’t have enough fabric to make 8 equal sized squares as the pattern calls for, I went with squares of varying size. Here is an approximation of how I cut my 60″ wide fabric:
Both skirts + coin belt
I also cut a casing for the waistband using black fabric leftover from making the coin belt. Once all of the pieces were cut out, I used my serger to hem the edges, carrying a shiny pink thread along with the regular thread. I sewed a sequin-like banded trim onto the bottom two edges of each diamond, then I arranged and pinned the pieces along the waistband. I am glad that I tried it on before sewing it together because the larger diamonds needed to be trimmed down so I wouldn’t trip over them. After the diamonds were sewn to the waistband, I closed the waistband casing, leaving an opening to thread the elastic.
I am really pleased with the effect of the layered skirts! These were really easy projects to complete, too. Sewing the trim onto the thrift store skirt took about an hour, and sewing the handkerchief overskirt took a little over three. Hooray for new costume pieces! I am really getting into sewing for belly dance costumes – better make room in my closet for more!
Indy’s been having trouble with separation anxiety lately, which means coming home to puddles on the floor. We are literally scouting the house for messes when we get home, and at least half the time we are finding them. This is part of the reason he is going to doggie daycare now.
Unfortunately for Indy, we still need to leave him alone from time to time, so I looked into doggie diapers. Aaron thinks this is quite undignified, but agreed that we need to do something about it. Most of the things I found online are harnesses that hold baby diapers, and I’m not quite ready to drop $$ on something when I am not sure if it will work. A number of the things I found didn’t look like they would fit a greyhound’s physique well, either.
Enter the belly band. Apparently a number of greyhound organizations send their adopted male dogs home with these to alleviate the problem of marking and house training. I found an online tutorial to make them (thank you One Pearl Button!), Aaron donated a T-shirt, and off we went. It only took about an hour to cut and sew together, and I really like that the whole thing is washable and doesn’t require an investment in environmentally unfriendly baby diapers to complete the ensemble.
I’m going to let him wear it around the house a bit while we are home to get him used to it, and hope that it does the trick next time we have to leave him alone for a couple of hours. If it works, I will probably make a few more.
Tutorial:
www.onepearlbutton.com/2009/05/tutorial-doggie-belly-band…
I got a super cute "Tech Girl" t-shirt for Christmas that was kind of big on me, and I didn’t want to banish it to pajama land.
I’ve made a couple of T-shirts before (short and long sleeve) and the end results were less than desirable.
After doing a bit of reading and looking at lots of pictures, I finally mustered up the courage to try it again.
I was very disciplined about it instead of cutting and sewing on the fly like I usually do. Even used the dressmakers chalk! Spent a fair amount of time adjusting thread tension, which was interrupted by a drastic need to clean out the lint below the feed dogs. Basted, tried it on, seam ripped, re-basted, and frequently ran to the full length mirror in the other room to check my work.
Finally got it how I wanted it, and finalized the seams. Should have been a bit more industrious and used the serger for the final seams, but adjusting serger thread tension is more of a pain than adjusting the sewing machine.
Very happy with the results, and it has given me the courage to try it again!
I am really pleased with how this turned out. I have several sets of bamboo handles that I have pillaged from purses with non-salvagable bodies, this terrifically gaudy vintage gold buckle, and crazy amounts of beautiful brocade and upholstery fabric that I’ve been wanting to use.
Self-designed pattern with a solid plastic base sewn into the lining. Magnet clasp. Perfect for dinner or a night out!
Trying to be in the studio as frequently as possible, but balancing that with a need for quiet time, so knitting at home frequently as well. The skull lace curtains I started a few months ago are picking up steam and I might get them done soon. I’ve been working on several custom order projects recently, including a messenger bag and a fitted leather vest for a friend’s wedding.
Picked up a case of Viso Will last week, which does wonders for my motivation. Caffeine conquers all.
Materials
I fused 4 layers of bubble wrap total and sandwiched it with scrap yarn to make the fabric for my new lunch bag. I used three shades of scrap yarn to give it a “hip” look. The iron was on the highest setting possible, but because I did not pop the bubble wrap ahead of time it took a lot of time to iron it flat. Parchment paper kept it from sticking to the iron or the ironing board. I love the cellular look the bubble wrap gave the bag.
