Bag Lining- It's a Good Thing

So, let me start off by saying I FREAKIN' LOVE my new sewing machine.  It's a Brother XR-9000 and it.is.awesome.  It truly has made lining my bags so much faster than that machine-that-shall-not-be-named could ever dream of doing.  Seriously- I love this machine!  

I've been asked about how I line my bags and I even shot a video over a year ago.  It was supposed to be my first Martha Stewart-esque video that would guarantee my own show on DIY channel.  However, it was over 3 hours of raw video and, considering I did a very non-Martha boo boo by burning the skin off my arm while ironing (yes, seriously), I decided that I'd let Martha retain her mogul status.....for now.

I basically figured out how to line my bags by putting together bits and pieces of things I found on the internet as well as being a maverick on my machine and then learning from my numerous mistakes.  However, I've finally got a system that works for me and decided that still photos can work almost as well as a video in a "how-to" tutorial... 

Hello and welcome to Gege Crochet Living!  Today we'll be demonstrating how to line and finish crocheted and felted hand bags.  For our demonstration today, we'll be using this absolutely scrumptious bag that was crocheted from my pattern, soon to be found here at Gege Crochet.  Let's get started, shall we?

First, you'll want to measure your bag's length and width. You may need to jot it down to remember it; however, I need no memory aids and am able to quickly add 1" to each measurement for a 1/2" sewing allowance. I measure with a level since it will make a perfect outcome and I like perfect. Since this bag will have a flat bottom, I also make note of the bottom width (precisely 2.5" for this bag).

Find the midpoint of the flap and insert a magnetic clasp.  

Fold the flap of the bag down and find where to place the second half of the magnet on the bag, being careful to place it precisely in the middle of the bag.  You may need to refresh your memory of your computation by looking at your notebook; however, I wouldn't know this by experience.

To ensure a perfect fit for your lining, utilize a spare piece of newspaper and measure out your dimensions. Using this newspaper as a pattern, pin it to your fabric. Of course, ensure that the fabric is folded in half and that the bottom of the pattern is pinned on the folded edge.

Once you cut your fabric, iron it on the folded edge to make a crisp crease on the mid-line.  Then, measure out 2.5" for the bottom of the bag by ironing and creasing 1 1/4" on each side of the mid-line.

What's that?  Oh, no.  The measuring level is not upside down.  Your eyes are.

Now, fold over the top of the bag 1/2".  Iron and pin into place.  Repeat on the other side, as well.

If you are making a pocket, and let's face it, why wouldn't you? then, now's the time to get it ready.  Figure out the size that you want and add 2" to the width and 1" to the height.  Cut out your paper pattern and pin it to your fabric which is, again, folded in half, wrong sides together.

On the raw edges of the pocket, fold and iron slightly less than 1/2" and then fold over and iron an additional 1/2".  Pin into place. 

This is to ensure that no raw edges are seen, even on the inside of the pocket.  What use is a pretty purse on the outside if the pocket is ugly on the inside?  Could you live with yourself?  I thought not.

To ensure the lining for the handles is the perfect width, measure the handle attachments and multiply by 4.  Mine was 3/4" so I need a 3" width for my fabric.

Once again, use a paper pattern and cut out 4 pieces of fabric (I use a 6" length for a long enough tail to handsew to the bag.) Iron in half, then fold each side to the middle and iron again.

Fold the sides in and then fold in half and pin into place.

Now that all of the pieces are measured and pinned into place, we can begin sewing.

Starting with the handles, sew a straight line close to the raw side of the fabric.  Turn the fabric the other way and make another seam the same distance from the other edge.  If you are not making a decorative edge *snooty giggle* then this is all you need to do.  

If you are going to go the extra mile and make your bag perfect, then utilize one of the many amazingly awesome decorative stitches on your Brother XR-9000 and make a masterpiece.

 Repeat for all four handles. 

Insert the lining into the handles, fold over and sew together.  The handles are now ready to be pinned into the bag.

Now, repeat the decorative stitches along the pinned top edges of the bag lining.  

Next, get the pocket (if you are putting a label in your pocket, now is the time to pin and sew it into place).  Sew along the pinned edges with a matching color (I used an "invisible" thread).

Once the pocket is finished,  pin it to the lining (ensuring it is centered) and then sew with a contrasting color to the lining.

When the pocket is in place, fold the lining right sides together and pin along the sides.  Sew 1/2" along the edge.  You now have a lining for a flat bag.  However, since our bag has a bottom, we are not quite done yet.

