Wednesday, August 4, 2010

the silent treatment & a stow-away bag

I’ve been giving my sewing machine the silent treatment. It’s not that Betsy did anything to me. (Yes, I named my sewing machine, and I talk to her too.  They say plants grow better if you name them and talk to them, so I'm hoping that sewing machines work better if you name them and talk to them too.  Hey, you never know.)  Between the pretend and play mail carrier set in May and the pillow buddy in June, the two of us were spending a lot of time together . . . too much time together in fact. We needed some space from one another . . . we needed a break.

But recently, I saw a canvas roll-up bag in a catalogue . . . you know the kind of bag that you can roll-up very small and fit it in your purse for those quick trips to the market.  This was just what I had been looking for.  I'm always forgetting my ugly green bag either at home or in the car.  More than once I've made a quick trip to my car to retrieve a bag while the checker at the market was ringing up my groceries.  These bags caught my eye right away because they were cute, canvas and compact.  I thought, "Hey, I can make that."  So I grabbed a canvas remnant from my overflowing remnant stash and started cutting.  (By the way, I've joined The Train To Crazy crew in the GREAT de-stash challenge, so I can't even buy a single remnant of fabric until I've put a significant dent in the stash I have . . . yikes!)      

Although I didn't have a pattern (And even if I did you know I wouldn't use it because I like to make things harder than they need to be.), I thought I could figure it out on my own pretty easily. 

You can probably see where this is going by now. 

This bag should have taken less than an hour, but apparently, my sewing machine did not appreciate the break as much as I did.  Betsy made my life miserable and drove me to swearing often (no children's sensibilities were damaged in the construction of this bag) for roughly the two hours I spent sewing, ripping, resewing, ripping, rethreading, resewing, ripping, rethreading, resewing . . . I think  you get the picture.  I just couldn't get the stitch right, and I threaded the machine over and over more than a dozen times.  Finally, on the 13th rethreading, wallah . . . stitch perfect.  I swear I did the same thing over and over, so the only thing that I can attribute the problem to is that Betsy was feeling neglected and unhappy.  

We're finally on speaking terms, and I'm hoping that she has forgiven me.  You'll see why tomorrow when I announce my fifth craft till Christmas.

Here's my new bag . . . I'm calling it the stow-away bag since it will be stowing away in my purse until a much-needed moment. 

Rolled up into a nice bundle

Stowing away in my bag.  It actually fits nicely into the bottom of my purse.

Filled with OJ, black beans, green peppers, a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter.  Don't worry those things weren't all for the same recipe!


Do you see why I love this bag so much?  I think everyone need one of these little gems stowing away in the bottom of their purse.  What do you think?

Craft on!

37 comments:

Beverly {Flamingo Toes} said...

It's so cute! I'm so glad you and Betsy are getting along now - and that the bag turned out so great. I have been meaning to make something similar for a while - so much more fun than the ugly store ones. Thanks for the inspiration!

Kaylie said...

Love it! Thinking I may add this to my list of "to makes".

By the way, I'm currently working on making your little mail box idea. Its coming along and I'm just waiting to get the brad to complete it. Perhaps I'll send a pic once its finished. :)

Looking forward to tomorrow's craft announcement.

Unknown said...

The bag turned out great! I'm glad Betsy finally decided to cooperate. I had a similar thing happen with my no-name sewing machine a few weeks ago, and it turns out all that it needed was to be oiled. Apparently you're supposed to do that more often than every 2 years... Who knew?

Carolina said...

Cute bag! I need to make some! : )

Your machine may need to be serviced. Mine was doing the same thing, then I took it in to be serviced. Unfortunately, I took it to the Vac&Sew place down the street, and id didn't really help.

I then took it to the local Quilt Shop that has "a guy" come in twice a week. My little Husky has been humming beautifully ever since!

Unknown said...

Such a great idea. So functional and I love the material.

~Makalani
www.MakazHome.com

Alison @ mommadidit.blogspot.com said...

Adorable! Much better than those ugly store bought things!

