Splendid Sewing: A Hobby Basket

Dear Readers,

I recently commercialised my blog by adding a few more adverts. You have probably noticed, or maybe not, and you’ve only noticed the posts. Well, I hope I have your continued support in spite of the advertising. However, please feel free to comment on it below. Back to today’s subject.

Splendid Sewing

In my life, I am well known among my friends and family as a competent seamstress. So when someone needs something made, fixed or altered they look over at me with puppy dog eyes and ask me to do it. I find it hugely flattering that they ask me, occasionally I over extend myself and take on too many “projects” leaving me exhausted and stressed trying to finish them all, but thankfully, my friends are gracious and patient. Of late, I have tried to rein myself in and stop taking on so much , that’s why what I am bringing to you now, was just a pleasure to make.

The Brief

My friend is an avid crocheter, she gives presents to  all our friends who are expectant mothers of booties, baby blankets and little dresses all made with her crocheting. She is now, happily, expecting her second and asked me to make her a bag for her wool and crochet hooks. This was the brief, the bag had to be:

• Retro in style. She, like myself is a lover of the 40’s and 50’s.
• Big! As I said she’s an avid crocheter and she has a lot of wool.
• Packable. There are plans for my dear friend to move in the near future, so it was important that the bag could be flattened down and easily packed.

The Design

With all that in mind, I started to design and plan. It had to be retro! The picture that came to mind was of a vintage purse, rather like the photograph.

A rounded top then. The great thing about the 50’s was that the designs of that period were desperately trying to forget the austerity of the war years. Everything was sleek and colourful. New, modern, innovative, colourful, bright and cheerful items were what people wanted, everyone looked forward with optimism to the future. When you are trying to recreate that look, with those things in mind, you have a free hand with colour.

Which is why I eventually choose these two fabrics. A PVC red fabric with stripes and this jolly patterned fabric with florals, and gingham.

Time To Cut To The Chase

I was a bit haphazard about the size, I knew she wanted big so I traced around my biggest handbag to get the size of the side panels. That’s how I got these!

I decided to line the inside of this basket with the second fabric, so after cutting out the bottom panels… Like this.

I traced around the side panels on to the second fabric, like this… twice, of course!

Then I cut four side panels from the second fabric. Two panels per side, since I was lining the inside of the bag with the second fabric, but I also wanted the side panels on the outside to contrast with the red striped first fabric.

And So To Sew

Constructing this bag with its lining was a challenge. It took me quite a while to figure out how exactly I was going to put it together so that it would look how I wanted it to. So I started by:

• Stitching the two large red side panels to one of the red base panels.
• Then I stitched the inner large floral side panels to the red large panels.
• After that I stitched the second red base panel to the floral side panels to make a sort of misshapen tube thing.
• Next I stitched two of the smaller floral side panels together. Leaving the other two to one side.
• Then I stitched that panel to one side of the large red panels and the base too. I also stitched it to the two large floral panels and the second red base.
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• Next I stitched the one of the other smaller floral side panels to the other sides red large panel and base.
• After that I stitched the other smaller floral side panel to the large floral side panel and the second red base. So that it was like a large misshapen deflated ball of some description.
• Then I turned it all the right way round and pushed the floral half inside the red striped half to make a bag.
• I made a pocket in the open side panels.
• I stitched an edge around the top the bag and I was done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t shown my creation to my friend yet, so I’m hoping she likes it. I’m quite happy with it, and I think it fulfils the brief she gave me.

I hope this tutorial has given you ideas for your own hobby baskets. I’m sure you will make much better versions of it than I have. Please subscribe and comment below.

Until next time,

Davita