Saturday, May 5, 2012

Zakka Style Sew-A-Long: Week 5

PATCHWORK PENCIL CASE

The project for this week was cute and looked relatively easy.  Thought I'd have some fun with the patchwork portion.  Which I did. 



















BUT that being said ...

It's gripe time.
I think the construction for this was W-A-Y more convoluted and confusing than it needed to be.  I think there are better ways to do something so simple.  And to suggest leaving only a 1.25" opening to turn it right-side-out through??  When there is interfacing involved??  And a strap??  Yeah, that's not really big enough and I have tiny fingers!  The material is just to thick.  The linen got stretched out at the opening so it's uneven after closing and stitching it up.  Oh, and "use a knitting needle ..." to help push the fabric through???  Even with a fairly tight-weave linen, the knitting needle will punch right through the weave.  Three times.  I knew better than to use it, but I did anyway.  So, that's on me.  Now I have three holes in it.  Lovely.

If I do this project again, I will do it differently. 
And write up my own instructions. 
And post them here. 
Because this was a pain in the ass.

In my humble opinion.


But it's kick-ass in RED!

** I will admit that I had some unrelated frustrations arise as I was writing this post so if my rant seems a little blunt, I apologize.  But my points I defend.  This could have had simpler and better instructions.

2 comments:

  1. You are awesome!! I think you are my new kindred spirit!! I had some difficulties with this pattern too so I am glad I am not the only one! Some people have put that the instructions were very clear - no they weren't! They need more diagrams/photos, or better descriptions at least. The only pattern so far that was easy to follow was the sewing kit!

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    1. LOL I do a lot of pouches and bags, so I get the whole turning it right-side out through a hole thing, but I just think that 1) there is no way to get that whole pouch out through a hole 1.25" wide. I even made mine bigger and it still stretched out the linen. I knew better, but did it anyway ... and 2) I don't think the diagrams matched the instructions after doing the "fold and top stitch" thing. I ended up sewing the wrong end closed and had to undo it. But oh well ... we try new things. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't! :)

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