fab FO: teahouse sling

remember this?

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I have been using it A LOT in very recent days. As much as possible, in fact. It is small and handy for just going around the corner to the pub. Because I now have a pub practically around the corner! Hooray for walkable urban areas and living in them for the next two years. Yes, I have relocated to the fabulous coastal city of Halifax and yes there is much crafting and yarn here. Let me back up and illustrate approximately how I was able to get that bag, above, unfinished, in usable condition.

Firstly, my thanks to ladysaphira for the use of her incredibly sturdy sewing machine:

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You can feel the history of this thing when you try to pick it up (hint: it's not really a one-handed job).

After a great deal of thought (my notes tell me the knitting and embellishment was finished in April!) I decided to sacrifice this pair of cords to the lining effort, since I wanted to incorporate the pockets on them into the lining of the bag - presto! instant pockets without actually sewing them myself. The cords were too big for me anymore anyway and I'd gotten some good use out of them in the past.

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I cut out a sort of helpful shape from an envelope and tried to approximate the shape of the bag while making good use of the pockets.

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It didn't take nearly as long to sew the thing as it did to figure how to get the pocket placement to work. The sewing and all once I got the rough draft pinned together only took about an hour. I had a bit of trouble getting the machine threaded properly at first so ladysaphira was good enough to stop by and get me back on track!!

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I tried taking a picture of the inside but it was too tough to photograph because of the actual size of the bag. Maybe I'll have another go. Anyway, there's a slash pocket and a buttoned pocket on the inside, and I even stitched in a strip of fabric along the inside of the handle, which makes the knitting lay flat and not curl, which makes it even more useful.

Instead of some cotton that is likely to stretch and become annoying I now have a very sturdy and cute bag!! This was a great project, even if it took me half a year to do the final touches.

Comments

  1. Adorable! Great job. I can just imagine the sound of the old sewing machine stomping away. I love recycling clothes, especially the not having to sew pockets part :).

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  2. i can't believe you still have those cords! amazing! i think i've worn through all mine at this point - time for a new pair maybe?

    love the final touches on your bag - when do we get to see it in action?

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  3. I'm so glad my sewing machine and I were able to help out!

    A pub around the corner huh? That must be nice, I wish I had one of those...

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