A Jacket for Jackie

We're dog sitting little Jackie again much to my delight! In the snowy and cold weather we've had the poor baby has been shivering every time we go outside. So I decided it was time to take action!

I borrowed a teeny tiny Hemtex sewing machine (which made more noise then any other machine I've ever heard!), brought out an Ikea fleece plaid and a piece of oilcloth and got to work! She really likes it, she comes right away when I take it out and she is so much more relaxed when we go out now, no more shivers or shaking! =D

We took an old hunting neon band for the belt and attached it while covering up the advertising text at the same time with a small piece of reflective band to make sure little jackie is visible in the dark. 

You would think this was a really quick thing to make and it would have been had it not been for the darn little sewing machine causing all sorts of havoc with the tread tension. It was cranked up to 10 when I got it and was still making loops on the backside... Managed to find the bent piece of metal and fix it and then it was more or less obedient. Have you ever seen such a tiny machine? =)

This is what I'm talking about regarding the tension issues, not a happy sight.

It was also pretty much impossible to sew a straight line, the thing jumped left and right and feed the fabric very unevenly. You can see the remaining tension issues on the the velcro. Luckily it's hidden on the inside for the lining.

However, Jackie is super happy in her wind and water proof, nice and cozy winter coat, and that is all that matters, and I also got to satisfy my worst sewing cravings, so it was very much a win win. The pattern is just made up on the go, will probably make one with a hole for the head and coverage for the chest next time =)

The Necessary Clutch Wallet!

I made this clutch this summer actually at quilt camp and just never had time to blog about it, and I've used it every day since, I love it! It's my wallet and when I don't want to drag along my big bag, it also doubles as a bag which will hold my phone, keys and the "bare necessities" to leave the house =)

The pattern is from Emmalinebags and it was a lovely pattern, very easy to follow and it was so much fun to make that I actually made two right after each other. The other one is a little more fancy, will show it off later as I don't have it with me now. This is actually the second one I made and I deviated a little from the pattern here and added a little zippered pocket to the back, which is perfect to hold my keys as they didn't really fit otherwise.

I just love all the pockets and that it folds out so nicely to get easy access!

The extra pocket I added for convenient key access =)

I was super scared about the kind of lock used for this bag as I had never used one before - but let me tell you, there was no need to be afraid, it was really easy to install!  =)

If you've considered making this bag but been worried about it I can just say  - don't be! It's so much fun to make you'll not only make one, but several! =D The only comment I'd like to make is regarding the little edge on top of the lid, I'd recommend you to make the "ends" (this will make sense when you sew it I promise ^^) slightly longer then the pattern tells you too, as when you sew the lid to the bag, it tended to feel slightly on the narrow side (for me at least) and I didn't get a full 1/4 inch seam allowance, making me a little worried.