Slim Sling for me

Believe it or not, I just got my first-ever cell phone this past December. (I know, I’m way behind the times, right?) To top it off, I was coerced. I was perfectly content with my iPad and could do everything on it as long as I had wifi. I really didn't want a cell phone... one more device to maintain and deal with... but Grandpa (who’s had one for years) wanted to ditch the landline, so I’m now the owner of an iPhone 12 Pro. I mean, if I have to get one, why not go for the one with the best camera(s), right? ;) It IS nice to have a camera that fits in my pocket so is handy whenever I’m outside.

It’s worked out well so far just putting it in a jacket pocket for going to town or outside somewhere. But the weather’s warming up and will soon be too warm for jackets, so I figure I’ll need a way to carry it along to town, since I don’t like the idea of having it in my jeans/pants pocket. Here’s my solution: a Slim Sling, from the pattern by Linds Handmade Designs.

If it looks familiar, it’s because I made one before when I tested the pattern. You can get all the details about it here. This one is just a bit different, as I made the version with the zipper pocket instead of the clear vinyl back.

I used cork fabric in my favorite color - teal, and I found the perfect lining fabric, which I’d purchased in a grab bag of scraps.

Here it is, all loaded up with cards and my new phone.

Of course this is too nice to use for working outside, doing cat chores, etc. I have a couple other projects in mind, so check back later and see (but not too soon, because I haven’t started them yet)!

kraft-tex Purse Pal

Here goes another attempt at a post from the iPad. 🤞🏻

I did another quick pattern test last week. This will look pretty similar to my last post, but it’s a whole new pattern - the Purse Pal, once again by Linds Handmade Designs. It’s longer than the Pocket Pal and has an outer slip pocket, plus six card slots instead of just three.

Once again, I used kraft-tex to make it from, because I think it’s cool... and because it requires no edge finishing. So it was a pretty quick and easy project.

The lining is quilting cotton.

Here’s a comparison between the Pocket Pal and the new larger Purse Pal.

Did you notice the little red flower-shaped snap? It’s a KAMsnap.

So there ya have it! The pattern is at a discount price through this weekend, so if you’re interested, get it now at Linds Handmade! As always, there’s a very helpful video tutorial to show you how it’s done.

Whew! I think I got through this on the iPad. It was somewhat challenging, but hopefully it’s a success. Let me know if you have any issues when viewing it.

kraft-tex Pocket Pal

One of my stocking stuffers this past Christmas was a package of kraft-tex (thanks Jess... er... Santa!). It's something I'd heard of before but had never had any, so I was eager to give it a try. It's actually made of paper - "a kraft paper that performs like fabric" - and is good not only for sewing but for all sorts of craft projects. Here's a good video to learn a little more about it. It's washable, doesn't tear, and has sort of a leather look and feel to it.

I decided to give it a try with the Pocket Pal pattern that I've used before. It has all raw edges, which made it perfect for the kraft-tex. It sewed nicely, although not as smoothly as fabric or leather, but still totally doable. I took a risk and did contrast topstitching (without practicing because I didn't want to waste any) and was quite pleased with how it turned out.

I used some scrap fabric for the lining and inside the card slots, and a KAMsnap for the tab.

I wasn't totally thrilled with the puncture holes on the back side of the seam, but it wasn't a deal breaker. However, just look at that cool texture!

Here's a Pocket Pal I'd made before in leather for comparison.

I like it! It's very sturdy and should hold up for a long time.

Kraft-tex isn't just for sewing projects, but for many kinds of paper crafting, too. It'd be great for scrap-booking, if you're into that. If you're interested, Amazon has lots of it for sale. Give it a try and (or if you already have) let me know what you think. I'm open to project ideas, too. Since you can print on it with an inkjet printer, I'm thinking of maybe making some labels, for one thing. There are endless possibilities! 

LindSport Mini Backpack

Last week I finished up another pattern test for Linds Handmade Designs (note that she has a brand new website!). Even having had a baby in between the last pattern and this one, it didn't slow her down much. She's still writing great patterns!

This is her latest, the LindSport Mini Backpack. I made mine in all waterproof canvas (WPC). I don't know that I would actually recommend doing that, as it did make it somewhat more challenging. But I do love how it turned out! Here's the front:

The back...

... which has a nice sized zipper pocket with plenty of room for your phone and/or other things. There's also a key clip to hang your keys, a mask, or whatever you like. With all of this up against your back when worn, they are pretty secure from anyone sneaking up behind you.

