A friend of mine posted this little gem on her Facebook this week, and we all got quite a good laugh out of it. Until I tried my next sewing project, which involved zippers, and was much more difficult than anticipated, mostly because I've never worked with a zipper before. I really did start to wonder if it would go a little better if I weren't still in my pajamas.
Sidenote: this summer I have been doing a lot of my sewing in my PJs, mostly because the spare room doesn't have any air conditioning. So I don't want to shower and change and then sweat all day long. And I tried putting the fan in there, but having the iron and fan plugged in at the same time seems to trip the breakers as well, and that's just another thing to deal with, ughhhh...
Here is the bag that gave me so much trouble first off. I used the pattern from Noodlehead, HERE, but I didn't have any interfacing, so I used acrylic felt to stabilize it. It made it VERY bulky, so the next bag I didn't use anything, and it was easier to sew, but very floppy. Apparently I need to invest in some lightweight interfacing.
At least I had a good reason to use this elephant fabric! I bought it at the quilt show a few years ago, so hopefully I can find some more of it this year. I lined it with a burnt yellow fabric. Sewing around the zipper was difficult, but I think I got the hang of it.
This is the second pouch, and it came out MUCH better! Like I said, it's a little floppy, but the sewing is much better, and the construction was better. I also read some of the instructions a little bit better as well. And making the zipper tab was pretty easy, so I'm glad I found away to do it easier.
The lining is a warm dark brown Kona cotton, and now I know why Kona's are amazing! I like this picture because it makes me look like a pro! Maybe I can actually put things on my ghost of an Etsy shop soon! (Hahahaha... ohhh I'm funny....)
I'm pretty proud of these two little guys! I think I'll make myself one for pens, pencils, make up, etc. Maybe even a few gifts here and there. And of course I'm selling them!
Tonight after I updated my LLS Fundraising Page, I decided to use the zipper that was too short for the other bags, and adapt the original pattern a little bit. I was looking through my scrap bin, and I found old iron on transfers of my paintings that I was going to make into pillows (and obviously never did) a few years ago. So I decided to use this one instead of some scraps. It's a little lumpy looking because of the thickness of the material, but I think it turned out ok.
On the front I used the painting transfer, and on the back I used a brown fabric that was the same color as the Kona, but not the same fabric at all. I think it looked pretty good together. Especially the green zipper!
Here's another picture of this little guy. He measures about 4x6x2" instead of the 6x9x3" of the other bags.
I lined the bag with a light yellow fabric that I think goes with the painting. I didn't do a very good job with the zipper because I tucked it in, which I thought you could do with short zippers. (I didn't think I needed to turn it out and make a tab if the zipper was the exact length... I was wrong.) So it's a little wonky on the end (not pictured), but I think it's ok, and hopefully if someone buys this little guy, they won't notice either.
Phew, good thing I was dressed when I made that one.... maybe that's why it turned out better, since I wasn't in my jammies. But still, I'd like to know what the heck is French chalk?!
