Now that the giddy excitement has mellowed a bit

Hello, everyone.

This is a little more info about the pack duffel. (Yesterday it was so exciting to just have it DONE that all I could think of was putting the first pictures of the complete project up--forgetting entirely to put a photo of the duffel in its normal "working" configuration.)

Hanging from the banister in the hall. Pocket zipper is just
barely visible on end

With a bit of supplies tucked into the top opening. (Plastic clothespins and some soap)

Learned a new thing with zippers

Hello, everyone.

As y'all may recall, there is a project in hand to make back pack duffels, for protecting the packs from airport conveyor systems.

The sewing has begun. The first strap has been made and attached, and the next step in assembly was to make the end of the bag that has a zippered pocket for stowage.

The zipper with the flip pull is way, way too long for this use--and this was the smallest it came. (It's also quite sturdy, but that may be more of a "feature" than a "bug." If the stowed bag is used as a pillow, the user will have to point the zip side away from the neck for comfort, but on the other hand it's sturdy enough that it probably won't come apart in transit.

The lovely videos at byannie.com include one on how to add a pull to a piece of zipper tape, either because you had leftovers or because you bought the whole roll of tape that some places sell. So when I ordered the flip zipper, I also ordered some catches to use up the leftover lengths of tape.

Pack duffel progress report

Hello, everyone.

All the materials for the pack duffels have arrived! It's so exciting. And as soon as the project I'm doing now finishes, in a day or so, the duffel making will begin.

The fabric for the shell: main (red) and contrast (gray)

 Our duffels will be made from nylon Oxford cloth. It's not as lightweight as ripstop, but it is expected to go through airport conveyor systems, after all. Stated weight is about 4 ounces per yard. There will be about a yard of fabric in the duffel.

The top zippers: a good color match.

 These zippers open from the middle, not from the ends.

The zippers for the stow pocket. Almost a good match, but not supposed to be on display anyway.

The gray zippers have a reversible pull--that is, it can be pulled from either side. That will allow us to close the stow pocket after we stuff the bag into it.

The pocket bag will be made from a chunk of ripstop fabric that was already on hand.

Stash Busting Again

Hello, everyone.

One of the nice things about having a stash of supplies on hand is that one can explore possibilities.

But first, another apron is done. It didn't use up any sparkly stuff this time, but it did use up a couple of decent-sized pieces that were begging for a purpose.

Another spring-themed apron

 And, after discussing the possible fates of backpacks in checked baggage, the thought of making a travel cover for our packs came up. Something light weight, not a heavy canvas duffel bag! And as we talked, the idea of how to store it during the trip came up, too.  A test of the project concept was necessary. Not only was it needed to see if the idea would even work, it was a great way to use up some shiny stash fabric, and to try out the idea.