Lucy-Proof Sock Knitting Bag

Meet Lucy.

She's pretty much the best cat on earth. She doesn't meow, scratch, bite, or claw. Probably because she doesn't have an evil bone in her body. She answers to her name and is never more than a few feet away.  In fact, sometimes we wonder if she knows that she's a cat at all because she mostly acts like a dog .

Except, like most cats, Lucy loves to quilt.

 

And has an affinity for FMF. 

But her true passion is knitting. I took this picture after she tuckered herself out trying to help me knit a beret for my bestie.

In an effort to control her help with sock knitting, I decided that it was time to protect the goods.

Enter the Lucy-Proof Sock Knitting Bag!

It's the perfect size to hold your sock or small knitting project. A ball of yarn, needles, stitch markers, measuring tape, and other necessities fit nicely in the bag. The bottom is round instead of squared off because I think that round adds to the cute factor :) 

But the BEST part about the bag is that the lining is secured to the bottom, with no seams showing. I get so irritated when I pull something from a pouch and the lining comes right out with it. Then I have to stuff the lining back and it's always bunchy and lumpy. This pouch solves the problem.

Specs:

Size: Approximately 20" circumference and 10" tall

Time: You should be in a good mood

Seam Allowance: 1/4" throughout

What you need:

Outside
40 squares 2.5" x 2.5"

1 rectangle 3"x 20.5" linen

1 circle 6 3/8" diameter

Inside

1 rectangle 10.5"x20"

1 circle 6 3/8" diameter

Other

 30" of drawstring cut in two equal pieces

Optional

Beads for the drawstring

Embroidery Floss for hand stitching

Process:

Arrange your squares in a 4x10 grid . Keep in mind that the row on each end will touch.

Chain stitch your squares until you have ten strips of 4 squares. Once all your strips are finished, press the seams (however you like) and join by the long edge.

When all the strips are joined, press the long seams open. 

Flip over and press again. Pin the 3"x 20.5" strip of linen to the bottom of the bag and sew. Then press the linen with the seam towards to the linen side.

At this point add the hand stitching, if you want it. Hopefully you stitch a straighter line than me :)

Fold the fabric right sides together along the short edge and sew. Then press the seam open.

Decide where to place the openings for the two drawstrings. Place one on each side, which splits the bag into 5 squares across the front and 5 across the back. Make a buttonhole or do the following...

Mark 1/2" down from the top edge of the bag. Then mark about 1" down from the top of the bag.

Seam rip the stitches between the lines. Then stitch a box around your opening, reinforcing the top and bottom seams. Now you have a simple opening.

Join the tube to the linen circle for the outer bottom. The easiest way is to divide your circle and your tube circumference into four quarters by folding. Pin the tube to the circle in quarters then sew.

Now take your lining rectangle and sew in half along the short end. Press open the seams and attach to the lining circle in the same manner as the outer portion of the bag.

With WRONG sides together, pin the bottom of the lining circle to the bottom of the outside circle. Take time to make sure that none of the bag sides get caught in a pin. A smooth join is key.

Carefully sew the two pieces together following the stitch lines from joining the tube to the circle. Keep the outer side of the bag up to eliminate puckering on the outside of the bag. Go slow and continually check that the lining side is not puckering. Clip the seams to help create smooth curves.

Next, seam rip about 2" or 3" in the center of the lining seam.

Now things get a bit complicated and I didn't take a picture (bad!).  You are going to sew the top of the lining to the top of the outer bag with RIGHT sides together. When finished, you will pull the bag through the seam ripped section that you just created and the bag will miraculously be right side out with the lining inside. Ready?

In awkward fashion, twist your lining section around until you are able to line up the right side of the lining to the right side of the outer bag, in the correct spot. Pin all the way around. Your item will look a bit hour glassish, with the bottom joined, the middle twisted, and the top pinned. Sew around the top. The finished piece will look something like this.

Now find your seam ripped section and start pulling the bag out through the hole. 

Until it looks like a bag!

 

Take time to press the whole bag smooth. Then sew up the seam ripped section by hand using an invisible stitch. 

The lining is now firmly attached to the bottom and won't bunch up or come out. 

Top stitch close to the top edge of the bag and again about 1/8" below the drawstring bag opening to create the drawstring casing. 

Thread one piece of drawstring through one of the openings. Bring the drawstring all the way around and back out the opening that you started with. Add a bead, if desired, and tie a knot. Then, starting with the OTHER opening, thread the second piece of drawstring all the way around and out that opening. Add a bead and tie a knot.

Now when you pull the drawstrings at the same time, the bag will close tight.