Iron the side edges flat, snipping the folded bottom of the edge (where my fingers are in the photo) so that it will be completely flat.

Now, fold the bottom of the bag into a point at the side.  You will see the crisp edges that you ironed for the mid-line and the 2 1/2" bottom.   See how you can draw a straight line from the top of the first ironed edge to the other?

Pin the fabric down and sew a straight line from one top of the crisp bottom edge to the other.

This is what it looks like if you did it correctly.  If not, you fail at life.

Trim off the triangle tip.  You now have a lining for a more boxy shape.  Even though our bag has a more rounded edge, this shape works well for our purposes.

To make the bottom of our bag flat and sturdy, use a piece of plastic canvas and cut to the proper size. 

Place it in the bottom of the bag and pin into place.  Be sure to look at the outside of the bag to make sure it looks even.

Turn the bag inside out and pin the handles into place, as well. Take your time to ensure they are centered around the flap. Crooked handles do not a perfect bag make.

 

Begin hand sewing the bottom and the handles into place. Since felt is so thick and full of little woolly tangles, you merely need to catch some of the felt with your needle rather than go all the way through the bag to the front.  Yes, I am using a thimble.  My heart is made of stone, not my fingers.

Once the handles are sewn in, flip the bag right-side out again and pin the lining into place, ensuring that the pocket is centered with the flap.

Using either a matching thread or the "invisible" one used previously, sew the lining into place with a very basic running stitch.  Again, no need to go all the way through the bag- just be sure to catch some of the felt with your needle. 

I go around a second time to ensure a tight stitch.  Where the needle is up the first time around, it will be below the second time, making a solid stitch line all the way around.

The lining is now sewn into place- all that is left is sewing the decorative accessory to the front of the flap, both for a beautifying effect and to hide the magnetic clasp.

Voila.

I hope you enjoyed today's Gege Crochet Living.  Remember, sewing a lining into your bag is a good thing.

Know what else is a good thing?  My Brother XR-9000.  Did you catch that label?  Yep- totally full of win.  

Do You Smell Smoke?

Thank you all for your kind comments about my winning ways yesterday. :)  (Special thanks to Leitadala for saying it was the best project she's ever seen- as my Mister knows, my head still has room to grow.  He's not at all tired of hearing me say, "I won TWICE!  I totally OWNED those awards!  I RULED!")

As the glow of my win slowly wears off, I'm brought back to reality and am sobered by all the other things I need to accomplish rather than fantasizing about the throngs of fans that will cheer for me as I step into a yarn store.   *Le sigh*

You know those times in life that you just feel like if there is one more item on your to-do list, you might as well just burn it?  The list, I mean- not the individual items on that list because that'd be wrong, right?  I mean, there are laws against burning things just because you are trying to avoid them, right?  I mean, burning a house just so you don't have to clean it would be insane, right?  *Goes to check arson laws*

My in-laws are coming to visit the first week of June.  I love my in-laws- I really did luck out with them.  However, they are so neat, clean, and organized they make Monk look like Pig Pen.  That is awesome for them- they work well together and, truth be told, I do envy their organizing and cleaning abilities.  My Mister has inherited this "clean and organized" gene, though not to the extent his parents have it- thankfully.  It is because of him that our house isn't one huge tangled ball of yarn.  I truly like organization and dream of the day when I'll have my craft room in ONE room with lots of little cubby holes to house my mountainous stash and shelves where my cute baby stash of fabric can be neatly folded and easily found.  

However, I am unfortunately lacking that organizational gene.  It takes me FOR.EVER to get something organized.  Even as a kid, my mom would be astounded that it'd take all day for me to clean my room since I would have to read every single little scrap of paper before deciding whether or not to throw it away.  When I finally get something organized, it is simply breathtaking how quickly I can ruin it again.  I really have no idea how it happens- any scientist out there want to study Entropy?  Come on over to Chez Gege- and yes, you're welcome for your Nobel Prize.  Now, I am able to get things clean- I like my kitchen tidy and can't stand a dirty bathroom- but as far as organizing things.....forget it Charlie.

Herein lies my problem.  I have 2 months to get my office organized (*shudder*), while combining it into my craft room (hopefully) which would free up the guest room where my in-laws will be staying.  Sounds good and manageable, right?  I mean, I have 2 months so, what's the big deal?  The big deal is that I.AM.ME- remember when I said I'm an all or nothing type of gal?  I meant it- I need to have a whole day (or month in this case) devoted to one thing (especially if that thing is so freakin' huge it would scare King Kong) or else my ADD takes over and I work really hard all day long on many different things and yet still don't get anything completed.  I wish that I could devote an hour or two here or there after work or on a weekend and slowly by slowly get things accomplished.  However, I have lived with myself long enough to know that if I start something and not complete it, then I lose my mojo and find something else to occupy my time and then the original project will never get done. (Thus 2 solid months of crochet for this bad boy. Did I mention I won twice?)

