Mistake Bags

I stitched up a zipper pouch/bag yesterday that is a really nice one. However, it is a big old mistake!

I watched a really clear video tutorial for making a Boxy Bag. It looked like the perfect size for what I wanted and seemed pretty simple. Much like smaller pouches I had made for the granddaughters but a good size for guys to use for deodorant, shampoo, soap, etc. for traveling. So, after watching the tutorial no less than three times, I decided to give it a try.

I cued up the tutorial one more time and listened to what size the creator recommended for cutting the fabric and size for the zipper before pausing the video and cutting my pieces. I was even confident enough that the process would be fairly simple after watching the straightforward, wonderful video that I went ahead and cut the outside layer pieces to make three of the bags - one for each grandson. 

Then, I went back to the video and watched the next part. I decided that I wasn't going to use a heavy loft batting and would just use the same sort of batting I'd used for the girls' similar pouches. I did, however, adapt it a bit and added a strip of cotton quilting fabric for attaching the zipper to because I was using a heavier weight fabric for the bag. I thought that would reduce the bulk at the zipper and make it easier to zip. I reinforced the cotton with a piece of interfacing to give it a bit more structure but not be so thick for attaching the zipper. Construction was running along smoothly. I monogrammed one side of the outside of the bag and it turned out exactly as I had envisioned.

Then, I stitched up the bottom of the bag and lining like the tutorial showed, leaving an opening in the lining pieces for turning the bag. For some reason, I didn't go back to the tutorial after that. For some reason, I went into autopilot and proceeded like I've done numerous times. I took my nice, sharp shears and cut the squares out on the bottom edges to form the corners. Then, I realized my mistake. I could have salvaged it by cutting the bottom off but that would have made the bag four inches smaller. I didn't know if that would be large enough. So, I just proceeded and completed the boxed bottom pouch that I have stitched up several times. It is just in a much larger size.

The good news is that I have very little invested in the bag. Of course, I had purchased the batting, interfacing, and zipper, but the lining is a fabric that I bought before this grandson was even born. I saw it when I was purchasing fabrics for swaddling blankets for him and liked it. So, I got it and thought I would make him something with it later. Well, thirteen years later, here I am stitching something up with it! The outer fabric was an upcycle of some of the Mister's jeans. He had ripped a pocket or torn a hole in the knee or something and I was about to toss them before I had the brilliant idea to upcycle them somehow. So, free fabric!

The bag turned out pretty nice and will be useful, I'm sure. It just isn't the design that I first had in mind. In retrospect, since I added the strip of cotton at the top for attaching the zipper, I probably could have cut the bottom off the bag and rolled with it in the design I had first intended and it would have been approximately the same size. At any rate, I have a completed bag that will be useful for something with low investment cost, and it is personalized for the eldest grandson. I'm going to call that a win!

Happy Birthday, Harris!

Hope it is like a Home Run!

Just 3 Things | #40

I know I talk about the weather here a lot and we used to joke about my Daddy being so focused on weather. I also know that farm life tends to make one focus on weather more so than other folks might focus on it. I think everybody I have come in contact with in any way has mentioned the weather lately, though.  It has been SO HOT around here! I was reading this morning in the newspaper that it is partly due to the El Nino effect that is causing temperatures to be almost two degrees hotter than normal. I also read where 2027 expected to be more than three degrees hotter than normal. Whew! As Daddy used to joke, "It sure seems like we have more weather these days than we used to."

- What I'm Loving - 

I'm a bit late on my Just 3 Things post due to being a bit out of pocket. One set of the grands has been exhibiting their livestock at the State Fair and Expo shows this past week and I've trekked over there to watch all that action. Harris earned State Junior Showmanship honors for the registered ewe show as well as for the market lamb show. Linley earned Pee Wee Showmanship honors for the Junior Commercial Ewe and Market Lamb show. Thursday was the day for the Registered Breeding Ewe Show and Harris won the class with his Dorset Advantage Ewe. His white face cross commercial ewe was champion and selected as fourth overall ewe in the show. His Hampshire ewe was Supreme Champion Breeding Ewe.