Ami Allison said...

Your comment on Sew Much Ado was so funny I had to come over and follow you!! OH and I voted for both your projects!! *winks*

Ami Allison said...

OH and I liked you on Facebook.

and i tweeted and posted and subscribed....what do I win! haha! :)

Melissa said...

It is funny how sewing machines do that and the next time you use it it sews like a gem.

the thrifty ba said...

love the bag!
love the colors!

janimal said...

That bag is gorgeous! Looks it was worth rekindling the relationship with Betsy!

I feel guilt when I hear about destashing. I'll think about that AFTER I go to a sewing expo this weekend where I am bound to buy more fabric that I will just look at for a while....

Liz @ LivingMySweetLife said...

this is REALLY cute!!! I love that fabric, you did a fabulous job!! I break my sewing machine all the time, and it's usually b/c i get frustrated and thread it wrong. I am glad you and betsy are speaking again, I love the new bag!

Jenn said...

I'll take two! ;-) I've been wanting to buy a re-usable bag lately, but never can find one cute enough to fit my tastes. I don't really like the boxy look of the ones you find in the stores, but he shape of this one is very appealing. You should sell them!

Emily said...

Haha, you crack me up with your "I'm not a sewer, but hey look at this cute bag I just churned out on a whim!" Heehee, crazy lady! Super cute and I LOVE the fabric!!

Natalie said...

I want one!! You should totally sell them to us un-crafty people!!

I would totally carry that around with me!!

♥FreakyehS♥ said...

swinging by here from New Friend Friday and trendy tree house.

im your newest follower now.

http://www.gossipme.us/2010/08/all-about-friday-meme.html

D. Addiction said...

Silent treatment goes very long but surely gives treatment to the problem so this is one of the best methods to cure the problem.

the chirpy bird said...

Oh Great!
Love it!
So versatile and handy to have and even better, it's home made!
xo tash

Jill said...

Absolutely gorgeous bag!! I love that it's a stuff in your bag one but you've still added the trims and made it look extra cute!

Cassie Bustamante said...

this is so cute! again, love the colors! you are so stinkin' crafty! ;)

Unknown said...

GREAT IDEA! love this! Super fun cute colors too. Jenn

Alicia said...

Very cute!

Misty @Creative Itch said...

Love the bag!! Thanks for linking @Creative Itch's "Sew Cute Tuesday"!

L Simonson said...

Darling! Love the colors :)
@Paisley Passions
@Laughter & Memories

Anonymous said...

Why whoever could it be...yep, me again thanking you for sharing your awesome bag at It's Party Time Thursday at PonyTails&FishScales!

Kat @ Black Kats Design said...

What a clever idea! I just love the fabric. You must have a nice stash.

Thanks for linking up to the “Cheap Thrills Thursday” party at Black Kats Design. I hope you had fun and will join in again next Thursday!

Kat

www.BlackKatsDesign.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I love this cute bag, but more than this craft - I LOVE knowing someone else out there sews the exact same way I do - sewing, ripping and cursing a bit. Thanks for the smile and this great project!

Brianna! said...

cutecutecute
xoxo
bB

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

OM goodness--you are so clever--I love the fabric you used!

Cara@HomespunKitchen said...

Adorable!

Unknown said...

That's got to be the cutest bag I've ever seen! It was worth the spat with Betsy. Good for you!

Lorie said...

That bag is so cute!

Thanks for linking it up for the first Show and Tell Saturday!

mle said...

Your bag is FANTASTIC!!

Leslie said...

Once again what a FABULOUS idea! I love the fabric and the cute bag! Thanks for linking up to Hoo's got talent!

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

I agree. Everyone needs one of these! Very cute!

Thanks for linking up for Friday Favorites!

Ashlee Marie said...

LOVE it! What a great idea! I TOTALLY Need this for my itty bitty purse! Thanks for linking up to Topsy Turvy Tuesday's!

Connie said...

Very cute bag with great fabric. Is there a tutorial for this? I would love to make one.

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