Unfortunately, I don't even have a whole day to devote to getting my bags lined (count is up to 8 now- yes, eight) or on starting my garden (which I need to do this weekend- I'm 2 weeks late on starting the peas!) or getting the ironing mountain whittled down to a manageable Mt. Everest size, ditto the laundry planet, or finishing my Tri-Colored and Turtle bag patterns, or consolidating my various yarn piles strewn across the house into one ginormous organized mound so that we can actually have a couch to sit on once again.

So where does that leave me?  Not off to get the matches....no, no....that'd be wrong.....it may stop the twitching that I keep saying is my new, cool way of blinking, but.....no, no.....that'd be wrong.....right?

I Am the Champion, My Friends

GAAAHHH!!!! O.MY.LANTA!!! I’m sooooo excited that the Ravelry Bobby Award winners are finally posted and I’m literally shaking about this- my Super Mario Blanket won BOTH categories it was nominated for!!! (I’ve had to retype that sentence twice- my fingers couldn’t find the right keys- I’m soooo stoked!!!)  I WON!!!  TWICE!!! 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone- the folks who nominated my project, the Bobcademy, and those who voted!!!! (I wish I was better prepared and had my speech written out! I was going to end with, “You love me! You really love me!” but figured that'd be too cheesy.)

Without further ado, I give you the winning project for the 2010 Ravelry Bobby Awards for Geekiest Project AND Best Personal Pattern Project. 





 YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!





(My Mister thought I may have lost my cool a little. So, now that I’m recomposed….Meh. That’s cool.)

Wild Things- Healthy Food Made Fun

Wow.  What an insane day.  Our local mall had their annual Children's Day at the Mall today where hundreds of children partook in dozens of free activities provided by area childhood providers.  There was face painting, puppet shows, dance competitions, and free stuff galore!

My work was there, too, and I've been preparing for this event for a few weeks now, but this week it was down to the wire.  We had a bean-bag toss (the bean bags were fruit/veggie shaped) and a colorful animal hopscotch game to go with the theme of Amazon Adventures.  We had "Monkey Crunch" (a Chex Mix that I threw together- basically wheat Chex, Honey Nut Chex, pretzles, and M&Ms- it was a hit!) and a couple food demonstrations.  I had the kids making Ants On A Log (peanut butter on celery with raisin "ants") and some Wild Wraps that I thought up.  I am absolutely exhausted, but it was worth it to see those kids getting involved with snack making and eating healthy to boot.

For any of you parents who may have a tough time getting your kids to eat their fruits and veggies, this one is for you!

Wild Wraps:

• Lettuce leaves (Butter Lettuce works well, but any leaf you can roll up is good- try a red leaf lettuce to make it pretty!)
• Shredded Apples (Try Fuji or Pink Lady- crisp and sweet.  Also, get some Fruit Fresh to sprinkle on them to prevent browning)
• Shredded Carrots (you can get the ready cut matchstick carrots)
• Craisins and/or raisins (we used both)

Wild Sauce:

• 1/2C Lite Mayo
• 1 1/2 Tbs sugar (can use Splenda if you're diabetic)
• 1Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar

1. Whisk the Wild Sauce ingredients together- you can put it in a squeeze bottle (like ketchup/mustard bottle) for easy application
2. Put the apples, carrots, raisins, and Craisins in the lettuce leaf.
3. Drizzle the sauce on it
4. Roll it up and enjoy!!

Even my boss was a little skeptical that I'd get this to work- he thought it'd be messy and no kids would be interested.  He was shocked with how popular our stand was!  (Don't pat my back, boss- pat my wallet.) Making healthy eating fun is half the battle when it comes to kids.  Make eating an adventure and let them do things themselves.  We had some items ready made for kids who didn't want to make them- we ended up giving them to the adults.  The kids all wanted to do it themselves!  Remember, we eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouths.  If something looks nasty, will you eat it?  Why would you expect your kids to?  If it's colorful and fun, they'll jump right in.  :)

Ok- I'm outie.  I have a cat boobie bag to work on (I swear it won't look anything remotely like cat boobies when I'm done, but I'm afraid that I will always be reminded of that when I see it.  Thanks a lot Sis.) and I'm just enjoying the quiet that I am hearing in my house and letting the Advil (and maybe a Cabernet...) work its magic.  