Harris and Mattie - Champion Hampshire and Supreme Champion Registered Breeding Ewe

Harris and Riley - Reserve White Face Cross and 4th Overall Ewe

Harris and Freezy - February Dorset Advantage Ewe Lamb

Friday was the day of the market lamb competition. Harris showed his natural colored lamb to the Champion honors. He won Champion with his Shropshire wether as well. His Oxford lamb was Reserve Champion.

Harris and Ozzie - Champion Natural Color Market Lamb

Harris and Austin - Champion Shropshire Market Lamb

Harris and Spencer - Reserve Champion Oxford Market Lamb

On Saturday, little sister, Linley got in on the action during the State Fair Open and Junior Show. After earning showmanship honors, she showed her lamb to the top of the class.

Linley and Freezy - Dorset Advantage February Ewe Lamb 

Then, on Saturday night, the Expo Champions were tapped. The crew was scrambling to get three big wethers ready to go all at the same time. Harris had rounded up some friends to help out, since he had three in the ring all at once. The Natural Colored Market Lamb was tapped as Reserve Grand Champion overall. It was so exciting!

l-r: Linley, Bryan, the Judge, Harris, Jessica, and Ozzie - Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb 

After the show, Bryan and Jessica, both, expressed that they were overwhelmed and surprised and humbled by the experience. Of course, at that point, it was business as usual and time to gather and pack supplies and tack, make sure the lambs were cooled down and comfortable, and load everything and every body up to head down the road toward home. I think they may have floated down the road on excitement, gratefulness, and adrenaline. I know I did. What a week!

- What I've Been Reading -

Again this week I've been reading and watching a lot of tutorials for embroidery projects. There are so many creative ideas out there and so many different methods for constructing cute zip pouches and bags. Yesterday, I finished up reading The Club by Ellery Lloyd and started reading The Letter by Kathryn Hughes. I've barely started on this one but I might get a lot of pages read if this heat continues to press down on us!

The book came out several years ago and has great reviews. I'm just at the getting to know the characters phase of reading it at this point, though. 

- What I've Been Working On -

During the first part of the week, I put together a couple of small pouches to give as Christmas gifts. I had also done lots of thinking about how I could tweak the bandana bag concept and gave some of my ideas a try. Again, I'm pleased with the outcome of the one I made.

I also still learned a lot with this one. First, black bandanas are hard to mark for stitching the quilting. I don't have a quilting arm or guide. So, I had marked the bag I made for myself with a pen that disappears when the iron is run over it. I used the white pen to mark stitch lines for this one but it was still really difficult to see the marking. 

Next, I was talking on the phone when I set up the front panel for embroidery and did not even use a stabilizer underneath. Thankfully, it stitched up well in spite of my oversite because of the thickness of the panel with the foam quilting. So, I lucked out there. 

The red bandanas that I used to line the bag were more flimsy than the navy ones I used to line my own bag. So, I sort of wish that I had backed them with some sort of interfacing or stabilizer. I used a piece of bandana as the inside zip pocket on this one instead of using gingham like I did my own. 

For this bag I wound up using a total of five bandanas. It is not quite as wide as the one I made for myself but is plenty spacious. I also did not put a recessed inside zipper in it. After using mine a time or two, I decided that it sort of gets in the way and is deep enough that items don't fall out without that zip closure. I'm still tweaking my ideas for the next one! I do love the bright red embroidery and the roses in the design of the bandana on this one. It gives such a different look to the bag. So, I think no two would be alike anyway. I'm still in love with these cute bags!

We started off the morning with no water today. Welcome to Monday! The repair was several hours in process but we did get water a short while ago. So, I'm going to sign off here and get some cleaning done. I cannot tell you how many times the Mister and I went by the sing this morning and pushed the faucet handle out of habit. Once, we were even talking about how we wondered about the water lines since we had no water but one of the neighbors did and I pushed the faucet handle on, knowing that the water was off. I guess we don't appreciate the luxuries that my grandparents didn't enjoy till later in life in the way we should. I hope your water is cool and the rest of your world is as well. We are in the dog days at this point, I think. 

Happy Birthday, Harris!