All done! Enjoy your {insert pet name here} Proof {Insert project here} Bag!  If you decide to make a bag, please let me know. I would love to see it! 

Feel free to use my tutorials for gifts or charity but please give credit where credit is due. 

THANKS!

Modern Minis

How did I end up the next stop after Lynn on the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge blog hop?  Hopefully you can still find some inspiration here after seeing all the amazing work at Lynn's blog yesterday.

I love mini's because they are an easy way to try something new.  The first quilt I have to show you was meant to be a big quilt but I wasn't feeling the look after finishing the first block.  It turns out that, while I'm obsessed with this colour combo at the moment, I think that it's too much for a big quilt.  I decided to bind it and hang it in my sewing room, where it makes me very happy.

One of my most favourite mini's is the one that I made for Ayumi. 

I also really like this mini. Technically, it isn't even a quilt but it is small and combines fabric, sewing, and batting, and could be hung on a wall. So I'm calling it a mini quilt.  I made it for a swap but someday I will make one for myself too.

This mini was for another swap and was a great way to try a new idea. I didn't even know that the pattern was a courthouse steps.

My first and only Dresden hangs in my sewing room. Dresdens make such cute minis.

Finally, I love me some simple patchwork. This was also a swap quilt. All my swap partners have really had a thing for turquoise and orange!

Are you feeling inspired to make a mini quilt? If so, join the challenge and try experimenting with your mini quilt because you could win a complete fat quarter pack of FMF!  Here are the details...

The Modern Mini Challenge is a 5 week series that starts with inspiration from bloggers and ends with a quilting challenge.  Here’s how it will work: 

2/6/12 - 2/19/12 

Weeks 1 & 2 - Inspiration Weeks - Modern Mini Challenge Blog Hop  

Bloggers share their modern minis and kick-start your creativity. Get inspired, get creative, get those ideas flowing!

2/20/12 - 3/4/12 

Weeks 3 & 4 - Sew. Sew. Sew! 

Work on those minis and create your Modern Mini Challenge piece. 

3/5/12 - 3/9/12 

Week 5: Enter the Contest!

Link up your Modern Mini Challenge piece at Ellison Lane Quilts. Voting begins that week and winners are announced on March 9th.  

Five fabulous prizes are all being sponsored by the wonderful Kimberly at the Fat Quarter Shop

Contest Requirements:
1. Create a modern mini quilt or mug rug - only one entry per person
2. Enter your mini quilt or mug rug in the linky party at Ellison Lane Quilts on Monday, March 5. You do NOT have to have a blog to enter. You may link a picture from your Flickr account.
3. Your entry (blog post or Flickr description) should include the size of the item.

Modern Mini Challenge

First of all, thank you for all the nice comments and emails about my pattern. I like the pattern a lot and I'm glad that there are other people who like it too.

If you've been over to Ellison Lane's Blog in the last couple days then you already know about a fun challenge that she's hosting.

The Modern Mini Challenge is a 5 week series on mini quilts. You'll gain plenty of inspiration, learn some new techniques and maybe even get a little push to cut into that special fabric that you've been hoarding.

The hope is that you will try something new, fun, or different in the form of a mini quilt!  Mini's are the perfect platform to try out those complicated patterns that you just can't imagine dedicating to an entire quilt. 

Details:

2/6/12 - 2/19/12 - Inspiration Weeks - Modern Mini Challenge Blog Hop(I'm February 9th)

2/20/12 - 3/4/12 - Work on your mini

3/5/12 - 3/9/12 - Enter the Contest

Get a load of one of the five prizes you could win by joining the challenge...A FQ pack of the FMF reprint generously donated by Fat Quarter Shop.

I know, right! Head over to Ellison Lane to get all the details about the challenge and contest.

Blog Hop line up:

2/6: Stitchery Dickory Dock

2/7: Fairy Face Designs & Amy's Creative Side

2/8: Lily's Quilts

2/9: Patchwork Notes

2/10: Don't Call Me Betsy & Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle

2/11: Sukie, Don't You Know Who I Am? 

2/12: Freshly Pieced

2/13: From the Blue Chair & Poppy Makes

2/14: Needles, Pins & Baking Tins

2/15: Mon Petit Lyons & Felicity Quilts

2/16: LR Stitched & Random Thoughts of Do or Di

2/17: Life's Rich Pattern & Twin Fibers

2/18: Cut to Pieces & Sew Sweetness

2/19: Swim Bike Quilt

Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to seeing your quilts. And sorry about the tiny font. I tried to make it normal size but blogger just wasn't having it.