Paddington purse

I have been a bit obsessed with snap lock purses lately. Ever since I saw Very Berry Handmade's purse for the In The Frame Purse Swap I knew I had to make another one. And wouldn't you know - I just happened to have everything I needed! I had bought a kit containing this sweet Paddington fabric and  purse frame a while back, but was discouraged when I found that the pattern was not included. I made a couple of purses a while ago, but that pattern would not do for this one. When I saw this purse, I knew this was just right and luckily the link to the Etsy shop  was included. An hour later the pattern was downloaded and I was happily sewing along - isn't the internet great? A time thief at times, I know, but also a great resource. The fabric I used for the sides is Sweetwater, Hometown.

The purses I made earlier had the kind of frame where you had to use glue, and that had it's own issues, but I found it a bit fiddly to get started with this sew in frame as well. After a few false starts, I ended up with basting a few stitches through the frame mid curve and into the seam connecting the two different fabrics. This left the edge suspended just below where it was to get stitched into the frame and ensured that I got it centered in the frame. I used blue/grey embroidery floss for the stitching and while it hardly shows on the outside, it's not quite so pretty on the inside. But I suppose it's just a question of practise and taking one' s time...

I will certainly get some practise now, though, as, buoyed up by my successfull finish, I went on here and ordered some more frames. I also got an expandable frame, so now it's off sleuthing to find out how to stitch a purse for this one...

A bit of support

As I mentioned the other day - new gadgets means new excuses to sew stuff. I was thinking of buying some kind of stand for the iPad, as I intend to use it a lot for keeping track of knitting and sewing patterns and it would be handy to have it standing upright while trying to decipher a knitting chart and not have to keep putting the needles down to pick up the pattern. While trying to decide on a stand I came across this on Pinterest. Genius! And so simple to make. Just two rectangles of home dec fabric, a bag of rice and a few seams, and there you are! A pyramid for the ipad to lean against and a ridge in front to ensure that it doesn't slide down. The tutorial was easy to follow and now that I have managed to sweep all the excess rice up from the floor, I am ready to set up my knitting patterns in knitCompanion and get started.

So cosy

This is my new ipad cosy. A new gadget is the perfect excuse to sew something new, right? I spent hours searching the net for an idea, but I ended up doing my own thing. As one does.

I used various text fabric, some natural linen/cotton mix, and I just couldn't resist adding some polka dots! I stitched my various strips and pieces together forming a piece that was long enough to go around the iPad lengthwise + a few inches, so it would cover the opening of the pocket.  I layered my finished piece with lining and batting, stitched a seam around the edge, leaving an opening for turning it inside out, stitched the opening closed by hand and quilted it.

I chose to quilt with alternating lines by hand and machine, which gives a lovely, soft texture. The pocket was made of one piece of polka dot fabric, layered with lining and batting in the same manner as the main piece and stipple-quilted, before I stitched it to the main piece along the bottom, taking a detour up the middle and back down to form two compartments.

After stitching a length of ribbon on to the back (just a few stitches across the ribbon) I folded the piece to form a pocket, just a little bit shorter than the iPad and stitched down the edge of each side, catching the side of the pockets in the seam.

And there you are, a nice cosy to tuck the new friend into for the night. I just fold the flap over and tie the ribbon in a pretty bow and it's safe and sound. And as an added bonus, the cosy is soft enough to roll up and use as a support under the pad for reading and writing. Yes, quite happy with this one! And I love how it looks like a neat little parcel waiting for me with the promise of all the wonders of the world waiting inside...

And because new apps must be played with - here's a little sketch from Skitch with all the measurements. 9" might seem a little wide, but I promise, with all the quilting lines making it pucker up it turned out to be just right.