Bag grommetted, buttoned, and lined...

Greetings and Dear Cynthia,

I could feel the Fort Wayne spring weather just reading your post! How uplifting! And, nothing like clearing out some cobwebs and dead bugs after winter! I'm so glad that you enjoyed your nice spring day. Also, awesome resourcefulness regarding the knitting needle/stylus! Knitting needles -- not just for knitting any more!

Both of my kids have been knitting on looms a lot lately. (I'm going to let them do a "guest post" soon.) It is a blessing and a curse. In fact, they have started a knitting club which clearly doesn't include me. This sign was in my five year old's doorway:It says:

"iF YOU DO NOT HAVE
A/LOOM YOU CAN NOT COME
iN HERE iF YOU DO YOU CAN
KNiTiNG ROOM.

THANK YOU.

OH YEAH i FORGOT
KiDS AND FRENDS ONLY."

If I've taught them nothing else, I've taught them to say, "Thank you."

I'm trying to crank out three or four Mission Possible: 2008 projects this month. Since I have several things near completion, all that's really needed is a little bit of "focus", which is difficult for me when I get to the "finishing"..... Have I ever mentioned that I don't like the "finishing"?

First item of business is my mini-bag (pattern by Amy Anderson).

I added grommets (which I then threaded my felted I-cord through and knotted the I-cord ends on the inside of the bag). I had to create little holes in the felted fabric for grommet insertion. I thought to myself, "Hmmm....I don't think we have an ice pick / awl. I wonder if we have something else which might be pointy to use to create a hole." I thought about the contents of my tool box. Then I remembered that I am a KNITTER, and I have a lot of POINTY STICKS....which worked great to create the holes for the grommets...

I added a button, positioned opposite the buttonhole which was knitted into the bag prior to felting it. Then I debated about whether or not to line the bag. It has a rather small top opening (since the bag tapers), so it's difficult to easily get inside the bag for fitting a lining, etc. However, I didn't want my keys to ever poke through the bag, so I decided I would add a lining after all.

First, I cut two pieces of fabric which were a little bit larger than the flattened bag. I allowed about an inch on all sides except the top (which is going to be folded down later, and sewn in place *below* the grommets and button/buttonhole).Then I serged around the sides and bottom of the lining, right sides together:

To give the bag some dimension, I made a fold at each of the lower corners by bringing the side seam to meet the bottom seam. I then stitched about one inch from the resulting point, and trimmed off the point (which was done by my serger automatically, but trim it off with a scissors if you are using a regular sewing machine for this):

So, here is the lining:

I turned the bag inside-out (so the "wrong side" was on the outside). I turned the lining right-side-out (so the seams were on the inside). I then put the bag **inside** the lining, so the wrong side of the bag is in contact with the wrong side of the lining. I turned the upper edge of the lining under by about an inch, so that the folded edge of the lining was just below the grommets and the button/buttonhole. I pinned the lining in place:

Then I hemmed stitched the lining into place along the top folded edge.

Next, I turned the bag right-side out. I cut a piece of plastic canvas the same size as the cardboard which I had placed in the bottom of the bag as it was drying (just after I was done felting it). I put this piece of plastic canvas in the bottom of the bag to help it keep its shape:

Voila' !! Now I'm using the bag as my purse :-)
Note that the lining is just a tinge larger than the bag, and this is okay, and better, I think, than having a lining which is on the small side... The bag itself might stretch a little bit, too, once it is holding keys, ipod, cell phone, etc., though the lining will temper this.

Well, time to get to the grocery store before it's too crowded, though as far as that goes, weekdays are nothing compared to the amount of people who are there on the weekends!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)