Bag O' Tricks

Sometimes it's just nice to make something.  No reason for it.  You just see something and you think, "Hey, that would be fun to make!"  Usually if this happens, I try to conjure up a reason to make it, like finding someone who wants to do a swap or something. 

Are you guys familiar with the online workshop site, Creativebug?  So many good things on this website.  With workshops from instructors like, Anna Maria Horner, Cal Patch, Heather Ross, and Natalie Chanin.  And for September, you can lock in your subscription price for only $10 a month.  Score!

So, one of the most recent workshops is this travel kit from Betz White.  She says in the video that it would make a great little bag to store you toiletries in when you travel, but of course when I saw this, my brain saw the cutest knitting project bag EVER. 

So I got to work, plotting and planning.  Pulling fabrics and rummaging through "the horde" to see what kind of precious things I could use to make this bag.  Since the bag is so small, the fabric requirements are minimal and therefore I thought cutting into some precious things was warranted.

Now, I did change some things from the original.  I knew I wasn't going to want to cover up any of my precious fabric so the handles would have to be moved. 

I also decided that I wanted this little bag to be super sturdy, so I first fused all of the pieces with   SF-101 and then fused the fusible fleece on top of that, on all of the pieces.  And then SF-101 on the lining pieces also.  On the bottom piece, I used fusible Peltex, which I trimmed to be about a 1/4" smaller on all of the sides so I wouldn't have to deal with sewing through it.  BAM!!! Bag of superior sturdiness accomplished.   It would take a bomb to destroy this thing.

The fabric that I used is an Echino quilting cotton from a few years back and paired it with a natural linen.  I then decided it would be pretty neat if the webs on it were sparkly.  So I quilted over the straight lines running through the web on all of the pieces.  And then just did random straight line quilting on the bottom linen part.

I added a little punch of color to the handles with some plum-y shot cotton that I had.

Along with a pretty purple zipper.

And of course, it wouldn't be one of my projects if it didn't have a little Lizzy House fabric included somewhere.

 

Emoting ghosts are the bestest in my opinion.   :)

Add in a handmade bag charm with a matching zipper pouch and stitch markers, and you have one pretty cute little knitting project bag.

This bag was so great and satisfying to make, I know that I will be making several others for holiday gifts for knitting friends.