In and out

Hi, I hope everyone is doing well. I have finally done some sewing, but interestingly it is a quick fabric turnaround. I work in the city and there is a Lincraft in the shopping complex opposite. I don't go in very often as I don't really need the temptation and I find I don't like a lot of the stuff they have but for emergency supplies it's convenient. I found some fluffy pink stuff on sale ($8 pm) and bought about 2.8 metres (I only wanted 2 but it was the end of the roll and they discounted the .8 to half price). So I bought this one week and a week later I used it up... in and out.. no stash friends!

I wanted to make another of these:

I made view A with the kangaroo pocket, but I shortened it by about 8 cm in the middle. I think I may still cut the curved hem as I don't really like it on me. I've used this pattern here, and here, and I made this one  (which I love but is a dirty work one now) with ordinary fleece. 

That rolled collar is great up or down. The pink fluff is really warm and soft and a really great colour. I finished the sleeves with elastic. The ribbon is a grosgrain ribbon that I got in one of these packs of bit or ribbon you find from over 25 years ago. I have loved the colours for years but never found a use for it. It fit exactly on the length of one sleeve and in the middle of the pocket. I did play with putting the ribbon on the pocket hole edges but it looked weird. I think it actually gives off a grandma vibe to be honest more then the elevated look I was going for, but I love the ribbon and the fluff and lets face it, it's not really going to see the light outside the house.

My Mum liked the look of it and she doesn't like collars close to her neck so I offered to make her one too. There's the extra fabric... so glad I bought it all. It's the same but with a straight hem with the side seams left a little open (what is that called?) and finished hem and sleeves with the coverstitch (conveniently threaded with pink thread).

I also made a little bag for my Mum. It's for her walker to put the little things that float in around the bottom of the tray like her brush, pen, glasses and phone. It's actually a free pattern from http://www.sewcanshe.com/blog/2014/6/28/bike-messenger-bag-free-sewing-pattern. It's a great scrap buster! 

The bag is made from some nice pleather that I harvested from a nice new kids skirt I bought new for $2 thinking I would disassemble it for accents on something, but thought it was perfect for this project. I lined it in two fabrics because I only had enough of the cotton Indian headwear one for the flap and the inside of the back I lined in a stiff upholstery water resistant fabric that saved having to interface too. 

It was really easy to sew up and easy to adjust as the fabric wasn't quite as wide as needed  but I made it fit. I hated sewing that pleather as it stuck to everything. I put paper between the walking foot and the pleather but even when sewing other parts of the bag would stick to the machine. What a drag literally!

It's a cute little bag and I'm pretty happy with it. I haven't seen it on as Mum has moved to a new Aged care place on Thursday and I dropped both gifts in and handed to a staff member. (Her 2nd day and they also forgot to give her the biological drug so we are not impressed! However, it's a much nicer place and closer to home and we will persevere for now, but it has violated her trust from the first moments which is so very disappointing.)

This is how the bag gets attached to the walker. See the tiny snippets of red on the bottom corner? That's where I had to piece the silver together and decided to put some red bias tape to make it a feature. I really like it!

 Mum's happy with her little bag but the attaching strap is not wide enough because I forgot it had that foam buffer stuff so I'll have to get it back when lockdown is over and make it a bit wider. I'm so pleased she's happy with it.

I'm so happy to have made a few things. They are just basic but it was so satisfying to make needed and useful things. Sewing.. what a gift!