Bionic Gear Bag

I have been itching to make one of these for a long time now and finally got myself organised.   I bought the pattern quite a while ago from Sally Thompson aka Rip Stitcher.

This project took me about 2 days to complete and because I was so eager to get it finished I'm afraid there are no pictures of it in the making.

This bag is kept closed by a long zip from side to side.  It opens up to reveal 4 zip pockets, pouches and a useful tray to place your items in (whatever you may be using it for). 

It was a bit daunting starting off but the instructions were very clear and if you followed each section carefully it soon started looking like a bag.

It was rather exciting seeing it all fall into place.  The way the pockets fit together is intricately simple and so pleasing.

You can see in the above picture the tray at the front for your bits and pieces.

The tray is a bit clearer in this picture and you can see how the first pocket is a little smaller than the others.

I chose a complimentary colour for the inside of the pockets, the bindings and the inside lining of the side pieces.  Look how neatly the zips fit into the pockets.  It was a such a pleasure to put them in.

The long zip was a little more tricky but I probably made it difficult for myself as I padded the binding on either side to help it match in with the side bindings of the bag.

I was very pleased with the finished result and loved the effect created by the pretty fresh fabrics.  If you fancy making one why not pop over and have a look at Sally's posts about it.  You wont be disappointed.

Works in Progress

Hi everyone

Not got anything finished this week so I'll have to bring you up to date with my WIP's.

You may remember from a previous post I bought 3 balls of Kidsilk Haze Stripe.  Well I just couldn't resist making a start - despite not having a clear idea of what I was going to make.  I searched high and low for a suitable pattern but nothing ticked all the boxes.  I wanted something sloppy and snuggly.  I needed something to keep my interest but not too complicated so the colours would be lost in the pattern.  And to cap it all a lot of the garment patterns appeared to need more than the 3 balls I had bought!  So what did I do?

Well I decided I would design my own, but as I didn't know how much yarn I would need I decided to start off making a wide scarf to see how far the yarn would go.  I chose a chevron/ripple pattern to give me a bit to concentrate on but also show off the colours and I liked the wavy edge!

As I progressed it looked as though the yarn was going to go a fair distance so I have now decided to turn it into a cardigan/jacket (I made sure the scarf started out wide enough for a jacket from the beginning).  I am a good half way up the back and probably no more than half way through the first ball so hopefully, if I use 1 ball for the back, 1 for the front and 1 for both sleeves I may just get away with it.  I can always buy 1 more ball if push comes to shove!

I think you'll agree the colours are looking rather scrummy and it feels lovely and snuggly on my lap when I'm working with it! Hopefully I should have a bit more to show you over the next few weeks.

I'm also about to start another hat.  I did one for when I demonstrated crochet in the new Hobbycraft Store in Kingsteignton but for some unknown reason I didn't take a photo!   The pattern came from the book Love to Crochet and was the Sloppy Joe Beret.  It's crocheted in Rowan Cocoon, a lovely soft dk yarn.  The previous one was in blue but the lady I'm doing this one for chose cream.

Cream should go with a lot of things and it should look lovely when it's worked up.  Once again I'll show you a bit more in a few weeks.

One thing I did finish today though!  It's a bit Heath Robinson, but it will do the trick.  We are trying to get organised for a camping trip and our camping cooker has been packed in a very tatty cardboard box.  Each year it gets tattier and tattier.  It must be about 15-20 years old now.  So today, I got my sewing machine out and made a 'bag' for it!  We had been given some waste yurt canvas which is perfect for something like this, is very strong and doesn't fray so no need to finish edges and seems (nice and quick!)  I did have to stitch a few pieces together to get a big enough square of fabric and the same with the straps as not one piece was long enough, hence why it's a bit Heath Robinson!

But I think you'll agree, as I said at the beginning, it does the trick!

Well that's all from me this time so I hope you have all had a good week.  I'm off over to Handmade Monday now to see what you have all been up to :)  Bye!