I’ve been a bit quiet since I finished my Stow-it-All. I have delivered the re-modelled hoodie and t-shirt and I was feeling a bit at a loose end. Then my niece wanted to do another sewing workshop, but couldn’t find anything suitable. So I said I would do a workshop for her! I suggested making a lined drawstring bag, or a zipped pouch; but she said she would like to make a clothes peg bag, and/or a tube for storing plastic carrier bags. I duly went on-line to look for tutorials.
I found this tutorial for a nice version of the usual clothes hanger peg bag design, and a couple for the bag storage tubes. During the course of all this I also learnt how to fold plastic bags up into little triangles that stay done up and reduce bulk in “How to ‘Football fold’ a grocery bag”. As a result I suggested she make two peg bags, one for pegs, one for folded bags, but apparently they need to be long thin bags to fit where she wants to hang them. This means the normal peg bag was going to be too wide. Back to the drawing board!
Then I googled Peg Bags and found the beautiful “Klädnyps-struts” on Nicola Foreman’s site. Nicola had spotted the pattern on the cover of a Swedish Quilting magazine called “Fat Quarter” and managed to work out how to make it from the pictures and Swedish instructions! Since then several people have followed her link to Elisabeth at Lapp-elisa Quilts (who is actually Norwegian) and due to the interest shown in the pattern it is now available with English instructions :-) So I bought it because I liked it, and it may even fit the bill for my niece. Truth be told I am no patchwork-quilter, but I liked the shape and design, so I thought I would muddle through.
It was despatched Thursday and arrived Saturday, so I wanted to try it out over the weekend. I will shop with my niece to get some nice fabrics for our Workshop, but in the meantime I decided to try it out by using up the last of my denim scraps. The pattern actually calls for the bag to be pieced from strips, so I pieced together some strips, then followed the instructions. I added some firm flexible fusible interfacing (Vilene S320) to the denim although the pattern does not call for it. I used Vilene Thermolan 272 Compressed Volume Fleece as batting, and a recycled ‘ticking-like’ striped cotton for the lining.
I did some very simple quilting on the main part of the bag, simply top stitching either side of the seams joining the strips, then using my favourite decorative machine stitch for a freestyle design. It’s all in shades of blue, so very discreet! I skipped making the hanging loop in denim as it would have been very thick, and used a piece of Union Jack ribbon instead. Afterwards I thought I should have just used the lining fabric. Never mind. I didn’t have a clip to use either, so I added a key-ring. Now I can add a clip later on. It is actually hanging on my washing line in the above photo.
When it came to the base I decided to use the lining fabric inside and out, with a piece of ByAnnies ‘Soft & Stable’ interfacing instead of interfacing and batting. I used a temporary spray adhesive to hold it all together then quilted it with 1″ lines across, then a freestyle spiral. I used the lining fabric for the binding too so the bottom all matches but gives a nice contrast on the front.
Here it is, freestanding, holding some of my peg collection. For a first attempt I’m rather pleased with it, and I think the design is far more practical for me than the usual flat hanger style. I need to improve on that inside seam though. Now I can show my niece the proto-type and see if it is a good size for her needs.
“Washday” range by Makower fabrics
I may make one for my dad too, and then perhaps she will make them for her sisters and her mum. I’m rather hoping my local shop will have some Laundry themed cottons as appealing as these Makower ones Nicola had, in which case I will probably use ByAnnies ‘Soft and Stable’ for all of it instead of interfacing and batting.
Tack så mycket Nicola and Elisabeth!
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Added to ChrisWDesigns ‘Bag Brag Tuesday’
