Q3 Finish

It hasn't been a tremendously productive quarter for me creatively, however I have managed to do quite a bit of mending! I actually quite enjoy mending as favourite old things get a new lease of life. It's so satisfying to get them back in business. Often I have a quite a pile of things sitting waiting for quite a while and lately I've managed to finish off a few which has been great. Doesn't quite fit for the finish along though and that Q3 list has been sadly neglected except for one thing...

In the last week I have managed to make a bag (No 6. on my Q3 list) for my Mum which came together quite quickly once I finally got the right interfacing and cut out and fused all the pattern pieces.

In the past I have had difficulty here in NZ finding the exact interfacing called for in American patterns and it can be hard to work out what stiffness to use, so this time, as a reference, I ordered the exact ones called for online, so now I can keep a labelled scrap to find a suitable equivalent in a local shop. It took a little while for them to arrive, but now I have a reference in the future and the bag has the right amount of flexibility.

Mum wanted a bag to be used primarily for her knitting and she wanted it to be able to stand up by itself on the floor beside her. We decided the Noodlehead Super-tote would fit the bill with its outside pocket (for the pattern perhaps?) and divided inner spaces. The zippered top keeps everything contained. And any extra long needles can poke out beside the zipper tabs if need be.

Mum gave me the music print fabric to repurpose from a favourite old duvet cover and the lining is made from the back of the cover too.



I used a grey/black denim I had in my stash for the body and outer handles of the bag.

I think I learn something new each time I sew something and this time was no exception. This time I learned that I should trust my instincts. The elastic divider inside is too floppy. I'm not sure if this was  due to the elastic I used, or whether this is a pattern issue, having not made this bag before. I did have a scrap of elastic at home which I noticed afterwards was a bit stronger and perhaps I inadvertently bought looser elastic, not realising they come in different strengths when the same width. I opted to divide one elasticated inner pocket in half and leave one full width. I didn't adjust the elastic at the time as I wasn't sure how it would turn out once the bag was assembled. A bit disappointing but I'm sure it's not that much of a biggie.

A satisfying finish just before I head off overseas. My next couple of posts will be about the highlights of Barcelona and Lisbon! Get excited- I am! Otherwise I guess I'll be posting my Q4 Finish Along List before long- not much might have changed from my Q3 list, except it might get a bit longer...!