The old Aggie Bag that has been going with me on so many trips is getting a bit old. More to the point, I recently used it on a trip where my only luggage was a backpack, carried on. The Aggie Bag was a big to carry on as the pack, and so I proceeded gingerly down the aircraft aisle with a big round thing held in front, the bag, and a big round thing in back, the pack. It was doable but not really desirable, if y'all know what I mean.
I have been learning about my beautiful gift from Santa (I understand that there is now a newer, bigger version on offer instead) and found a project on Sew4Home to practice the embroidery on. It involved buying new thread...oh boy, more stuff that has to find a home!...and embroidering a design, then using the embroidered fabric in a tote bag. The tote is a good size to hold my tablet, DH's tablet, and some few odds and ends...assuming one also has a waist bag, it will work I think.
Yesterday it was finished.
This is the zipper added to the top, to keep the contents from spilling out all over my feet during a plane flight, and discourage strangers from exploring the bag. It is a purse zipper, from stash. I looked around and used one of the various tutorials to create the zipper facings and attach it. The bulk of the bag made things a bit difficult.
The print used for the sides and the zipper facings is from stash--it's left over from a set of half-circle gathered swags at the Former Abode. Or maybe it was a sample piece left from the decision making at that time? The white used is a fake-linen piece (poly) and I used Stay-Flex for the interfacing. The rest of the interfacing was iron on fleece. Maybe I should have gotten some of the Decor Bond that was recommended. Speaking of bulk under the needle of the sewing machine! But I didn't want to add yet another pile of half-used stuff to the sewing studio.
The embroidered side. It is an open pocket. I lined it with a white on white cotton print, so the lining wouldn't show through the white panel. As y'all can see, I didn't go with the suggested leather handles. (Really? Stiff leather handles for something that has to tuck in by my feet in those tiny airplane seats? Don't think so!) I made straps out of some solid cotton that matches one of the colors in the printed fabric, padded with some iron on fleece, and stitched into the seam between the top edge of the bag and the rest of it.
I also added a zippered pocket on the back side. With only a little bending and folding, boarding passes could fit here. Passport would go with no trouble at all. And of course! the credencial. When ever we get to return to the Camino path, that is! The zipper here is an invisible zipper from stash.
About that new thread: it's Auriful 80 weight cotton. It comes on a wooden spool. Of the three spools I got, one has a snag on the edge. It catches the thread while sewing. And, being very, very thin thread, I had to lower the top tension on the machine a lot to get the project to sew out reasonable well. There are 2 failed attempts now in stash, and DH says they're cute too and look like quilt blocks to him. We'll see what turns up. The stitching pulled in when it was done. And because of the snag and the tension issue, there were a lot of thread breaks. I'm not at all sure this thread is for me.
On the plus side, Fat Quarter Shop had really fast service. (Thread link above is to their site.) And lots of colors of thread, too!
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