Zippers: Open Wide Pouch

For more practice with zippers I moved on next to the Open Wide Zipper Pouch tutorial.  This one has a liner and a different design from the boxy tote - this one stands upright and when open is fully open so you can see the entire inside.

This first one is made mostly from fabric I picked up on a recent trip I took to Japan to visit with friends.  Fabric shopping in Japan is similar enough to the US that I was able to request fabric off the bolt by the meter without a problem.  I brought home quite a bit, but it's never enough, right?  At least the prices were comparable to what I find here in the US so I don't have any regrets there - but the selection in the stores, oh my!  It was a treat.  

This first bag is already at home with my Sister-in-Law.

This design offers a full lining which was the next thing I was looking for in my search for zippered pouches.  I love this design so much - and was getting such great practice with my zipper foot - that I ultimately made six of these bags. 

Four are the large size and two are mini ones that I made with my nieces during a recent overnight stay with us.  I also cut up a pair of old jeans for the bottom of the exterior.  I think it lends a nice contrast and some durability to the final pouch.

I still need lots of practice with zippers but I feel more confident now about how to work with them.  My next attempt will be for a boxy tote with a full lining.

Zippers: Toiletry Bag

One thing that I still haven't mastered is placing zippers.  It's something that I have been wanting to tinker around with but I didn't have any zippers around to practice with.  After searching the web for a few tutorials for zippered pouches I found some ideas, went to the store to stock up on zippers of different lengths/colors and set to work with my scrap pile.

I really love this first boxy toiletry bag.  The tutorial is from Skip to my Lou.  It is roomy and a great size to store all kids of things.  And while I added a handle to one end to improve the functionality I don't care for the exposed interior seams/raw edges (if I would have made it with oil cloth/laminated cotton, like the tutorial recommends, then this would have been less of an issue for me).

I am not sure what will become of this one.  It might just hang around the house for a bit.  I'm sure one of my daughters will take to it soon enough.

FO: Budgie II

A good friend of mine is going to have her third boy any day now. She is positively glowing and excited for his arrival. When we were both pregnant there was speculation on whether I was going to have a boy and she was going to have a girl (she has two boys, I had three girls). She said to me, "I have as much of a chance of getting a girl as you do getting a boy!" And she was right. I had another girl, and she has another boy on the way.

A bit after that comment was shared I sat down and started this sweater. It was going to be for either me or her, but I picked the colors with her brood in mind. Overall I am thrilled with the sweater, but that damn zipper. You can never find them in the length you need them (see the waviness from it being a tad too long?), and then sewing it in so the stripes line up?! Well, that required some work...and re-work and re-work. But in the end it turned out and hopefully will be durable enough to outlast, or at least keep pace with, this special little boy. I can't wait to meet him!

The pattern is the Budgie sweater and I loved making it a second time. The sweater goes really fast and the shaping is easy to manage. The zipper makes for a durable, versatile, and CUTE garment, but it is tricky to sew them in with the stripes. I highly recommend ordering a custom length zipper if the sweater measurements don't match up to pre-made ones you find in a store. You'll be happier with the result in the end, trust me. If I make another of these I will definitely go that route.

The yarn is a Lion Brand Wool-ease from the stash. A great super wash yarn that is easy to knit with!

I'm also think it is time to get some tags to sew into my gift knits. Any ideas on where to get some? And what I should put on mine? I think that "at the end of this row..." is too long. Maybe just "row..."? Or my name? What do you think?

Zipper pouch

I have had a long standing fear of zippers. I was never sure how to exactly sew them, or size them. Could I just pick any size zipper? What is an invisible zipper? How did I get the zipper ends to match up to my project exactly?

Last weekend all three of our girls were at my parents for the night (a first for us!) and I had some time in the sewing room while DH had time in his workshop. Armed with cute fabric and a seven inch zipper I dove in head first. I tackled my first zipper and it was scary, but good.

I'm really happy with the tutorial I chose. It was well written, clear and seemed to be free from what I consider "unnecessary" or "fussy" steps (pinning, basting, etc.). Yes, I know that these are very important, and probably underrated, facets of the sewing art, but with a limited amount of time - and a steep learning curve - I was going for rapidity and results, not quality, my first time around.

I say the experience was scary because I did wind up sewing over the zipper teeth. As the tutorial pointed out I was careful to avoid the metal parts of the zipper, but my needle still made a scary sound as it passed over (thru?) the zipper teeth and I saw the needle bend dangerously. I've had a few close calls with breaking needles while sewing with my machine. I've even considered wearing safety glasses after a sharp needle point flew at my face after breaking. Next time I put in a zipper I'll think twice about the glasses, and probably wear them. Anyone have advice on this? Was I doing the correct thing by just going right over the zipper teeth? Is there a way to make this a more enjoyable experience for my machine next time? Anyone else have problems with flying metal when their needles break?

I followed the tutorial as best I could and am amazed that I wound up with this cute little pouch. It's sized perfectly for my knitting dpn's and has found a cozy home in my knitting basket. I've already got my eye on three other zipper projects! The next time I'd like to find something that turns out nice crisp top corners or has a rounded look overall.

Skip To My Lou also has a great tutorial on cloth napkins - I've fabric laundered and ready to go for that project too.