As it's test period once again, I was free enough at work yesterday to spend my afternoon whipping up this lovely bag in the sewing room. I had been waiting to use this red riding hood canvas for a while and was a little nervous about actually making the cuts and taking it to the machine, but it turned out even better than I imagined!

I sewed grosgrain ribbon along the inside to hold the lining down nicely, and that was the only problematic part. It was a little tough to work with and very slippery, but even so I think it came out nicely. Here is a shot of the whole bag and one of me that shows off how it is absolutely the perfect size, straps and all. As with most of my sewing ventures, I didn't use a pattern (even a straightedge for that matter) or any pins. It's mostly just because of laziness, but as you can see it all turned out ok! (Edited to fix those pesky popup shots)

I was so pleased with myself and so enamored with this print that I even made a zippered pouch to go inside. I have a work party tonight and I am already planning my outfit around the new bag. Yippee!!

Posted by Molly at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Isn't this the best print ever? I found it with other irresistable prints, cut into one meter bundles at my local craft shop. It's nothing fancy but they sure do have some wonderful stuff sometimes. I was there to pick up buttons for my sesame sweater which is completely finished, but I am not happy with the way they look. I think I need to redo the button bands on smaller needles for a firmer, more finished look. So forget I even mentioned that. I am on a tight budget these days but somehow I managed to rack up enough stamps on my members card to get this for free. Woohoo!

I'm currently trying to work up the perfect pattern for this great fabric so that I don't waste a single scrap. Luckily, I have far too many bags of my own so I can measure, compare, and create what will hopefully be the best bag ever (not like I have high expectations or anything though). I'll be heading off to the big city this weekend to find the zipper and notions that I need and then I ought to be able to crank it out at "work" next week before spring vacation comes to an end.

I have still been knitting, too, but it's the same old stuff that I've been doing for a while so it seems a bit lackluster to post about. It's the end of the school year in Japan, so there is lots of change going on. I found out that one of my favorite coworkers, who I made my standup comedy debut with onstage this year, is being moved to a different place so that has been a huge disappointment. Of course, I have a great job with a lot of perks, but it was a little hard to keep that in perspective and my mom nearly convinced me to come home! But everything is back to normal-ish, the string end-of-the-year work drinking parties is winding down, and soon I should have a little more time at home (or jetting off somewhere on the train) to make more fun progress. And Mum, even though I'm not coming home, I will iron my Totoro banner and hang it soon, I swear.

Posted by Molly at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Final exams are wrapping up which means that my free sewing time is coming to a close! So I really had to finish up these pillowcases which were hanging over my head since I "gave" them as a Christmas present a few months ago. I added a blue strip at the end to give them a little life (inspired by some pillowcases I got from my mom a long time ago) and even without a pattern or any calculated measuring, they turned out great!

I just folded the blue part over so that it covered the raw edge where I joined the two fabrics on the inside. Then I sewed along that seam and it made the inside nice and crisp (blurry shot here). It's such a relief to have these finished and gifted. Definitely not committing to as many homemade gifts this year!

Posted by Molly at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

One of the great perks when I go to work (among many others) is that I can use the sewing machines when students are on vacation or taking exams. It's so exciting! Yesterday I whipped up a new drawstring pouch using some Japanese fabric that I bought a while ago. (for a closeup of the print, check this out). I figured it's about time I start using this stuff before I have to think about shipping it home. It was fun and easy to make, and I really love the feeling of feeding fabric through the machine. It's just so much fun to make stuff. The way I see it, a knitter I can never have too many drawstring project bags.

I've got some pillowcases up next on the sewing agenda, but I'm not particularly looking forward to it. It's a belated Christmas gift that I have lost enthusiasm for, but I DID commit to it so I'll do my best. After that, the sky's the limit!
I'm thinking I MIGHT have to invest in a Japanese pattern book or two.

I did also get a start on my Project Spectrum knitting last night. Nothing too exciting just yet, but I hope there'll be time for it to take shape soon!

Posted by Molly at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)