Wednesday, November 3, 2010

justifiable sewing

As you walk into our house, you'll be greeted by piles of shoes, slippers and flip flops.  I try my best to keep them corralled, but they seem to have a pack mentality and no matter how many times I neaten them, they always re-assemble themselves into a big gnarly pile.  If you look up and above the piles of shoes (be careful not to trip!) You'll notice my knitting bag.  It's hanging on one of the hooks right in the entry way.  I keep it there so I can grab it as I'm heading out the door or when I have a rare moment to sit and knit at home.
 I love the idea of a knitting basket, but so does Molly the dog and she seems to think that my knitting is her dog toy, so a hanging bag is much safer.  My knitting bag hasn't changed for about 3 years....it's been the same Vera Bradley bag.  The perfect size and shape.  The other day though, I noticed that it didn't really match anything around it.  It's pink and black and my house is khakis, reds and greens.  I know, that sounds crazy, but when I stopped to think it through, I realized that my knitting bag hangs on that peg about 90% of the time.  It's part of the room.  It's what you see when you trip walk in the door.   I knew then that I needed to make it right.  (justifiable sewing is what this is called - try it!  it works!) 
My mom gave me the gift of a couple of hours all to myself the other week and after I finished singing and dancing through the house, I used that time to make a new bag.  I made an autumn bag....I used some fabrics that Larissa had sent me months ago and I couldn't be happier! 
 It works great when I grab it and head out the door.  I used Larissa's tutorial for the deputy tote and added 2 inches to the overall size.  A wonky flower was added to give it some extra snap.  I sewed a pocket to the inside to hold all my little things like scissors and tape measures.  It really is a great tote! 
I love how it looks as it spends most of its time on the peg in my entry way!  Did you realize that Christmas is only 52 days away!?  I'm sure that I'm gonna need a holiday version when we deck our halls....you know what I'm sayin!?  Maybe I'll deal with the shoe issue in January! 

16 comments:

From All Stitched Up said...

I love your knitting bag and it looks great hanging by the door. It would be fun to have seasonal bags!

Tracy said...

LOVE, love, love the bag, Lisa! BEAUTIFUL fabrics! I have a knitting bag too. Can't have a basket of knitting laying around, or our cat Charlie will think it's all for him... LOL! Did you say 52 days until Xmas... Oh, no... I feel so behind already...*sigh*... ;o) Happy Days ((HUGS))

Christina said...

Here I thought you were going to talk about how you solved the shoe problem, and I was getting all excited because I could use a little help in that department...lol. : )

Your bag is beyond adorable! It sounds like we love the same kinds of colors. : )

I've been working up and nice justification for sewing a new brown and red cover for my netbook (the one that came with it is HOT pink-yikes).

I've also been working on those tutorials; I just have a little bit of writer's block because I've never written one before, and I feel nervous that it will make no sense. : )

~ The Jolly Bee ~ said...

The fabrics are terrific and it really does coordinate so well with your cozy home. I use Larissa's tutorial all the time and make many different sized bags.

I don't let my kids bring shoes into the house -- so I trip over the pile in the garage. When you come up with a solution, pass it on.

Gloria said...

Oh!!! That is ONE beautiful bag! Love the fabric! It looks great in your home too...:)
We have a large pile of shoes at our entry. I have them hid (sort of) under the entry table. My daughter put a shoe rack under the table...ha! I have a large lace tablecloth over the table to try and hide it all. It doesn't work totally...:] Oh well!!

Anonymous said...

Like Christina, I was thinking you were going to reveal the solution to what, in our house, we call "shoe infestations"!

Lovely knitting bag, and a good idea to hang it up. So inviting.

Kristyn Knits said...

what a wonderful gift!! for a daughter who is so deserving!! love the fabric combinations and that oh so feminine flower. love it!

The WoodLand School said...

Marvelous idea! I love the grab-n-go feature ... as well as the rotating seasonal design. What a fun way to showcase some special fabrics.

Sewn With Grace said...

I love your bag! I'm all for pretty and this sure fits the bill. Great job!

Larissa said...

How awesome is your knitting bag! I sent you bits and pieces that i figured were only big enough to make snack mats with and you go ahead and create this beautiful bag! Love the flower touch - I was just flipping through a book on sewing flowers at the bookstore because i want to add them to some of the uniform staples that i wear and grab when i run out the door.

We,too, have problem with the shoes at the door. when it started getting cooler i put away the flip flops and declared that everyone was allowed one pair of tennis shoes by the door. Then it started to rain and the boots came out and joined all the tennis shoes and now we have a huge mess again!

Julie Smith said...

Your new knitting bag is adorable and totally justifiable! It looks so cute hanging there.

I am shocked that Christmas is that close. I can already feel myself starting to twitch...

Stephanie said...

I love the idea of having a bag for each season. Looks so nice in it's space :)

Jessica said...

That bag turned out great--my knitting bag has been the same for a while now too---a new one like that might be in order!

ThePBFamily said...

what a beautiful bag! its great to gift ourselves occasionly!

Liz said...

52? Wow. Kind of snuck up on me...

Elise @ cheznapier said...

I LOVE the little flower on this bag! It is so adorable!! Tutorial or link to where you learned to make it??

Also, I was a guest in a house once where the homeowner had galvenized metal trays on the floor along the wall: shoes are still in plain sight but lined up and it contains the dirt/mud/snow.