Friday, September 11, 2009

A Little Diversion

I've told you already how much I love bags, boxes and other types of containers. I decided to make a longer variation of this little bag. I had an idea of the size, but I'm not always good with numbers, so I decided to do a "mock up." But I always use fairly decent fabric in case the mock up turns out OK.

Fortunately, I caught this mistake, above, before I started stitching. Those little loops would have been useless on the -inside- the bag.
This is the end.
This is the inside.
This is what I made the bag to hold.

This little bag is 7-3/4" long by 1" wide by 2" tall. It's okay, but could be a bit longer and wider.

Also, I used plastic tablecloth material for the lining, since toothbrushes usually get wet. It was a good idea, and will also provide some stiffness, but sewing with it demands a few adaptations.

For one thing, you poke a hole in this stuff with a pin, and the hole stays. So when I added the zipper, I held it in place with blue plastic painter's tape. (Last time I was at the hardware store I bought a roll 3/4" wide.)

Next, it doesn't want to slide under the presser foot of the sewing machine, so I used a small piece of tissue paper underneath, then just tore it off once I sewed a seam.

I'll also do the zipper a bit differently. I don't like seeing the white of the lining near the zipper.

The green fabric on the inside bottom of the bag covers the seam and also provides a bit of stiffness. I like that.

I think the next one will be better, and I can already envision little bags like these in fun color combinations stuffing Christmas stockings later this year.

I can picture one in selvages, too!

5 comments:

Sharon said...

Aren't you the clever one?! Very cute. And thanks for sharing your tips too. These would be great Xmas gifts, and really excellent in selvages, especially for a quilt retreat!

Thanks for your kind comments on my blog - you made me smile!

Kucki68 said...

This is a great idea, it would make a lovely gift for my guy who always chucks his in his bag without anything (ugh!)

Unknown said...

Great idea! What a wonderful little toothbrush holder.

Sara said...

That is a really cute idea...And, everyone who travels needs that for their toothbrush and toothpaste!

Deborah said...

I think we are related. I love bags, boxes, and the like. How about baskets? Another weakness. Beautiful work!