At Last

Herewith, following up on the Inkle 101 post of how to weave a band, is how to make the bag from the band. You might remember that the bag was to be for my cell phone, and the band was woven out of crochet cotton.

Start by cutting a length, long enough to accommodate the cell phone:



Then cut another, approximately the same length. They will be folded and sewn like this:



Then sew them:



That was the hold up, I got to *then sew them* and nothing happened for a week. These are sewn by hand, using a baseball stitch (maybe also called a figure 8 stitch?). It doesn't take long, maybe an hour to do.

The next step is to cover the raw edge (with blue linen, which will also be the lining). Also in the photo is a sample of the batting I use with the lining, called punch cloth (?) I think. It's just thin quilt batting used often for clothing, etc:



So next we sew on the handle, again with the same stitch:



It is folded under the bottom of the bag, and tucked in, then sewn to both the front and back of the bag:



Next, we make a lining sandwich:



which is a piece of lining material and the batting, folded over and stitched on the machine. It gets tucked into the bag, and stitched down around the opening.

The last step is a snap closure (and a test to make sure the cell phone fits):



And (ta-da!):



Inkle band cell phone bag. That wasn't so hard, was it?

Now, close your eyes and remember back to this post, and you'll see the same bag, except in silk pickup, with a cardwoven handle, that will most likely be the bag I use:



See? the cell phone fits here too:



(but I do need to sew on the snap closure. Wonder how long that will take to get done??)

To answer a few questions: Kim? First I use the Damascus edge to finish the warp ends (look in your handout, or Finishes in the Ethnic Tradition by Baizerman and Searle). Then the tops of the hats are sewn with the same stitch I used here: baseball stitch is what I call it (see? I'm really a one-note Sally, just different instruments!). And Cheryl? (welcome to the WeaveRing, by the way): the hats and quiver are my own design, but are a universal shape, I think. They are woven to shape on the loom, and look like a crown. Then the points get folded in, the sides are sewn, and the hat takes shape. I have a few more photos of the quiver, but none that show any more detail (dumb, I know. I should've taken more). And Birdsong and Charleen? Oh ye of little faith: the lace knitting went fine for WWKIP Day, no frogging necessary. It is a short edging, and each row has a different stitch count, so if I forget where I am, I just need to count. Here is a parting shot or two, with a few errant spinners:





Whew! Today, it was all about the photos.