Making stuff 3: Return of the stuff
Mar. 10th, 2026 06:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
merrileemakesSince I had my sewing machine out after making the handwoven tops I decided to do a bit more sewing with handwoven fabric. But then, catastrophe.
But not really. The light any machine started flickering which made sewing very Not Fun but the machine is a good 15 years old so I don't begrudge a tired bulb. What I did begrudge was the local sewing shop quoting $95 to replace it. $95! That's insane. So l ended up furiously googling and worked out that a) instructions to take the cover off my machine were at the back of its manual and b) the light globe was a standard kind used in car blinkers. So $2.20 and a bit of frustration later I had a functional seeing machine again.
My next plan was to sew a bag using some hand woven silk fabric. I wove this to be a scarf but ran out of yarn before it ever remotely approached scarf length. And there's some issues with the beating too so the pattern shifts around a bit. So not scarf material but it is material material. It's also 100% silk so it's a bit fancay. Time to use it.
I have some wooden handles from the Canberra Spinners and Weavers recycling room. I actually put them aside to destash because I've had them for years with zero ideas on how to use them. But I think I might be able to use them here. I got a vague idea on how to use them though some googling but didn't follow a tutorial, just went off the picture of this bag *epic forshadowing*.
Handwoven fabric can be fragile so it's a good idea to use some kind of fusible media to stabilise it before cutting. I choose some fusible foam to give the big some structure. I measure and cut the foam first before fusing it to the handwoven fabric to make sue my calculations were correct and I would have enough.
Those readers with more spatial reckoning than I may find this picture of the two sides and the long connecting strip to join them concerning.
Here's how I pictured the handles joining the fabric.
I bought little invisible magnetic bag closures to add along the top, because past experience has taught me that bags only sell if they are cute but also very functional.
It was at this point I realised that the middle piece I’ve cut to act as the bottom and sides was in no way long enough to do the job. It was barely 2/3 the length it needed to be and was actually completely useless for what I wanted it to do. My earlier calculations had completely let me down here.
So what to do? Well. I’m just going to make this a 2 sided bag and box the corners so it has a bit of depth. This is an approach I use when I’m making drawstring bags and I’m pretty familiar with it, so I think I’ve got it from here.
I attached the outer and inner pieces to each other, added the magnets and then joined the inner and outer layers. I do this step a lot with a drawstring bag pattern I sometimes make so I was feeling pretty confident *more foreshadowing*.
It was in finishing this step that I realised the plastic around the magnets was not iron safe Oops. Oh well. I had to sew a little mesh cage around one particularly melted magnet casing, kinda like shisha stitch. I hope it holds up with use.
Then I went to attack the wooden handles and...
I'd totally not left myself a way to attach them. At all.
So now what? Undo the bag and start again, hope I don't displace any of the damaged magnets? Or finally see the writing on the wall and give up on this poorly conceived and executed endeavour?
I did the latter.
Here's how the bag could have looked, had I managed to make it.
But here's how it actually looks now.
You can really see the difference in beat in the handwoven fabric here. One side is quite balanced and the other is quite compacted. I think this whole project was cursed from the start.
Sometimes making dumb things gives you dumb things. And you know what? I'm okay with that.
But not really. The light any machine started flickering which made sewing very Not Fun but the machine is a good 15 years old so I don't begrudge a tired bulb. What I did begrudge was the local sewing shop quoting $95 to replace it. $95! That's insane. So l ended up furiously googling and worked out that a) instructions to take the cover off my machine were at the back of its manual and b) the light globe was a standard kind used in car blinkers. So $2.20 and a bit of frustration later I had a functional seeing machine again.
My next plan was to sew a bag using some hand woven silk fabric. I wove this to be a scarf but ran out of yarn before it ever remotely approached scarf length. And there's some issues with the beating too so the pattern shifts around a bit. So not scarf material but it is material material. It's also 100% silk so it's a bit fancay. Time to use it.
I have some wooden handles from the Canberra Spinners and Weavers recycling room. I actually put them aside to destash because I've had them for years with zero ideas on how to use them. But I think I might be able to use them here. I got a vague idea on how to use them though some googling but didn't follow a tutorial, just went off the picture of this bag *epic forshadowing*.
Handwoven fabric can be fragile so it's a good idea to use some kind of fusible media to stabilise it before cutting. I choose some fusible foam to give the big some structure. I measure and cut the foam first before fusing it to the handwoven fabric to make sue my calculations were correct and I would have enough.
Those readers with more spatial reckoning than I may find this picture of the two sides and the long connecting strip to join them concerning.
Here's how I pictured the handles joining the fabric.
I bought little invisible magnetic bag closures to add along the top, because past experience has taught me that bags only sell if they are cute but also very functional.
It was at this point I realised that the middle piece I’ve cut to act as the bottom and sides was in no way long enough to do the job. It was barely 2/3 the length it needed to be and was actually completely useless for what I wanted it to do. My earlier calculations had completely let me down here.
So what to do? Well. I’m just going to make this a 2 sided bag and box the corners so it has a bit of depth. This is an approach I use when I’m making drawstring bags and I’m pretty familiar with it, so I think I’ve got it from here.
I attached the outer and inner pieces to each other, added the magnets and then joined the inner and outer layers. I do this step a lot with a drawstring bag pattern I sometimes make so I was feeling pretty confident *more foreshadowing*.
It was in finishing this step that I realised the plastic around the magnets was not iron safe Oops. Oh well. I had to sew a little mesh cage around one particularly melted magnet casing, kinda like shisha stitch. I hope it holds up with use.
Then I went to attack the wooden handles and...
I'd totally not left myself a way to attach them. At all.
So now what? Undo the bag and start again, hope I don't displace any of the damaged magnets? Or finally see the writing on the wall and give up on this poorly conceived and executed endeavour?
I did the latter.
Here's how the bag could have looked, had I managed to make it.
But here's how it actually looks now.
You can really see the difference in beat in the handwoven fabric here. One side is quite balanced and the other is quite compacted. I think this whole project was cursed from the start.
Sometimes making dumb things gives you dumb things. And you know what? I'm okay with that.
Thoughts
Date: 10 March 2026 12:33 am (UTC)For fucksake. That is just abusive.
>>Handwoven fabric can be fragile so it's a good idea to use some kind of fusible media to stabilise it before cutting.<<
That's a useful tip, thanks.
>>Sometimes making dumb things gives you dumb things. And you know what? I'm okay with that.<<
I love the fact that you posted this anyway! Seriously, Instagram makes people think that everything has to be perfect. That's not how crafts work. So I think it's vitally important to show mistakes and the process of dealing with them.
Since you've got those smaller scraps now ... maybe coinpurses or checkbook covers? A wallet cover might work too.
(no subject)
Date: 10 March 2026 12:46 am (UTC)