Friday 22 March 2013

Bag Ladies

A tutorial for the little bags made by one of my pupils this week.

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We filled the bags with rice, and made sure there were no holes in the seams. Then made a simple little tote bag to hold them [with the name of the young recipient attached, using Bondaweb]

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These bags are soft and safe – non toxic – and also ideal for anyone who wants to learn to juggle! In previous years I have made them in sets of 3 and included juggling instructions to sell at Charity events

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6 comments:

  1. Wow - what a great idea, they look so professional. Thankyou for the tutorial, I must give them a try. Wish I lived close enough to have sewing lessons. I've recently rediscovered my sewing machine and have been frugally making bedding sets to go into Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes along with a little doll, can't stuff the pillows though as all stuffed toys etc need the EU mark, but they do look sweet nevertheless. I've never used bondaweb, it sounds very useful, do you have any tips on how to use it and which to buy, by the metre or in a pack?
    I love your blog and always check it out, it's so thought provoking and informative and often brings a smile. I also like that you post in the mornings, it provides food for thought for the day. Keep up the great work & thanks again, x

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    1. I used to buy bondaweb in a small pack - but now as I use it a lot, I find it more economical to buy it by the metre.

      A soft pencil is good for tracing round templates - biros and felt pens can go through and mark the fabric. Some people draw and cut out the shape in Bondaweb before ironing it on to the fabric and then cutting again- I find it easier to iron a slightly larger piece of Bondaweb onto the fabric, and THEN draw round and cut out the Bondaweb and fabric together.[does that make sense?]

      My most frequent error is not reversing number and letter templates - so I get mirror-image letters.

      When Ironing in place, I find one of Bob's old white cotton handkerchiefs very useful - it gives the necessary protection between iron and fabric- but is sufficiently translucent to allow me to check placement is correct - and small enough to be easy to move around.

      If I have time, I oversew the edges of appliqued shapes on projects which will need lots of washing - usually the zigzag or blanket stitch setting on my machine.

      Interested in your comments about the shoeboxes you are filling for OCC. Could you make an open pillowcase, and then knit a rectangle of chunky woollen fabric to slip inside it, to give it a bit of padding?

      Thanks for the kind comments about the blog.

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    2. Thankyou so much for the advice, I can't wait to get started. What a good idea about the padding, I was still mulling it over & I think you've solved the problem for me, I always have something on the needles so can soon rustle up a little pillow or two.

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  2. So clever, and I even have some of that LOVEly Ikea fabric in The Box Under The Bed!

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  3. Very cute! This would be great project for something to make for a craft fair. Thanks for the inspiration!

    xofrances

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  4. What good timing. Our boss was just telling us that learning to juggle is wonderful brain exercise, and considered the best defense against memory loss.

    Thanks for this idea! :)

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