An Item of Mostly Girly Silliness

On Aug 24, 3:17*pm, IMS wrote:
John, what pattern did you use for the tote bag?

I just love it.

-Irene

On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:47:42 -0500, "Polly Esther"

wrote:

Just a static lid would not be too hard to do. That stiff
Pellon could be doubled a thereby provide a rather stiff top. Maybe
make one of my butterflies to act as a handle for lifting the lid.
Hummm! It is all becoming cleat to me now! Thank You Polly.

John

I just make all of these things up, out of whole cloth, as it were.
The only thing I ever use a pattern for is clothing that I have never
sewn before, and then I am apt to disregard some elements of the
pattern when sewing the thing together, if I can see a better way of
doing it. I have made a bunch of them for my wife in various colors.
Just make a cylinder of the size you want. Most of them are about 14"
tall by 12" diameter. Sew the quilt pattern and the batting and
backing, just like it was a small quilt, but leave the edges you will
be joining un-sewn so that you can turn it face-to-face and inside-
out and sew that un-sewn seam of the sides of top together. Then just
grade the batting out of the way and turn it right-side-out and fold
down and sew down the lining so as to finish off the inside in a neat
and presentable fashion. It helps for the first one you make, to use a
square pattern like the 9 patch or Ohio star or other like design, as
that makes for the ease of attaching the pockets on the outside, with
no confusing seams running across the design. I run a strap from the
inside bottom, where it is anchored, and sew it up the inside, and out
the top and down toward the bottom and back inside the seam where the
bottom is attached. Then I use a suitable plate, or oval serving
platter as a template to cut out the shape I want for the bottom, that
has been quilted in a diamond pattern. If you use an oval shape, you
will get a bag that sits closer to your body, with the same carrying
capacity. I personally like the round shape, but it is makers choice.
Before I sew the bottom on I make and quilt a copy of the pattern,
that will become the outside pockets. I bind the top, and sew the
pockets down over the existing pattern, making sure to match the
places where the patterns are. I use grommets along the top and use
cotton cord with cord stops,(Joanne's has them), and brass snaps to
close the outside pockets. Don't forget to bind off the top just like
a quilt. After you do that you can sew the bottom on in place with the
cylinder turned in-side-out, and then overcast that seam and sew it
down onto the bottom. The overcasting makes the sides stand straight
and the bottom flat and the whole thing looks professional. If you
don't sew the overcasting down onto the bottom, the seam will be
weaker and the whole bag will tend to lose shape and look like a
sausage hanging off your shoulder. Which is not good, unless you are
trying for that look. It might then be appropriate for a meat cutter
to carry his lunch in, so don't rule it out if that is your intended
recipient. I hope this is clear enough. If not you can e-mail me and I
will try to be more explicit and maybe less confusing. Good Luck.
John

I love this! It's great. But now how did you do it? What is the batting?
Did you use that timitex, or something similar? Thanx for sharing.
Take Care
Joanna

On 8/23/2010 11:39 AM, John wrote:
Here is a truly one of a kind crazy idea. While making one of the bags
this came as an inspiration to me for doing something that might be
considered somewhat "Off The Charts". My wife shakes her head when
she sees it and wonders if this whole sewing thing has gotten out of
hand. I, on the other hand am convinced that I am onto the next,
latest, accessory, that is a must have. Your opinions may vary, but I
hope you will accept it in the spirit of openness, that this group is
known for. Or at least quirkiness.
The link: http://picasaweb.google.com/ljtaylor...73421339137154

John

Thanx John found my answer. This would be great in my sewing room where
it would just meet snipped threads and bits.
Joanna

On 8/23/2010 1:30 PM, John wrote:
On Aug 23, 3:58 pm, wrote:
Love it, love it, love it. John, as good as all your work is, this may
be my favorite thing you've ever made.

Sunny
dying for a girly wastepaper basket

It really was pretty easy to do. It took one full day to do it, from
start to finish. I used the stiffest Pellon interfacing, and a poly
batting under the quilt top, and a wheat colored canvas for the
interior. I made and quilted the entire cylinder, and then joined the
ends. that made it much easier to quilt as a flat piece, rather than
as a tube. I suggest a Jeans Needle for everything except the top
piecing. There is kind of a struggle, folding all that mass of fabric,
when attaching the bottom to the completed cylinder, but slow and easy
wins the race. I graded the various layers by cutting them to size,
just like on clothing construction, and that helped reduce the bulk. I
am going to make myself one, (of a Manly nature), out of some civil
war fabric in a completely different pattern, but the same dimensions.
I envision it's usage at the end of the cutting table, on the floor,
to handle all the larger cutoffs, of whatever I am working on. The
waste baskets, in use in my sewing room, are all hardwood, and much to
heavy when judged against the lightness of this one. I think that they
would be a great addition to any sewing area, as most of the wastage
is dry, and wouldn't bother the fabric. You could, of course, place a
plastic liner bag within and solve that problem if it is one. Give it
a go, and I think you will have fun.
John