2 posts tagged “box bag”

I don't know why this has suddenly become a crafts blog, but it's better than me complaining about my PhD!  So here are more crafts.

Some zippered pouches specifically made to hold peanut butter and jelly sandwiches:

Green Elephants

And some zippered pouches for another June birthday:

August Fields Pouches

I am annoyed that there is some pulling at the edge of those pouches.  I think I should have used a ball tipped needle instead of a sharp needle.  The ball tipped will push the fabric aside instead of ripping right into it and causing yucky pulling, letting the white backing show through.  The fabric has quite a sheen to it.  I should have known!  Oh well.

And finally, something for ME.  I really like this fabric--maybe because I was born in the year of the Rooster?  And...I have a French name?  It's by Alexander Henry and it's called "Le Coq de Granville."  I don't really care for the other fabrics in the Granville line, but I really like this one.  There's also a version in a family of reds, which I have but I don't like as much as the blues.

Roosters!

I know the lighting isn't that great, and them more I use my little Canon point and shoot, the more I want a SLR, but I thought it came out pretty well.  I decided to line it again (like the one I made for Irene's birthday) and this time it was MUCH easier and less of a pain in the ass.  I figured out some more efficient ways to sew things and it made it more of a pain-free process so I think I see more lined box bags in the future.  They are so useful!  I made this one to hold my earrings/limited jewelry.  This way it makes it easy for me to cart them around.

I like the tiny tag I made for the side opposite the zipper pull.  Some how, the stitching came out just right so that it is practically flush with the top stitching on either side of the zipper.  I love when stuff like that works out.

In other news, a plant that a friend gave me to take care of suddenly became INFESTED with tiny tiny thingies.

Creepy

Happy Birthday, Irene!  Here is your new HUGE zippered tote bag! 

My friend Irene's birthday is today and here is the birthday craft that I made for her, like a little tote elf.  Thank you Amy Butler for making your gorgeous "August Fields" prints.  I HEART this print.  It's difficult to tell in the photo, but the fabric is beautiful, and has a pretty little sheen to it and it is home decor weight canvas.

Huge!

Those fabric lined straps??  Hells yes they are.  WHOA NELLY were they annoying and painstaking.  There was a lot of ripping out and starting over, but I was able to pull through by basting the edges of the cotton webbing together, and then making a 1 inch bias tape from the fabric, and then sewing that onto the webbing.  It was a lot of work, but I love the results.  I have to admit, each time I make a bag, it's that much better.  This time I learned lots of new things.  Number one, how to make an internal zipper pouch:

Basically, I followed the link, but I think there is a better way to do it, somehow incorporating the zipper between the liner and the pocket itself but this worked for now.  I like how the pattern of the pouch is hidden on the inside.  What a nice surprise when you unzip!

Lots of pockets, which I lined with the outside fabric, and also positioned it so that the top of the pockets would have a sneak peak, almost like piping.  The pockets were stitched with RAINBOW thread.  It was really fun to use.  Because, duh, rainbows are fun:

Pockets!

And I like how I was able to match the top so that the pattern of the fabric is continuous with the zipper.  I didn't start to do this on purpose when I cut the fabric, but when I realized I could orient them that way, I was pretty excited.  Look at that INTENSE zipper!  Bad ass durability.

Matchy

Why are all these pictures date stamped?  Because I used my mom's camera because mine was out of battery power.  Also, I am WAY too lazy to get rid of them.  Let's focus on the crafts, and not the quality of the pictures, people.

I also tried my hand at making a lined box bag.  It was a little bit of a debacle because I ended up sewing the bag SHUT without anyway of turning it inside out, but then I figured it out, ripped a hole, flipped the entire thing inside out and blind-stitched the bottom.  It came out okay!  I kind of wish I made the bag fatter because I think it would be cuter like that, but this works:

I added a little hem-tape tab to the back so that there's something to hold onto when you zip it closed.  There's also a small handle on the other side.

All in all, a really good learning experience and great practice sewing.

I'm off to my first ever DUCKPIN BOWLING.