I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.
After such a productive Labor Day Sew In weekend, I moved right along from Batman's Star Surround to my Social Tote. I was a little anxious about some of the required materials and my first try making such a structured bag.
I'm waiting for my Soft and Stable to arrive, so I'm stalled at the moment; however, I did manage to finish what I expect is the hardest part, the lining. This divided interior is what made me willing to even try this pattern. The sample in the shop was holding a hexie project like mine, so it will be perfect for our ride to Tuscaloosa for Family Weekend.
Other than requiring my complete and total attention (I even had to turn off the podcast I was listening to) none of the instructions were hard. I was quite surprised at how well the seams lined up.
I also made the pockets and the handles so that there should be very little left to do once the Soft and Stable arrives. I cannot wait to use this.
All I have left for today is to make the pin cushion. For this I needed some sort of filling, and crushed walnut shells were recommended. I was able to find these at my local Pet Smart (with the bird and bunny bedding), but it was only in 25lb bags! The other, similar choice was Kay-Kob, which is made of dried, ground corn cobs. According to the Pet Smart sales assistant, these look nearly identical and serve the same purpose.
I sent out a call for help on Twitter, and recognized the second problem with the crushed walnuts is the risk for anyone with a nut allergy. I chose the smaller and less expensive Kay-Kob and will let you know how it works out.
Anyone else have suggestions for pin cushion filling?
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Neat! I had never heard of using either. I knew rice and some dried beans/corn were common items. I'll have to bookmark this idea. :)
ReplyDeleteHi. My Grandmother and my Great Aunt swore by human hair. I know this is gross but if you use it the natural oils left on the hair apparently prevent rusting and the slight roughness of each hair shaft help to keep the pins sharp.
ReplyDeleteIf you collect it each time you have a hair cut and it gets all matted it doesn't matter just add it to the top of the pin cushion and then use whatever stuffing underneath.