There’s no knitting in this post

I know, I know, I haven’t posted in ages. Plus this post is all about sewing.

So I do these themed swaps with knitters, and I’ve been getting into sewing again to make project bags for my packages. The latest theme was “Chinese New Year”.

It’s been really fun and I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve developed a favorite style: drawstring top, round bottom, fake leather fabric at the base so it’ll stand up if you set it down. I realized after polling the swap forum that there’s another element many knitters prize in their project bags: pockets. So I got to it with a zipper!

I cut the top above the drawstring at a slight angle and I think it makes a very fetching fan shape.

But even before I got to making the bag, I had decided that what my package *really* needed was a fortune cookie-shaped notions pouch. I scoured the internet for ideas, but the only thing I really liked was these high-end coin purses.

Well, leather is likely beyond the ability of my antique sewing machine, so I found some Marine Vinyl in the right color, the perfect lining fabric from pennycandy on spoonflower and a sew-in purse frame of the right size, and made it up as I went. I am sort of giddy at the cute result.

There’s really not too much to it: Measure the curve of the purse frame and multiply by 4 to get the approximate circumference of circles to cut. Fold in half, sew the points of the lining and the outside, fold in the edge of the lining and sew it into the frame by hand. Garnish with a stitch marker and away you go!

I did one prototype where I tucked the vinyl seams inside, but the vinyl was too stiff and made the inside a wrinkly mess.

Sewing it into the frame is definitely the trickiest part, because it naturally won’t lie flat. My prototype has pretty dreadful frame seams. But one careful stitch at time forces it into place, and then the stiffness of the vinyl and purse frame are all that’s needed to make the whole cookie keep it’s shape.

Oh, look, I’ll throw in a bit of spinning content. I finished that Moonrover yarn; it’s navajo-plied fingering weight squishiness.

And then I started “Tie Dye Rainbow” SW Merino from Quaere; it’s split in half by weight and also to be Navajo-plied fingering weight for matching socks, because why not?