New pattern – Westernesse Bag

I have a new bag pattern! This is the Westernesse Bag and it's a duffle‐bag style with lots of space to take everything you need for a day in the country.

The colour was inspired by a walk we took around a lake in Sweden last autumn. The leaves had only just started turning colour but already they were carpeting the walkways and drifting slowly past us as we walked. By the time we returned to our car, the sun was low in the skies and just set the colours aflame.

I was carrying one of my favourite bags at the time, a roomy canvas hold‐all with a single shoulder strap and this seemed like the perfect model for a new knitted bag. I like the ease of a bag with a single shoulder strap. Easy to pick up, easy to throw over your shoulder, simple to slip off when you get to the half-way point of your walk and want to sit for a while.

So I designed a similar bag with a knitted outer and a canvas liner. I designed the strap to be a knitted tube with a fabric band inside for extra strength, and added inside pockets so that I could carry all the bits and bobs for a day’s walk.

The body of the bag is worked in a combination of patterns from our book, Reversible Knitting Stitches, to emphasise the colour bands and bring a strongly graphical quality to the bag.

I then lined the bag with a medium-weight cotton fabric. The material was very interesting as it had a “travel theme” which seemed to suit the idea for the bag very well. I had forgotten how much I enjoy sewing! I don't sew much these days but it was fun getting the sewing machine out again, and even more fun getting the fluff out of the mechanism so it would actually work. You can read all about that incredible feat here!

I finished the bag by adding a plaited drawstring which runs through the top section to draw it together. I had intended adding a cord lock to keep the cords closed, but in the end I liked it just with a simple tie so left it like that.

Then as a final touch I sewed on a large button made from coconut, with a simple cord loop closure. Perfect. Now, where shall we go for a walk next.... I'm thinking maybe it's time to go back to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. It's ages since we were last there. If you would like to see why we like this beautiful part of the world, then you can see some photos from one of our visits here.

For more details about the Westernesse Bag, please click here, and for more information about our Reversible Knitting Stitches E-Book, then please click here. Both are available for instant download from the site.

Until next time – Happy Knitting!
​
Moira

Last Blogpost: Astonishing Day Next Up: Love this time of year ​Our book: Reversible Knitting Stitches My Website: www.wyndlestrawdesigns.com

Keywords: Patterns/Bags, Colour Notes,
duffle bag, knitted bag, lined bag, fabric-lined bag, shoulder bag, back-pack, autumn colourway,

Astonishing day

There are days when I truly astonish myself.
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What did I do that was so amazing, you ask? Well... drum roll... I fixed a sewing machine!!! OK, you can stop laughing now, but this happens to be the first time I have ever accomplished this feat.

I had recently finished making a skirt and all had gone well. Even a dreaded buttonhole or two had gone without a hitch. However, today was different. I started the machine only to be greeted by a horrible clattering noise! The thread was firmly jammed under the feeder plate.
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I snipped away at the tangle until I managed to pull it free and remove the small cut threads. I started again, very gently, only to be greeted by another loud clunking sound and another jam... This time I could not remove the trapped fabric without cutting it away. Thank goodness I was working with an oddment and not the final fabric!

OK, I thought. I’ll lift off the feeder plate and then I can get to the trapped threads. I’ve done that before so didn’t feel phased by the prospect. However, it became clear that the culprit was a large build‐up of fluff in what the handbook told me was the “spool holder”.

Apparently I was supposed to clean this on a regular basis! Well, dust bunnies and I are old friends and the idea of stripping down a sewing machine to remove fluff build‐up had never occurred to me before.

Did you know you were supposed to do this? It was certainly news to me but then I suppose I can’t actually remember ever reading the instructions so it’s not surprising I hadn’t stumbled upon this piece of information before...

The manual talked about turning the handle until various rotating parts lined up, then removing the spool holder assembly and cleaning underneath. I gulped, then started removing parts until there seemed quite a collection. By now, I was feeling alarmed and wondering just how many of these would go back where they came from!

However, 15 minutes later the spool holder was removed to reveal a good‐sized pile of fluff inside. That was quickly removed so all I had to do now was reassemble it all...
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I took a deep breath and before much longer all parts were back in again. Phew!

Well, I expect by now those folks with an engineering bent will be laughing themselves silly, but it felt like a major step for me! My first (successful) taking apart of a sewing machine.

I plugged it in, turned it on and prepared to sew the sample again. A quiet purr came from my new happy machine and a perfect seam formed without a single snag or clunk.

Mission accomplished! Let the sewing commence!

Oh and if you’re wondering, this will be the lining for my new bag, the Westernesse Bag coming soon. More about that next time!

Until next time – Happy Knitting!

Moira

Last Blogpost: Happy Christmas everyone! Next Up: New pattern – Westernesse Bag ​Our book: Reversible Knitting Stitches My Website: www.wyndlestrawdesigns.com

Keywords: News & Updates, Patterns/Bags,
sewing machine maintenance, bag lining, fabric linings,