needlework essentials :: travel pouch

{part four of five. See part one here, part two here, and part three here}

One of my favourite things about handwork, is it’s portability. I am often asked how I manage to juggle my creative outlets with the various demands on my time that come with being a stay at home mum to four children aged seven and under. My answer is always some variant on “I just make it work”. And most of the time, “making it work” for me, means making the absolute most of every moment. Stitching down binding on a mugrug during an awards presentation, or at a preschool meeting. Knitting a beanie while watching drama lessons. Crocheting a scarf while waiting for doctor’s appointments.Reading eBooks on my phone during midnight feeds. Take some downtime and make it productive.

Some projects, like the crochet, I can stuff in my nappy bag, fit it in around the toys and the snacks and the spare onesie and the chuck cloth and the wraps. But something like my cross-stitch, requires a bit more protection and organistion, so yesterday, I stole half an hour while the baby slept, and made myself a little pouch.

I based my pouch off this tutorial that I pinned a while back (making this Totally Pinspired project number twenty). I have an 8″ hoop on this project (the Once Upon A Time sampler), so I made my pouch 9″ wide. I also added some extra length to it, so I could overlap my edges (rather than butting them together as in the tutorial).

Once I had my inside and outside joined, I just fiddled with the folds until I was happy with the placement and pinned in place before sewing together – the edges overlap by around half an inch or so. The original tutorial suggests that nothing slides out with the butted-together edges, but with mine going in and out of the black hole known as my nappy bag, I just wanted a bit of extra protection. I’m glad I did, in the end. The OUAT sampler requires quite a decent sized peice of fabric (11×17″ plus a bit), so while the hooped stitchery, current pattern page, scissors and thread minder all fit in there quite nicely, it does tend to gape open a touch.

Still not enough to worry about things coming out though, as long as I tuck the smaller items in the back. I think if (when?) I make another (yes I have a bag and pouch problem, what of it?), I would go with the butted edges, and just add a small length of ribbon in the middle of each edge to tie it closed. But overall, I’m very happy with the end result. I used some corduroy from my stash (that I also used for Butterfly’s ballet bag), as well as some of my favourite Echino linen that I’m quite fussy about using as I’m down to half of a fat quarter (this is the same prettiness I used for my diary cover). I have a little 4″ hoop here that I thing needs a pouch too, maybe with some patchwork on the front? I’ll add it to the list! For now though, this pouch is perfect for what I need, and slips quite nicely into the nappy bag, ready for the next chance I have to sit and watch and stitch.

Today, I hope to find a couple of opportunities to do just that as we hit the mummy circuit and head off on the various things we like to do on a Thursday. That Project Life spread I started yesterday is still plodding along, I really need to finish the March block for OUAT. Then I need to behave myself and avoid crafting until I’ve finished tidying the studio, it’s verging on ridiculous in here. Sewing projects, mixed media projects, Project Life, children’s craft, watercolours. Yes, a tidy-up is long overdue. But then school holidays are so very close and that’s the perfect excuse to make it all messy again. Maybe I’ll just ignore the studio and mess up the kitchen instead. Mmmmm…. biscuits… Have a great Thursday!