Tag Archives: bag

… and then I learned to crochet!

Uncategorized, , , , ,

After the most recent quilt I made, I didn’t spend much time in the sewing room for various reasons, and picked up crochet! I’ve been trending towards things that are more “by hand”, like English paper piecing, and embroidery, so it made sense for me to get into crochet or knitting. I chose crochet because it seemed easier to get into and has the capability for making three dimensional objects.

I started off as I usually do, on YouTube and with books from the library, and immediately gave myself tendonitis from crocheting for too long and holding the yarn too tight. Now, I try to cap crochet sessions at two hours, or else I’ll go on crocheting forever and hurt my hands and wrists.

I started off with granny squares and little flower motifs 🙂 and a catnip ball for my friendly helper
The three dimensional granny squares were really fun 🙂

Then I wanted to make a sweater, but a super easy one. This sweater is based off a blanket sweater pattern, which consists of a rectangle with the corners folded in to make sleeves 🙂 I used two yarns at the same time to create a textured/blended effect.

Closeup for the texture 🙂

Then I saw this TikTok and needed to make my own dinosaur sweater, so I did. The pattern was really straightforward, and it’s made to measure instead of a set row/stitch count. I started doing the back and (a) got nervous I would run out of yarn, which I did not and I have a lot left over, and (b) thought it would be fun to do some color changes for the aesthetic and for practice. Practicing the color changes and learning how different techniques (such as tapestry and intarsia) create different looks was very helpful in planning and executing the front. Also, now I know that I can crochet any colored design that can be made with a grid (some artists use crochet to do 8bit art, and a crazy dedicated artist is using crochet to make an early-2000s-wordart piece).

Crochet colorwork like this uses a grid to tell you what colors to use.

The color work wasn’t technically difficult, but required a lot of care to keep the different yarns in their own space and not tangled. I tried to weave in the ends as I went, but then I had to undo some of it because I forgot to adjust for the arm holes, and that didn’t go very well. After that, and in the future, I’ll keep the ends loose until I’m positive that everything is correct and I don’t have to undo anything.

I didn’t do ribbing, because I don’t like it, but I think the green border does add a little something. A finishing touch.

I think crochet has reopened the door to making my own clothes because it’s more forgiving than sewing, especially with non-stretch fabric. There’s much more precision and care necessary for sewing garments, and I enjoy playing with crochet’s many textures. Plus, there’s the “by hand” aspect, which is fun and compelling for me. And I do love a good sweater 🙂

Other crafts I’ve been up to recently:

EPP bag to celebrate my new job (front)
EPP bag (back)
Paint your own pottery – before firing
Paint your own pottery – after glazing

Swirly Paintings!

Uncategorized, , , , ,

I was inspired to pick up the brush again by katiesstudio on TikTok; I wanted to try out their “swirl the blobs” technique of moving and mixing color across the canvas. And of course, I brought my masking tape techniques with me.

Then I wanted to take this color blending kick over to my embroidery, because I already have variegated thread in lots of colors (shout out to Walmart for the thread).

I use this as my choir bag now 🙂

An of course my next question is… how can i incorporate this into my quilting? I’ve been thinking about trying more detailed pieces and more “thread painting”, and I think this abstract color blending mood could bring me into that. 🙂

Christmas Bags!

Uncategorized, , , ,

I decided to use the same website for my Christmas gifts as I did for my purple geode dress – Spoonflower, but making my own designs to be printed on the fabric.

I used GIMP, a photo editing software, to trace some of my own pictures and clip art to make the designs. I used a picture of a clematis flower on my porch to do some tests.

Original clematis flower on my porch
Traced clematis, plus a diagonal repeat
Spoonflower selection – you can choose the type of repeat and the size of the design

And I did a little abstract design of the graptosedum california sunset succulent I had over the summer, too.

I decided to spend the majority of my time on the designs instead of the construction, so I made some simple zipper bags out of the fabric I printed. I have a drawing pen with a tablet that connects to my computer, so I don’t have to draw with the mouse. I start out by tracing a thin outline of the shape, then a thicker and smoother outline. Then I color in the subject and do a background, usually very blurry so that there aren’t any apparent lines when it repeats. GIMP has a feature to offset the design so it will tile, so I use that and make sure that there aren’t any weird empty spaces that would be obvious in the fabric.

I did a design of bats for one of my friends, and lined the bag with a Dungeons and Dragons inspired fabric that someone else designed.

My other friend has a ton of cat themed stuff, but she also owns some geckos! So I wanted to do a bag with some geckos on it. I used a clipart picture of a gecko and made the markings match her specific gecko 🙂 I blurred out some wood clipart for the background. I used some old cactus fabric for the inside, since we’re both plant parents 🙂

One of my friends lives in a different state and I wanted to make her something Colorado themed, so I made some mountains on the Colorado flag and added a bike.

For my secret santa gift in my friend group, I used a picture of my friend’s dog to make two different prints for the exterior and interior of the bag.

Projects completed December 2020.

Oreo Backpack

Uncategorized, , , ,

This was my first major sewing project, and all done by hand. The Summit Pack pattern from Cloudsplitter Bags on Etsy was easy to follow, even the zipper installation. This was my first encounter with fusible interfacing, which is amazing – it can strengthen a normal cotton to stand up like a light canvas. I bought all the fabric and notions from Joann, and I didn’t intend for it to turn out like an Oreo, but it does look good 🙂 I modified some of the interior panels to have padded pockets, which are much more functional for me than credit card pockets.

Some friends and I went to an amusement park and I was “Purse Mom”, we could get sunscreen, two water bottles, a couple wallets, and four phones in at one time.
I made the shirt I’m wearing, too.

I used a buckle on the strap so I could, theoretically, un-clip it from myself and/or clip it onto something. I added a little band at the top which is usually holding a carabiner to hold jackets, shopping bags, hats, etc.

Isn’t the lining fun? Sunscreen for scale.
The zippered pocket on the back is where the entire thing was turned right side out when the construction was done.

Project completed March 17, 2017.

Bird Backpack

Uncategorized, , ,

I made this backpack for a friend, we chose the fabric together at Joann and then I constructed it off of the Ruther Backpack pattern from IThinkSewBags on Etsy. I added a laptop sleeve with foam padding, and some additional pockets on the inside flap. This was my first big project using a machine, which I used for most of the construction. I did the top stitching and strap attachments by hand for a homey look.

  • Foam laptop sleeve
Added pockets

Project completed June 21, 2018.

Assorted Bags

Uncategorized, , , ,

I self-drafted this little zipper bag for a friend for her D&D dice 🙂 It’s a triangular prism, and fully lined. She’s super into space stuff so the outer fabric is suns and stars. Project completed July 4, 2018.

I made this tote bag for my cousin for Christmas – partially inspired by another tote bag she likes to use. I used the 4girlsdesigns shoulder bag pattern with a fun marbled outer fabric inspired by a paper marbling experiment we did together, and cute strawberries for the inner lining. Project completed November 18, 2018.

I self-drafted this little black and gold purse using some scrap fabric since I needed a purse that was in between casual and fancy. The top is closed with two buttons and fabric wrapped around little elastic strips. I made it the perfect size to keep all my things inside, and the only thing I’d do differently in the future is have a thicker strap. Project completed March 5, 2019.