A Tool Bag and a Kitten

I've been up to several sewing projects lately, all in various stages of completion. I'm hoping to finish a few up this week to clear the slate for all the new ideas I have. One of my recent projects was a tool bag for a birthday gift for my brother. It's modelled after ditty bags I saw online. I combined home decor weight fabric, quilting and rope for its creation.

To make the lining panel, I made a quilt sandwich out of a sort of canvas, batting and cotton twill. I densely quilted it with straight lines. The circular bottom of the bag got the same treatment. The lining was sewn together and set aside.

To make the outside panel, I used my rolled hem foot (love that thing!) to finish the top edge of a long  rectangle to make the pockets. I layered it over the outside piece and stitched lines down to form the pockets. Then I pieced together the outside panel, leaving an opening in the side to  turn it right-side out.

I sewed the lining and outside together along the top, turned it right-side out and topstitched. Then I added grommets and a rope handle.

The quilting took a bit with the dense lines, but it gave the bag a lot of structure. It stands up nicely on its own, which will be useful for holding tools. My brother recently built a workbench for his new home and has a very organized garage. With shelves, cubbies, magnetic bars and tool sets in cases, everything has a place. But it's also nice to be able to stash a few tools in a bag to take around the house, yard, or to the lake, without losing them along the way. The open aspect of the bag means they're easily accessible.

I'v bought some more home-dec fabric so I can make some more. I think they would be good for lots of things - storing sewing and crafting tools, toiletries or cleaning supplies. So many projects to think about!

I also wanted to share that I have a new addition to the household. Meet Oliver. He is playful, friendly and likes to explore. In his short time in the house so far, he's already "assisted" with a few projects. Once, he walked across my presser foot while I was sewing, giving me a surprising burst of speed. He also climbed up a big piece of flannel I was pressing, which resulted in a stream from the water spray bottle I had to get out. He tried to climb/jump onto the ironing board too, but only managed to do a chin-up with his claws stuck in the cover.

This weekend, I tried to teach him that he shouldn't paw at the sewing machine needle unless he wants stitches of his own.

I'm sure we're in for many adventures.