Until next time- same Bat time, same Bat channel.

I Didn't Know You Could Milk A Cat

We had a lot of animals growing up.  Most of them found us rather than we finding them.  One of these animals was a black calico cat with a white star on her forehead we named Isis. She was a tiny little thing- not malnourished (plenty o-mice in the barn), but just a very small, dainty cat.  She lived in our barn and, for whatever reason, not only was she not afraid of humans, she actually liked them.  From the day we met her, she would let us not only approach her, but also pet and pick her up. However, she only liked us humans on her terms and on her turf...in the barn.  We tried bringing her to our porch where we kept the cat food for our own cat- a tom named Tasha (short for Taj Mahal- based on the size of the presents he left in his litter box). She would let us pick her up and carry her anywhere, but she would run like the wind back to the barn every time we brought her to the porch. 

Well, eventually Isis figured out that if she wanted to be lazy pampered and, instead of hunting for those stupid mice, eat the food given by the strange human masseuses that visited her in her barn, then she should deign to allow them to carry her in her litter (ha! punny!) and feed her on the porch of their her new house.  Tasha was not pleased.  He started out as an indoor cat but, due to his love of the outdoors, eventually became an outdoor cat.  However, since he knew he was an aristocratic "indoor" cat, he would wait patiently for his food to be served at meal times.  He would not knock the lid off of the food and just dig right in like other barn-raised lowlifes he could name.  The prince would wait for his human slaves to serve him in his ever so proper pie pan like the regal feline he was.  Isis would see him eat and try to join in, but he would growl at her and would block her at every turn until he was done.  When he was done, he, being the master of the house, would then knock the pie pan over and bury any food that he did not eat.  He sure showed her!  Eh.  Why wait for the slaves when she knew where the food was stored?  Off the lid for the food would go and in Isis would jump to eat to her heart's content. 

We were sad that our sweet little Tasha (ok, truth be told, only I found him sweet- I'm some sort of cat whisperer- they love me) would never like the newest addition to our household.  Everybody loved Isis.  She was the type of cat that would let you pick her up and fold her up and play her like an accordion.  She didn't care- she was just so chill.  Well, we soon found out Tasha did indeed like Isis....during certain times of the month....

A few weeks after Tasha succumbed to Isis' charms, we noticed she started getting....plumper.  Since she was such a small cat, her swollen pregnant belly was a very comical sight to behold as it would swing from side to side as she sauntered around the yard.  A few weeks later, we were able to observe firsthand the miracle of birth.  First came out a black kitten, just like Tasha.  Then another black kitten.  Then...2 orange and 2 white kittens.  That slut. 

We saw as she raised and nurtured those adorable mewling little balls of fur with the closed eyes and minuscule ears. We also noticed how they would nurse- kneading their mother's milk filled teats- and would cringe at thought of how painful it must have been.  She would still swing from side to side when she sauntered, but it was no longer a pregnant belly that was carried with the momentum.  (There may have been mention of a Feline Miracle Nursing Bra once or twice, but I can't be sure.) However, she would just purr in contentment as she raised her family.  Ahhh....the miracle of life. 

I was reminded of Isis and her brood today as I was working on a new design.  No, not the bag that made me giggle and blush from two days ago- I mean, I am working on that one, too, but this one ninja kicked that one out of the queue tonight while I was watching a movie- Coco Avant Chanel.  I'm not done watching it yet- my Mister is on the phone with his sister, so it's paused.  Gave me enough time to grab some wool and my hook and away I go!

Anywho...I'm loving this design and it's making me entirely too happy.  It'll be the first time I've worked with bobbles, thus the first time I'll felt bobbles.  I'm starting out with a swatch to see if I even have the concept down correctly.

Yay me!  I am loving the spacing of the bobbles and can picture the texture they'll make once felted.

See? Nice and texture-y and bobble-y.  Hopefully it will make a beautiful finished bag.  I'm really excited about it and showed it to my sis.  She saw.....this:

  Ah.....the miracle of the deranged mind.  Just don't let Gaylord Focker near him, sis.




(ETA:  It's later in the evening and I'm re-reading my post. My Mister is no longer on the phone and is now ready for bed.

My Mister:  Honey!!! Hurry up and come to bed!!
Me:  Hold on!  I'm re-reading to make sure I don't look stoopid with any misspellings or grammatical errors.
Mister:  What?!?  You are the one who just put boobies on a cat- what do you think you look like?!?

I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Argh.  He has a point....)