Inside that front pocket, there's a divided slip pocket for pens, lip gloss, sunglasses, notebook... whatever you choose... plus the pocket itself has a small gusset which gives it a little extra room, and the zipper doesn't go all the way to the bottom, so it prevents your stuff from falling out when you open it. She thought of everything!

The main compartment has a double zipper to make it more convenient to open.

Inside there's one more slip pocket. The seams inside are pretty easily bound with the same WPC that's recommended for the lining, which gives the bag a bit more structure.

It's a good kitty size, although I didn't actually try it on her, as a tester friend did with hers. I think her cat is much more tolerant than mine. Ha! Annabelle prefers to just 'look'.

If the fabric looks familiar, you've seen it before here. It's the same WPC from which I made the H2O 2GO Sling, also by Linds. Here they are together.

Once again Wonder Clips proved to be invaluable, holding those curved seams together!

An even bigger challenge for me was that back pocket. I wouldn't have had to line it, since I used WPC for everything, but I chose to because once having made a welt pocket with a faced zipper, I can't not do it anymore. :)

Nothing sticks very well to WPC, and since you're not supposed to iron it, I had quite a time holding those edges down until I got my zipper sewn in. I ended up hand basting them, which did the job well, even though it was a pain.

So that's the gist of it. I was very pleased with how it all turned out! Besides her well-done patterns, Linds always makes a very helpful YouTube video to demonstrate how it's done and add a few nice tips. The one for this backpack can be found here.

I'm sorry for not getting this post done in time for you to take advantage of the pattern's discounted price over the weekend. It was a birthday gift for Miss Courtney herself, and I didn't want to take a chance of spoiling the surprise. Her birthday was yesterday (how can she be 14 already?!), so she has it now, and here she is modeling it

I hope she'll find some good uses for it. Maybe an outing with friends. Or a trip to Disney! (How about that idea, Dad?😉)

Ravenwood Messenger Bag

Happy New Year! Back to blogging after a bit of a hiatus. It was unintended, and was only because my project took a long time... and then I procrastinated, which I'm very good at.

The project took a long time because first of all, it was a big project. If I remember correctly, I cut 72 pieces in all! Secondly, I took my time at it simply because I could (meaning no deadline) and also because I wanted to make sure it was 'just right'. It was relaxing to make this one, even though it had a couple of challenging spots, but they were nothing worse than I've done before. The pattern was very well-done and easy to follow.

Here's the selvage from the fabric I used. I was some canvas that Jess had bought in Japan a few years ago.

She finally decided she wanted a laptop bag made from it, and the best pattern we found was the Ravenwood Messenger Bag by Betz White. There wasn't quite enough fabric for it, so we decided to accent the bag with some waxed canvas I had, and the shoulder strap was made from webbing that Jess had bought along with the fabric. So... here is the bag!

It was a lot of work, but so worth it. Jess loves it, and so do I. I'd happily make another one... and maybe will someday if I ever acquire a laptop.

That's the front side pictured above. Behind those two cargo pockets is a large zipper pocket.

Here's the back...

... which has a pocket under the flap that zips open to reveal elastic straps that hold cables and a mesh pocket which you can use for a lot of things and easily see what you've put in it.

Inside is a padded laptop sleeve on one side and three slip pockets on the other side, made from linen.

Considering that the canvas was a newsprint, I of course had to do some fussy cutting (and maybe spent way too much time deciding what to put where - heheh). It was fun choosing, and here are some of the more interesting cuts. Jess thinks "consider redesign" should be her new business slogan!

Always good to 'plan ahead'.

We could certainly use answers to health these days!

I put velcro under the pocket flaps instead of thumb locks, at Jess's request.

As an added fun touch, I made a strap keeper fastened with a KAMsnap in Jess's signature color.

There were still a few small scraps left that just needed to become 'something', so Jess requested a little matching pouch for her earbuds and airpods. Since I had made the Zip Mask Case by Dog Under My Desk before, I thought it would be a good choice, and I made it smaller by trimming an inch off of all but the bottom edges of the main and pocket pattern pieces.Voilà!

(Did you notice the fussy cutting on the zipper tab?)

Now I'm all caught up on posting my sewing projects... except for one that I never got photos of from its recipient. I guess I could show it to you sometime anyway. Maybe. It was rather cute. But next up is another pattern test that I'll be working on very soon.

(P.S. Any formatting inconsistencies you might notice are a result of a battle with Blogger once again. Grrr! I tried!!)