Wahahaha hardly! But I’m having fun trying. I did eventually finish those bean bags(thanks Jules & Zelda for the peas & lentils ideas) As predicted though, the boys were more interested in lobbing them at each other &, shock horror, at me! And Master 1 has a deadly accurate aim! After several attempts to demo what they could alternatively be used for (stacking, matching,making stepping stones & bridges etc – Thanks again Jules) I have put them in the bottom of the toy box under a few things. Ok, a lot of things! I’ll wait for sunnier days so we can take them outside for more “boy play”.
There were more than just these ones…seems a few have found legs & wondered off somewhere!
I trawled Pinterest for some other ideas on what I could practice my sewing on & found a really easy bib I thought even I couldn’t muck up. Turns out I was wrong, I could indeed muck it up!And I did, although only slightly. Seems it’s pretty important to cut fairly exactly straight with ALL pieces so everything lines up & you don’t unintentionally miss sewing a layer & end up with holes in the seams…who knew!?! Lesson learnt! It also pays to follow the instructions pretty accurately!As I went to make the link to the site I got the pattern off, I realised I didn’t ACTUALLY do anything she suggested! My bad! Looks like I was supposed to sew around the edge & use bias tape to cover the seams, instead I sewed the back sides together & then turned it right side out…hmmm I’m thinking pattern crossover happened along the way. See, that’s why it’s important to follow directions!!
2 have a vinyl layer between 2 cotton layers & the third has a toweling layer. Gotta practice it all right? (ps the vinyl layer was a bitch to sew!)
I found some really awesome place mats at the opshop that I just had to use somehow! Why not another waterproof bag you ask?hmmm good idea…turns out I managed to misread something somewhere along the way & ended up with the seams of the lining on the wrong side! Still usable just not all that professional looking, but I’m happy I got the zip almost perfect (even after only a few practices with zips I can say they aren’t a favourite of mine!)
No strap this time…purely because yours truly was too busy multitasking & overlooked it! Yes, sewing, drinking a cup of tea & watching The Glee Project is definitely multitasking!
Feeling rather chuffed with myself at this point I attempted to tackle my first bag…a Bohemian Banana Bag from One Yard Wonders.
Isn’t it pretty?
I chose fabric I liked that was cheap & followed the directions pretty well I thought. Although I ended up with the pattern of the lining upside down (next time I’ll go with a solid colour fabric without a pattern! AND one with pictures, I could not work out what the devil they wanted me to do with the lining!) and the realisation I probably should have done the zip much earlier instead of right at the end like the book said to. Slightly lop sided but still usable, & the pattern is growing on me!
Just when you think I would be done for the week (actually about 3 but what’s a couple of weeks between friends right?) my SIL thoughtfully cut out a pattern from the Australian Woman’s Weekly for me.
I secretly think she was pissing herself laughing at the thought of me attempting this…hey that was my first reaction too if I’m honest! *wink* But I soldiered on & blew up the given pattern to double it’s size as advised (that’s 200% right?Turns out I should’ve gone bigger…like 400%!) I’m actually happy with how it went, despite the size issue. I even managed to line up the stripes,something I didn’t even think of until the thing was finished!
Almost perfectly lined up!woohoo
Now for the comparison of size…
Besides the fact the colours are quite a good match, you can see how dainty this bag turned out to be. I am yet to decide how best to use it…any ideas?
Never one to back out of a challenge, I have another bag brewing. I have only just started cutting out the pattern so watch this space…
AfricanKiwi 
Looking good Kerry! Wait for a cold evening and then microwave the lentil bags – 1 min should do it – and then give it them to the boys. Bet they’d want to hold onto them then…. When sewing something slippery like vinyl, use paper tissue between the layers. The pain in the ass bit is then removing it but you should be able to tear it down one side and then easily remove the other. Let me know how you get on. Z.
Love how you challenge yourself and give everything ago. We must look at some of the same things on Pinterest :). I was loving the Bohemian Bags as well and wondering if I could give it a go. Very cool.
It’s relatively straight forward, def worth a go 🙂
Thanks Zelda, I’ll try the tissue paper thing next time I do vinyl & keep you posted haha
I am in awe of you Kerry! I wanted to make the fabric basket and use it to store little toys but am not brave enough. Plus, I see they are for sale on Felt, which I expect is an easier way for me to acquire one that is of a much better quality than I could ever produce and less frustrating- (I know, bad attitude, where is the fun and reward in that). But now that I have seen yours I am inspired to give it a go. I really, really like the Bohemian Banana bag too. I think the fabric you chose is great.
Thanks Jules. You should definitely give it a go, was really quite enjoyable 🙂