Weekend Sewing: A Zipper and Some Binding

I'm pretty much fearless when it comes to trying anything new with knitting, but the idea of trying some sewing techniques makes me far more wiggly than I'd like. Buttonholes with the buttonhole foot? Get the smelling salts. Sewing in zippers? Forget about... oh, wait. Turns out that's easy peasey, especially with video assistance.

This is my first sewn-in zipper! I'll be the first to admit it's not perfect, but the bag itself is so appealing. I keep picking it up and unzipping, zipping, unzipping, zipping. ("You're like Eeyore," said my husband, which is exactly what I was thinking--you know, when he gets the broken bit of balloon and puts it into and out of his Useful Pot like anything?) I followed Wendi's Zippered Pouch pattern, which has helpful advice about making sure what direction your zipper teeth are pointing before you sew the whole thing together and why, and is very clear and simple.

If you already know how to sew in a zipper it might be too clear and simple, but if you already know that, you probably don't need a pattern to make this simple little pouch. But if you don't? Lovely little pattern with which to learn. I used scrap fabric--the outside is repurposed batik denim, and the inside is from a 1/2 yard bundle that I used to make project bags. Here's the other side--the denim overalls were made of many batik prints all sewn together.

Super, super cute.

I made another of Wendi's patterns this weekend, the Get to Work Apron. I think a pocketed apron will come in handy while I'm in the craft/art/sewing room, whether I'm working on my own projects or helping the kids with theirs. For starters, although you can't see it, I added a narrow pocket all the way to the right so I stop losing my damn pencils.

Is this colorful or what? Stash busting, is what I'm doing. One night last week I hauled up the bags and containers of fabric and organized it (boy did the living room look a sight about halfway through, making it really hard to justify that order I placed during Purl Soho's Memorial Day sale). At any rate, it's much easier now to find things, and I figure this makes a fun apron.

Again, it's not perfect, but it's useful and cute and I made my own binding tape. I couldn't find the right size doohickey at Joann's, so I just folded and ironed by hand and really, it didn't take that long, and my binding matches my pocket, which makes me smile. (One strap also puckers up a little, although I can smooth it out again. I think that must be a tension problem? Dunno.)

My daughter has already picked out fabric for her apron (and if you think mine is colorful, wait till you see hers), and when I showed my oldest the pencil pocket, his eyes lit up. He loves pockets. I let him know that the out-any-minute Action Pack 4 has instructions for a utility belt--that he can make himself, with my assistance as necessary, of course. The button to the left and the one on the sidebar will take you right to the Action Pack shop.

And also, my package from Purl Soho just arrived. And I have another apron to sew...