Lunchtime! Oilcloth Lunch Bag Completed

So my lunch bag is finished!  Yay.  I can't wait to use it tomorrow.  In the meantime, I thought I'd put a few tips online for some things I figured out that I hadn't seen mentioned elsewhere.  


You can see the super-cute fabric I got from fabric.com. (I thought they had the best selection, but Oilcloth Addict has a good selection, too, along w/ excellent project ideas & care instructions.) 


Oilcloth is not easy to work with.  It sort of fights back!  I didn't have any trouble getting the slick side to feed through my machine, but apparently some people do & use tissue paper so that the feed dogs can grip the oilcloth.  I didn't have to do that, but at some of the bulky points I did have to push & pull to help the machine.    

Line of stitches to make folding easier &
my rotary cutter, used to press seams & folds.

One thing I did figure out that if you needed a distinct fold sewing a row of stitches makes it a lot easier to fold.  Then you need something to "press" the fold over, because you cannot iron oilcloth.  The back of a spoon is one recommendation, but I found the handle end of my rotary cutter worked well.  


I was using Brett's post on Design Sponge, but really struggled with the measuring & getting things to match up.  I had to measure & re-measure & cut & re-cut, but I'm quite pleased with the result.  And even though no small project ever turns out to be that straightforward for me...I don't think I spent more than 3 hours on the whole thing.  


I am hoping that I will get better at it, because I really want to make a bunch of Brett's storage boxes to help with organization in my sewing room (and possibly in the kitchen, too).  For one thing, I think the little storage bins will be great for patterns.  Right now my patterns are mixed in with my fabric in large Ikea boxes, so a separate place to put them would be really useful.  

New Project! Oilcloth Lunch Bag

Here's the inspiration. I won't even show you my current lunch bag, made from recycled plastic, purchased at Whole Foods with おいしい on the front (which means delicious). But it is so grody now...it just doesn't come clean anymore. 

I am working away on the Starlet Suit, but it's a long-term project. I like to see things get done so like to have both long & short-term projects going at the same time.

I got the fabric at fabric.com. It comes on these huge rolls, in a very long box (which Bella loves).  The fabric is quite cute & I'll post more up-close photos as I get the project going.

If you need some ideas or further instruction, check out Sewing with Oilcloth.  Check out Oilcloth Addict for more ideas & shopping.  I do have to say I thought the selection was very good over at Fabric.com, too.

A cozy for my new tablet...

As a librarian, I'm not sure whether or not I'm a traitor, but I finally broke down and bought a Samsung tablet!  (Many of my colleagues already have them, so I decided to get on the traitor-wagon).  Anyway, it's a Galaxy 10.1 & I mostly got it for reading. I've checked out 2 books so far from the library, and also have got my subscriptions to the New Yorker & Economist activated.  

Rather than buy a cover, I decided to use a bit of the scraps from my extensive stash & make a quilted cover.  I was inspired by Jamie, and I found her tutorial here:  Quilted Tablet Cover

As you well know, Bella loves to supervise, and here she is, right in the middle of things.  One look at that luscious raccoon tail & you can see why I don't do any cutting when she's around.  

I ended up not using any big pieces, really, just scraps from clothing & other projects.  The button is vintage, from my grandmother's house.  
This is the back, nothing special, but I like doing this non-traditional quilting (with my machine!), overlapping cool 1950s looking boxes, hopefully.  Though  I'm sure this color combo is not at all appropriate to the 1950s.  I do love using scraps...I see dresses & quilts I've made which bring back some great memories.  

Here it is closed, with the very pretty binding fabric showing. 

And the last picture shows you yet another bound buttonhole!  I'm still not an expert, but they are fun, and look soooooo nice.  I had to do some handwork on the inside, to sew down the binding of the buttonhole so it would look neat  look when I open up the case.  

Stuff I've Made, Part 4987b - Nancy Ota's Zip It! Bags

I've made many of these (20?) as gifts for friends & I have 3 of my own.  A friend gave me the pattern, Zip It! Screen Play bags by Nancy Ota, along with a few yards of Pet-Screen (it's screen door material that pets can't destroy with their claws).  It's a quick project (45 minutes is my record) and they are such great gifts.  You can make them in many different styles & configurations.  You just need a few strips of fabric and zippers.  You can also decorate the zipper pulls (beads, bows) to make them more interesting.

You'll notice I couldn't resist adding some of my West African fabric--it looks so good with the black, but apparently there is colored Pet-Screen now?  I haven't looked for it, so perhaps it's easy to find.  And I turned one into a purse by adding a strap--it's useful for hikes, bike riding and birding trips, when I just need a few things.

The bags above are from Nancy Ota's website; aren't they cute?!