WIP Wednesday 2/2

FINALLY I have some new photos to share with you of Mom's Brea Bag.

I am SO glad to have made significant progress on this project.  Essentially, it's as far as it can get before Mom picks out fabric for the lining and that is sewn in.  Once that is done, I'll attach the shoulder strap, sew down the strap ends and officially gift it to Mom.

I was having a hard time deciding how to sew this project together.  Is sew the right word?  Piece together is a more accurate description.  First off, blocking was simple - the pieces didn't need to be stretched out much, rather the cables needed straightening, and the edges needed to be symmetrical.  I carefully measured, pinned, measured and re-pinned.  In the end, it's 3" wider than the pattern says their version is, and 1/2" taller from bottom to purse opening.  The gusset is exactly 2 1/2" wide and a total of 30" long.

Although this bag could potentially be very small, there is plenty of give on the bag front and backs.  Our intention is to line the bag with a silk-like material.  The gusset of the lining will probably be reinforced with interfacing to give it more structure, while the rest of the lining will not.  The juxtaposition of Shelter against a refined fabric such as silk should be lovely.  Texturally and visually pleasing at every angle! (Can you tell I like this bag?)

So the piecing...originally I wasn't going to block the gusset, but I did just a tiny bit to ensure it was long enough.  To get the crisp edges, I put wrong sides together and did a slip stitch joining the pieces around top and side edges.  This was perfect.

Okay - I could keep going, but I'll post again when it's Done-Done.

I've finished all my swap knitting so no WIPs to share there.

I frogged and restarted J's gloves.  I've modified the decreases to something I like a bit better.  I also chose to cast-on 4 more stitches than I originally did, and I won't decrease as far as I did the first time.  About half of the first glove is finished.  Now that Mom's bag is finished, that will be my focus.

What's on your needles this week?