Creating my way to Success

Fabric bag or box for running gear!

My husband and I both love running. We often drive places to have a run - up in the hills and around Cairns.

Now running is quite a sweaty business - even more so up here in the hot and humid tropics.

The drive home after running can therefore be quite a sweaty drive! So my husband asked me if I could make him a kind of bag/box to put in the car so he can put in his sweaty gear and get changed into something a bit drier to drive home in. Of course I could!!

I basically made just a small fabric box/bag - with very plain fabric on the outside that no male could complain at! And on the inside I used part of an old PVC table covering we used to use when our girls crafted at the kitchen table. It's clear PVC covered in coloured jelly beans!!

(but I figure this is on the inside and no-one but him will see it !)

This PVC is nice and stiff so helps the bag/box keep it's shape. It will also be easy to wipe or wash out after being filled with sweaty and or muddy gear!

It's big enough to fit in shorts, top, socks a small towel and a some deodorant!

And has a drawstring top to seal the sweatiness inside!!

Maybe I should make myself one! At least I'd be able to use pretty/funky fabric for mine!!

Upcycled school dress to hair accessories

I've decided to try and tackle something from my 'to be upcycled' box of clothes each week. This is my first project:

A nice simple project, and my girls can always use new hair accessories!

I started with an old dress that was too small and had stains and tears on it, some hair ties, bobby pins, buttons, needle and thread and some left over buckram scraps (really stiff fabric).

Cut some circles from the dress using a plate to draw around:

Then slipped the pieces into a small bag and popped it into my handbag when I took the girls to gymnastics after school on Friday.

This gave me something to do while watching them.

So at the end I had these:

The girls are very happy with them - and I'm sure they'll be wearing them back at school next week!

A good start back into more clothes upcycling!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Car Organiser tutorial

There are a lot of car organisers out there - mostly ones that hang all the way down the back of the car seats.

I made one for my girls like that a couple of years ago

- or rather their Bratz dolls helped me make one!

Well we have quite a small car, and as our girls have grown, they need space in the car so the hanging pockets were taken out a while ago. However, they still need somewhere to put a few little bits and pieces.

I've had this idea for a while, and finally got around to making them! The girls are very happy with them and so am I!

Here's the tutorial so you can make your own!

Materials you will need:

Inner Fabric:

1 base: 30 x 10cm (12 x 4")

2 sides: 30 x 14cm (12 x 5.5")

2 ends: 10 x 14cm (4 x 5.5")

Outer Fabric

1 base: 30 x 10cm (12 x 4")

2 sides: 30 x 14cm (12 x 5.5")

2 ends: 10 x 14cm (4 x 5.5")

1 base pocket: 30 x 15cm (12 x 6")

1 front pocket: 33 x 14cm (13 x 5.5")

2 end pockets: 20 x 14cm (8 x 5.5")

Elastic:

1 x 28cm (11")

2 x 12cm (4.75")

1 x 8cm (3.25")

Straps:

(I used a strap and clips from an old backpack)

1 x 36cm (14")

1 x 8cm (3.25")

1 x Clip

1 plastic placemat!

Basically you are going to make 2 fabric baskets to fit one inside the other. The inner fabric forms the lining, and the outer fabric has the pockets attached to it.

Step 1 - Make the inner lining

Lay out your inner fabric pieces like this: base in the middle, and the sides and ends around it, like a flattened out box.

Pin, then stitch the larger side pieces to the base - right sides together:

Followed by the other two end pieces to the ends of the base, again right sides together:

Finally pin then stitch the four 'corner edges' of the box - right sides together:

And that is your inside finished!

Step 2 - Add the pockets to the outer fabric

Take the base piece of fabric, the base pocket piece and the

8cm (3.25") piece of elastic.

Place the elastic about 3cm (1.25") from the short end of the pocket piece, on the wrong side of the fabric:

Then fold the end over the elastic and pin:

Repeat this with the other end of the elastic at the other side of the pocket piece.

Your pocket piece should look like this:

Then stitch the ends of the elastic to the fabric where you have pinned:

Then stretching the elastic, stitch along the whole length just under the elastic along the folded edge of the pocket.

(It helps if you pull the elastic taut from both ends as you stitch)

Your base pocket piece should look like this!

Now you need to pin your pocket piece to the base piece. To fit the non elasticated end to the flat base piece, make a few folds in the fabric.

Pin and stitch around the edges of the pocket.

Your base pocket piece is now finished!

Repeat this process for the side pocket and two edge pockets.

Step 3 - Make the outer 'basket'

Lay your outer fabric pieces, complete with attached pockets, as you did the inner fabric pieces in step 1:

Pin then stitch the pieces, just as you did in step 1, to form another basket shape, turn right side out:

Step 4 - add the plastic 'stiffening' and join inner and outer baskets.

Here's where you need your plastic placemat. I have several of these my girls have grown out of, but you can buy them for around $1 each!

You need to cut the placemat into pieces to hold each side of the basket rigid.

Base: 26 x 8cm (10 x 3")

2 Sides: 26 x 12cm (10 x 4.5")

2 Ends: 12 x 8cm (4.5 x 3")

You may need to trim these pieces as you fit them in.

First place the base piece inside the outer basket and then the lining on top:

This part is quite fiddly! You need to try to stitch a little of each seam on the 4 sides of the plastic base. Try to line up the seams and place pins in the seam to hold in place. Then stitch from the outside along the seam. (It doesn't matter so much if you go outside the seam on the inside as you won't see that). You also don't need to stitch right up to the corners, just a little on each of the 4 sides to stop the plastic from slipping.

Then stitch the seams together on the four corner edges in the same way.

Then slip the remaining 4 plastic pieces into the 4 sides, trimming where necessary.

Step 5 - Add the straps and finish!

Now take the straps - with the clip attached on either end.

Fold the outer fabric and the inner fabric in towards the plastic pieces so the raw edges are hidden, and pin the strap pieces in the middle around 3cm (1.25") in from either edge of the back side: