Sewing Complete and Hoarding Thread!

Hooray for Friday!  And it’s a long weekend for me - with the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday.  An extra day to work on hobbies.  Or plan the next project.  Or finish a project in progress. Who knows?  We’ll see.  All I know is I got the supplies!

Yarnplayer’s “Solar Flare” and “Grayscale”

I have been thinking about Marilee’s Grayscale hand-dyed thread, but when I saw the Solar Flare, I decided it was time to revel in some new thread.  So, now that I have it, I need to find the “perfect” thing to use it on.  I can’t decide if I should make earrings, or if I should make a pretty doily with one of these as an accent to white.  Such decisions!  I will hoard it until I decide, ha ha!

I also finished the duffel bag for hubby.  I told him he should be aware of how spoiled he is!

Turned out pretty darned good, I think.  I’m kind of anxious to make another one - for ME.  Not that I need another bag, but because I have just the PERFECT fabric for it . . .

We shall see.  So many projects to consider, and so little time!

AND, we are also beginning the planning for our next Twin Cities Tatters Retreat!  It’s fun to get it started - our retreat center from last year leaves us definitely ready to go again.  Summer sure seems a loonngg way off.

It is -5 F in Minnesota tonite.  I’ll be inside this weekend, doing something!

I’m In Sewing Mode Again

Yep - back to sewing for a bit.  I’ve been working on a bag this week - no surprise, I know!  This is a more complicated bag than I’ve made before, so it’s also keeping me in “learning” mode.  I am making a duffel bag for my hubby for those weekend trips hunting or fishing, and he knows it’s all practice and won’t be perfect.  Fortunately, I had some non-floral fabric, ha ha!

I’ve been looking at Craftsy classes, and have purchased a few now - I am a very visual learner, so even though I might have a pattern, it helps to SEE how it goes.  This particular class is for making 2 sizes of the “Weekend Duffel”.  The content is well worth the cost.

As in everything, the prep and clean up seems to take the longest.  (Makes me practice patience!) I’m not crazy about cutting everything out all at once, but it’s a necessary evil to keep all the pieces straight.  Definitely helpful to be able to grab pieces that are ready for construction, too.  I use a drying rack to store the pieces until I need them.

I’ve always been intimidated by the internal zipper pockets, so this was a great way to learn how to do it.  And realize it’s really quite simple!  Too bad my stitching was all crooked.  Oops.  It’s on the inside anyway.

I have also learned how easy it really is to add hardware like twist and magnetic closures, as well as metal rings to attach straps to.  I guess I didn’t think it could be that difficult, I had just never attempted to do it for fear of ruining a project.  Never thought about the difference between a “pleated” pocket and a “bellows” pocket either - both are easy to construct, and as I like lots of pockets, this will be helpful for future bags.

It’s coming together nicely - I should be able to finish this weekend.  It’s beginning to look like a duffel bag!