Tuesday through Saturday, 11 to 5

Those are the hours of a new artists' co-op on Main Street in downtown Urbana where I have a sampling of my pouches. The brainchild of my friend M, Shared Space has its "grand opening" today. Besides a collection of my pouches, including knitting needle pouches, clutch purses and key chains, Shared Space has tempting jewelry, hand-made cards, photography and the like. But I should sell some things there before I become a customer, right?

Fabric Basket

I'm covering floor cushions for my friend J and the project has generated a long strip of leftover chartreuse zebra print fabric. Poking around online, I found a pattern for making a stabilized fabric basket. My version has webbing for handles and is lined in canvas. I altered the pattern's dimensions to make a basket suitable for books or toys or DVDs. I also beefed up the stabilizer so the basket has plenty of heft and won't wilt when loaded with items. I'm thinking of pawning this pro-type off on my friend, and then making a set for my family room. If I have to shelter Wii games in my house, they could at least be stored in fabric baskets.

Pouch Family

I have in mind to redesign parts of my commercial web site. Instead of a colorful banner of my sewing supplies across the top of the web page, some grid of product photos would serve as both a graphic welcome and a preview of items available. I often sew multiple items made of the same fabric at the same time to maximize the thread color in the sewing machine. Recently, this blue and black geometric fabric was calling to me, so I made pouches of all descriptions out of it and a key fob to boot.

iCozy

My friend K wants a pouch to keep her new iPhone from knocking around in her purse and potentially getting scratched. She sent me the link to the gadget's measurements, and since I do not own an iPhone, I sent Matt to the garage to make a faux device. Yes, I could just measure a pouch I make for a specific object to verify that the item will fit, but it's much more satisfying to finish sewing and slide the thing into its new home. Here is K's pouch and the stunt double phone.

Wrote Down the Directions

I have made another canvas tote bag with fabric accent pockets and an interior zippered pocket. This time around I made note of the measurements and most efficient fabric cutting hints. The bag is a birthday present for someone who likes trees. I purchased the green mottled tree fabric for a wall hanging that is largely done. Now I'm reminded of how well the project was coming along. It really should be finished. I even know where it is. One more simple border, a little machine quilting, the right binding (maybe even made from the tree fabric), and I'll be in possession of another blog posting.

Another Bag

A fresh messenger bag for spring combines the ideas I like (fabric on the flap, inside zippered pocket, back-of-bag accent fabric stripe) and eliminates awkward steps. Wide webbing off the bolt makes a sturdy and quick handle without the work of pressing 45-plus inches of fabric to make my own handle. I would be willing to put the handle construction effort into making my own binding for the lid of the purse. Then I could have one more patterned accent on the project. I have a marvelous set of bias tape makers through which I can feed strips of fabric while ironing completed binding. For me, the way to go is to to cut an entire yard of fabric into bias strips, make binding and then use it on multiple projects. Now, to find a neutral, but exciting pattern to use.

Nice Niece

My niece, E, is turning 4 soon. She loves to cart her favorite toys around the house; this protects them from little siblings. I scaled down the dimensions of the larger canvas tote bag to make one for lugging toys. The birthday party has a princess theme, so the princess side pockets will tie right in.

Key Chains

Surfing around for a new (and small) project to add to items I'm making, I've come upon key chains. They're simple, durable, fabric-focused and quick to make. I had hoped to use the scraps from other projects to make a bunch, but I'm finding that the scale of the pattern on the fabric matters. Most of what I buy is medium to large-scale, but smaller-scale patterns seem most coherent. I'm interfacing the fabric before sewing it to the colored webbing, so these key chains should be pretty and practical for a long time.

Simply Messing

I have lately been reading the first few chapters of The Wind In the Willows with my son's Junior Great Books group at school. In the first chapter Mole, very inexperienced in the world, meets Rat who lives the high life on the river. He tells Mole, "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing--absolutely nothing--half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing....messing--about--in--boats; messing---"
The fourth graders find this section very funny, and can completely picture the complete joy and distraction some people find with that one special passion. I am thoroughly entertained by fabric. Simply messing around in my sewing room is endlessly entertaining and almost always very satisfying.

Tote Bag

L is looking for a canvas bag to replace a handy and long-lasting canvas tote bag. She wanted the splashy Japanese floral fabric worked into the design. I used black canvas for the body of the bag to maximize durability. Encased seams mean there are no raw edges inside or out. A zippered pocket hangs from the top edge inside the bag. All-in-all, I'm pleased with the project. There may come a time soon when I'll need to redo my grocery tote bags in colored canvas with fancy fabric accent pockets. Nothing is too good for my sale crackers and store brand dish soap.

Party Favors

My niece was recently baptized, and the party that followed needed favors. Starting with the colors of the party, I made pouches with a silk-screened message to mark the big day. I think personalizing the pouches makes them more fun, and I hope the party guests will find treasures to store inside their gift.

Essentials Bag

This flat-bottomed zippered pouch is large enough to hold a range of collections. It measures 9 inches wide by 5 inches tall and is 2 1/2 inches deep at the base. It can stand on its own to corral bedside whatnots, small craft items, or desk supplies. I put a pocket on one side of the bag. I'm thinking this pouch would also be pretty made with one side of natural linen and one of a patterned Japanese linen fabric. Because of a different stabilizer and heavier-weight lining fabric, this new bag is beefier than the smaller flat pouches I am so fond of making. But, there is still plenty of room for combining fabric and beads. Perhaps I'll sew a whole bunch for this summer's farmers' market.