Friday after work a I came home and began cutting out pieces for my second tote bag. I stopped in the middle to go with Jack to The Rock where I indulged in a Bucket and was very happy for the next hour or two. When I got back I resumed sewing. I knew I wanted to put a pocket on this one, but the instructions with the pattern were very confusing to me. I ended up looking at the picture and guessing. It's not perfect, but I got it on there, which makes me happy. I had the same bobble with the lining not quite fitting into the actual tote, but it was more obvious this time due to where I started stitching it in. It didn't bother me enough to rip it out and start over though. I am much happier with how the handles went on. Again, they are not perfect, but they look a lot better than my first attempt. Here is the new tote bag:
With the two tote bags finished I was in need of a new project. I knew I wanted to make the Sewing Machine Cozy from the
SEW Everything Workshop so a few days ago I ordered my
oilcloth for the project. It should arrive in my mailbox any day now. I needed to get bias tape for the cozy and I wanted to try a couple of new patterns from the SEW Everything Workshop so I headed to Joann's today, feeling much more confident this time, to see what I could find. I had a couple of different project ideas on the plate, depending on what fabrics I found. I ended up with some flannel to try making boxer shorts for Jack and some taffeta and denim to make a tie purse. The flannel is kind of wild, but I am really excited about the taffeta I picked up.
The dark brown is the lining of the bag. And, (DOH!) I forgot to get pattern paper while I was there. I have to draw out the purse pattern. I am hoping I can pick it up from Ben Franklin's in Bonney Lake instead of having to drive all the way back to the JoAnn's on South Hill. So unfortunately, I can't start the bag tonight, but that's okay since I have the boxers to work on.
I also checked out a new book from the library, Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe. There are definitely some similarities between it and SEW Everything Workshop, but flipping through it looks like it might have more direction for beginners on garment construction, but still maintains that easy conversational (your not an idiot) tone, that is absent from the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing (which I need to get still, I returned my library copy today).
I am really excited to get started. I'll get pictures posted in a few days.