make a denim fair pouch

The day before we left for Maker Faire, I decided I did not want to carry a backpack and so I whipped up a simple denim pouch that perfectly held my essentials; water bottle, camera battery, phone, inhaler, lip balm, cash & ID.

Having just pulled out a pile of thrifted denim I knew what I was going to do.

Cut off the bottom of one leg on a pair of jeans. I cut a piece about eight inches tall. To create a contrasting design, cut out a square of denim or other fabric you have on hand. Pin and stitch on front side of cut leg piece. I used a bunch of contrasting threads in a combo of straight and zig-zag stitches just to add a bit of oomph.

I also added a pen pocket to the front. To get all the bits stitched on the front, I removed the storage compartment of my sewing machine leaving just the arm in place for easier maneuvering. If yer not so comfortable with a sewing machine, you can cut up along one side of your leg piece thus opening it up to a larger rectangle. Laying the piece flat, pin your pockets and patches on the front, over to one side leaving about two inches for the side seams to be stitched up again.

Once my pockets and patches were stitched on, I turned the pieced inside out and stitched up the bottom using a small straight stitch, going across the bottom twice to make sure it sticks. Eyeball or measure a width that would accommodate your water bottle and stitch up from the bottom to the top of the bag creating two pouches, one for your water bottle and the other for the rest. My "for the rest" side was a bit snug and so I measured up a bit from the bottom and stitched across making it less deep...it was a bit tricky trying to allow for my already-stitched pen pocket but I made it work.

 

The straps were made by liberating the waistbands from two pairs of jeans and trimming as needed to fit over my shoulder. I used the button end of one band and buttoned it onto the  other before stitching each end to either side of the bag.

It still felt a little plain to me so I added a granny square accent by using a hefty drizzle of Tacky Glue and then it was finished!

I wore it all over the faire and back home and have even used it for errand running around town. I love my little denim pouch!

bay area maker faire 2013

Words simply cannot describe...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From robots, robots, everywhere, Doctor Who references round every corner, giant sculptures, motorized cupcakes, cardboard and duck tape village to more creativity than you can handle before you are are inspiration overload, Maker Faire is something you really DO need to see. For years friends have been telling me how amazing it was and now I wish I had listened the first time and that this wasn't my first go. So, so, so VERY cool! See more Maker Faire Pics here and our Mini Maker Faire pics here.

hands off the wheel

i'm currently enrolled in a nifty cognition class. it's all about how the brain works and how to work with people and children for maximum benefit. actually, that isn't true but that is what i am taking from the class.

i love school. i love class. at least, i love the school i am in and the classes i have been taking. you know how you've got your method actors who immerse themselves in their characters? well, i'm a method student. i'm a gal who becomes a walking, talking, thinking analyzer of...fill in the blank here. i have always been this way. i'm fine with it now but back whenever, when i was younger and those around me just as so, i came off as smarmy or a know-it-all but really what i was doing was real time application. i can only learn through the process of taking it in and playing around with it. my thought process eventually goes live and that little censor in my head that usually keeps my thoughts all tucked away and in perfect behavior, takes an extra long lunch hour and i'm careening forward with my hands off the steering wheel.

the week in review: may 20-26

Most of last week was spent wrangling the kiddos at the preschool, and wrangling with the chaos that is allergies. It's been a windy week and all the pollens are back and they are quite attracted to me. What can I say, I am a pollen magnet.

Other than worky work, there was a visit to my local community college to see if I could take some classes to get my teaching permit, a lot of fruit consumption, a smidge of crafting, and some waiting around for a handyman to come fix our leaky faucets (they were ultra leaky).

Saturday was an epic errand day with some fruitful thrift scores (lookie the girlscout patches!), and a large pile of library reads. I squeezed in an ultra-mini downtown photo wander whilst the mister hit the trails for a hike with the nephew a-go-go and his a-go-go Dad. I even managed a quick round of baking (which involves a little story coming soon) and the breaking in of a sort-of new pair o' slippers.

I'm fighting a sore throat that may be a cold, may be a virus, or may be allergies...I'm hoping it's allergies, so this week will be more worky-work, and a lot of resty-rest, with a bit of all that other everyday stuff that needs to get did. Happy almost June!

**likey my fabulous necklace? Thank you to Joy for the lovely bit of handmade mail goodness, I adore it!

it is quite possible the mister was correct...

Lookie who came back for another visit...seriously, what is with our bathroom and large, quick, spiders? It is possible that this is some other very large, and very quick spider but methinks this is the very same one that partied with the chickens. S/he came back to taunt me...s/he did!

fiesta diy: tiny crepe paper lantern garland

Oy! Well, this was supposed to be up before Cinco de Mayo but since it is still the month of May I won't beat myself up too much. Here is another fun garland project you can make in a jiffy, and even your kiddos can whip up a few.

Follow the same instruction for the crepe paper papel picados but instead of using large sheets of paper, use smaller, narrower sheets. I did not manage any progress pics but you can fold a sheet of plain white paper into fourths from top to bottom, cut strips out then layer your scalloped streamers on top. Once dry, cut each strip into thirds and roll those into tubes, sealing with  dab of glue. Use a needle and thread to string up and enjoy!