Finally a Finish!

Yay! Finally a finish! (Now there's a catchy alliteration!). 

The action's over at MulticoloredPieces.

Engineering My Jeans Bag

So with the appliqué finished, I now face the challenge of engineering the finishing touches on my jeans bag. Here's the lining of flea market fabric, which has two jeans back pockets attached to each side. That will make four pockets on the inside and four on the outside, five if you count the tiny front pocket (I never understood what that was for).

Comin' Round the Bend, 2

Yes, the end could be in sight...

Comin' Round the Bend

It's vacation and the sun is shining today. And I'm comin' round the bend on my jeans bag. I may be finished soon. Finally...

While stitching, I've been watching the first couple of seasons of Project Runway (yeah, I'm out of it, I know). My needle is dancing...

Still Inching Along

Into the wee hours and inching along. The end is in sight, however. Maybe this week?

I rather like the way the plaid strands fade in and out.

Bag Jag, 10

Maybe just a couple more strands are needed for the reverse side of my jeans bag.

Inching along...

The front side is here.

Linked to Nina Marie's "Off the Wall Friday."

Inching Along

Inching along late a night. 

I may be close to finishing this long-awaited bag.

Of course, every time I say that I might be approaching the end,

more needs to be added...It's a slow process.

Bag Jag, 9

The hardware on a handbag requires serious consideration...so I have been considering. A number of forlorn straps have come into my possession and one strap had brass-looking clips.

They go with the brass-looking rings on my jeans bag. 

So I covered them with denim from old jeans.

I might add bits and pieces of denim for a shabbier look...ruminating on it.

My heart swells up with satisfaction when I see

my long-awaited, much-desired, jeans bag.

Cost? 2 brass rings (about a dollar).

Recycling at its best!

Great way to start the New Year!

Saying Goodbye to the Old Year

One should say goodbye to the Old Year and start the New Year in the right way. As I started my jeans bag in 2014 and have been stitching on it in order to finish it soon, it is a good candidate to bridge the past and the future.

I'm stitching across the back pockets, inching along in the bitter cold that has hit Tunisia. There's snow over the north and within 5 miles of my house--drat, if it's going to be so cold, one might as well have snow. Oh, well, I'm not sure the citrus trees would appreciate snow.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2015 full of creativity and art! 

Relief

Just inching along--with relief--on the reverse side of my jeans bag.

A quiet evening...

Bag Jag, 8

Thankfully, my stitching keeps me calm despite the bumps in the road of life in Tunisia. I've been picking up my needle often as elections approach--there's a lot at stake. Last night I dreamt that I returned to the States with only one suitcase in hand. Fortunately, I don't experience prophetic dreams; it' just anxiety rising to the surface.

The rings for the strap are now installed...top zipper is next.

Some Progress

I'm liking these colors so much that I just want to pick my jeans bag up all the time to stitch on it.

The plaid is interesting to work with as it gives more of a variegated effect and adds some depth.

Bag Jag, 7

It's beginning to look like something. I think the colors will swirl around to the left, onto the back and then around to the right front corner.

Bag Jag, 6

And so it grows...

Bag Jag, 5

Happily inching along late in the evening on my jeans bag.















And I'm rather pleased with the sketch of the day. Crossovers please me so much. You know what I really like about these daily journal entries? It's the take-a-line-for-a-walk. I just LUV wild lines. They might just take over...

Bag Jag, 4

Inching along in the wee hours of the night, listening to Piano Jazz, 

and looking at "textile bags" on Pinterest just for eye candy.

There's something about worn-jeans blue that speaks to my soul.

An agreeable evening...

Bag Jag, 3

In an effort to finish up smaller projects, I've been working on a jeans bag. I always wanted a jeans bag. Of course, I have a huge stack of old jeans (simply can't throw them out), so I could make a number of them in different styles. Here I wanted to use the pockets, well, just the whole top of the jeans, which has such a distinctive style. I made a cotton lining and zigzagged on two back pockets to each side, so I have four solid pockets on the outside and four on the inside. Nice engineering, if I do say so myself--although I haven't figured out the straps yet.

Then I found a pleasing plaid and picked out a couple of matching solids. More extreme needle turn adventures on the horizon! 

Bag Jag, 2

Somebody left a canvas bag behind, signed, but a little worse for wear. Solid, however.

So I added a pocket and a fun fabric around the sides and bottom.

And another pocket got added on the other side, plus a pocket on the inside. 




I'm wondering if the original owner is going to want it back....

Bag Jag, 1

I must be on a bag jag. At least three wait quietly on a hook to be finished and I feel an urge to finish them so I can have them for school. Brighten the environment a bit... 

As I'm flying by the seat of my pants, just improvising, I have to think about engineering for utility and sturdiness. I had made two patched rectangles while working on another project. I decided to use old, patched jeans for the sides, bottom and straps, dipping into that big pile of worn jeans that I don't know what to do with and can't throw out. I like the design at the bottom where I took out the hems. Lining with pockets next...

Zooming Along, 5

It would seem that I have actually finished something. Really enjoyed adding the side stitching that gives a bit more depth to the overall wild design. Did I mention that the peachy orange is the colour I hate most in the world? It redeems itself by making the blues pop.

I'm reconsidering the interior pockets--do I need to add more? Pockets are key to organization.

Now I can go to school and shock the students with my wild bag. I have a reputation to maintain...