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Saturday 20 May 2023

Nifty Things I Thought I Might Make [Pt 2]

Nifty things I thought I might make
Lost opportunities or "never meant to be"s?
I'm baaack... with part two of a deep dive into my computer's crafty archives.

In case you missed it, part one was posted here in early March. Today's featured freebies are from old Craftsy. Old as in before it became Bluprint and then back to (in name only) Craftsy.

More specifically, these patterns were all downloads from the old marketplace where indie designers like me sold our designs. It was an adventure to browse on a weekly basis, picking out the gems and adding them to a personal account. I always made it a point as soon as I found something to download it right then and there. It was a practice not employed by many disappointed people years later when the marketplace disappeared.




Unlike in part one, I can't guarantee these patterns can still be found online. (I will provide as much information as possible for you to find them if they are indeed findable.)

First one is called the Sunshiney Day Tote & Zip Pouch by Melissa Peda. This one is still out there, as she still has her website, 100BillionStars.com.

Sunshiney Day Tote & Zippered Pouch by Melissa Peda
Image courtesy 100BillionStars.com...

The bright fabric drew my attention at first, but the way the coordinating pouch was made to hang from the handle of the bag was the main reason I saved it. It's a worthwhile project to tackle to accessorize any tote bag that you may have.

The pattern calls for the use of buckram to stabilize the lining. Probably wouldn't have done that had I made the bag. (If the requirement was so the tote could stand up, I would simply combine the fusible fleece with a layer of Decor Bond.)

Second project is from Michelle Zoetemeyer, who named the pattern after her initials: the Emzed Foldover Clutch Wallet (still available from a Facebook group and from SewModernBags.com). I was initially impressed by the fact that a pattern for such a fully featured wallet was being given away for free.

Emzed Foldover Clutch Wallet
Image courtesy of Michelle Zoetemeyer...

I'm fairly sure I was intimidated by the project when I encountered it. Later, I found that the wallet that I was using (that I had made in 2015 and is still my wallet today, although I rarely have it on me) was pretty much as fully featured as I needed a wallet to be, so there wasn't any particular need to pursue this one.

Sorta glad about that decision since most of the feedback that I've seen about this pattern is that the instructions are not as clear as can be. (To be fair, it's free.) I'm not going to add to that discussion since I haven't made the thing, but for anyone wanting to do so, there is now a lot of support out there by way of a Facebook group, primarily, and various YouTube videos.

Emzed Foldover Clutch Wallet crafted by Queenie Yap
Image courtesy of Queenie Yap (via Facebook)...

As with any decent design, free or paid, a certain following will develop whereby crafters will make the item repeatedly. The Facebook postings show some really nice looking wallets made by people who have gotten really good at making them.


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You've likely seen variants of these next two projects.

The first one is the Agne Coin Purse from designer IThinkSew. (I made a similar looking pouch years ago out of a single long zipper.) She is a prolific designer of many, many bags, two of which I have made: Ollie and Seth.

Agne Coin Purse by IThinkSew
Image courtesy of IThinkSew...

The tutorial provides measurements for two finished sizes and is still available via her website, IThinkSew.com.

The second one is called the Half Square Triangle Pouch by Kanako Fukatani. I downloaded this one because I wanted to have a pattern — probably for future reference — that featured a "continuous" zipper. (You see how this was constructed with only one side of a zipper tape?)

Half Square Triangle Pouch by kanako fukatani
Image courtesy of Kanako Fukatani...

This pouch can be made with a zipper installed the normal way (like in the previous project), but you can definitely see how this technique produces a more polished, less bulky finish. Had I made either one of these little pouches, I would have used this single zipper tape method.

Unfortunately, this pattern is no longer free. It's now sold on Etsy in Kanako's shop PatternsByKanako, albeit for one (US) dollar. (However — just so you can't say that I've left you with no option but to pay a measly dollar — Tendersmile Handmade on YouTube has a video for a similar coin pouch from March 14, 2023 that uses this same single side zipper tape technique.)


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This last one is pretty cool looking and simple. It's a thread catcher by lulu_luka. I saved this because I just liked it... particularly how the rolled edges can be used to hold a seam ripper.

The bad news for you is that I haven't been able to find it anywhere online.

Thread catcher by lulu_luka
image courtesy of lulu_luka...

That being said, you've probably seen similar triangular thread catcher patterns that can be used to hack this one. It's really only a matter of cutting the points away from the corners of the triangle, creating a shallower tray in the process. (You know, for some reason, this project still calls to me, even though I have a thread catcher that works quite well and don't need another.)

Hope you enjoyed this second installment of projects I once thought I might make, because there will likely be a part three in the coming months.

'Til next...


3 comments:

  1. The triangle basket was shown on The Quilt Show some years ago. I'll look for a link.....wait😊

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can't paste a link ... perhaps you can type it in your address bar.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgHhes9jfGM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Variants of this basic design are widely available for reference. The link to the one that you provide is just one of many that has higher sides; i.e., is deeper.

      I checked out the YouTube channel there and in another video she demonstrates an awesome way to sew with yarn. (Ironically, however, I didn't care for the final result, but it has possibilities.)

      Delete

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