New bag!
My typical pattern of very productive late nights/early mornings continues. Finally did something with my favorite grey sweater that got felted in the wash: I washed it again so it REALLY felted, and have turned it into a bag!
To make the bag, first I cut about 2 inches along the sleeve selvage on each side, then I cut across the body at that point. This gives that nice shape to the bottom. Using some old (and I mean old here, probably at least 6 years old) baby yarn doubled up, I whip stitched the bottom together from the inside, then turned it right side out and steamed the seam to make it straight. Next I cut out of the top of the body a small pocket to put on the inside, for holding pens and things. I sewed the pocket inside the bag using whip stitches again. Next I cut out a pocket for the outside of the bag using one of the sleeves. I made sure this pocket was larger than the inside pocket and sewed it onto the outside of the bag on the same side as the inside pocket, so that the outside pocket now covers up the stitches used to keep the inside pocket on. For the outside pocket I used a buttonhole stitch to sew the pocket on and also for the top edge of the pocket. The final piece of cutting was the strap, which I made from the other sleeve by cutting two stips that are about 2" wide. I sewed the two sleeves together and then sewed them onto the outside of the bag at the seams, then buttonhole stitched around the whole strap. Finally, I added buttonhole stitches to the top edges of the bag! One last little detail I added was a loop on the inside to use to clip my keys onto (I always lose my keys). To make it I just cut a long narrow piece and tacked its ends together then tacked it to one side of the bag where the strap is.
Total work time is just over 2 hours! Not bad, and now I get to enjoy my former favorite sweater as my new favorite bag! I can't wait to use it!
