Category Archives: Bags and Cases

A Project that has Nothing To Do with Fitting

No, I’m not giving up on the pants fitting project.  But I did purchase a brand-new sewing machine over two months ago, and I’ve basically been using it to sew pants muslins with a basting stitch ever since I got it. It would be nice to have a project that doesn’t involve fitting at all, one where I can just sew.

My day job, for better for worse, has me taking the occasional 1 or 2-day business trip. Not being a traveler, I have little in the way of luggage. A bag that could accommodate necessities for an overnight trip would be a handy thing to have.

I spotted the Craftsy course, Sew Better Bags: The Weekend Duffel about a month ago.  When Craftsy had another $19.95 sale on all classes around Christmas, I went for it. The bag pattern, by instructor Betz White, is well thought-out and has lots of nice details that give it a professional appearance.  Here’s a model photo I stole from Craftsy’s website.

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The Breakfast Club Shirt, Part 1

Hello everyone! I have lots of small stories to share today, but one of them is a big new project.

The Wool Felt Cellphone Case

I thought my Wool Felt Techie Cover project was complete – I had really only purchased enough fabric to make cases for the laptop and tablet. But I noticed there was enough of the berry pink fabric left over to make a case for my cellphone.  So here it is.

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The Telescope Caddy: Part 3

Dear Blog,

Today I finished my prototype telescope caddy, and got it ready for a night under the stars this coming weekend!

Last time, I discussed how the extra-heavy eyepieces would prove too much for Velcro to hold the caddy onto the side of the telescope.

I altered the design to use a new idea for a suspension mechanism: A “cap” that covers the top of the telescope. The inside-facing side of the cap provides the support needed to suspend the outward-facing side.

Patterns and Cutting

Some things I needed to do:

  • Draw a pattern piece for the back side.
  • Add seam allowance to the front side piece.
  • Redraw the pattern pieces for the bellows pockets, this time to better fit the eyepieces.
  • Measure out two additional oilcloth strips to seam the inside to outside-facing piece.

After all the pattern alterations, I measured and cut all the pieces from the oilcloth. (Click or tap photos for larger versions).

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