It's the Little Things...

 We are in the last week before we start school again so I haven't been posting much. But I've still been sewing.

Gotta finish up that Summer Sewing Series with a bang, right?

So what have I been up to?

Well, I made another zipper bag. I know, shocking!

I actually really like this fabric for it. I'm surprised I haven't used it for one before now.

It's fully lined with boxed corners and a tag/handle/loop... whatever you call that thing.

I don't honestly remember which tutorial I followed to make this one but they are all pretty similar so you could probably just pick out a video that looks good and whose host doesn't annoy you to use. I think that was what happened with this one.

Because I had just finished this Zola Pen Pouch and I was pretty annoyed with it.

I think I just don't jive with this pattern maker person very well. I tried another of her patterns and I didn't enjoy it either.

I may give up on her site. If you find that her patterns are the stuff of your dreams though, go for it. She has a lot of cute ones there.


You may remember that I made some pad holders too. Well, I decided to make another sample just for kicks and giggles.

I think this one is really cute. I wish I had tried this fabric for some of these sooner.

 In fact, I decided I might try another zipper pouch in it. Don't worry, I won't bore you with it yet. :)

This tutorial can be found here.

Finally, I got around to something I've been needing but putting off doing. 

The black cord there is kept in my car. I use it to plug my phone in for trips or using the Android Auto app. I have purchased multiple shorter cords but they seem to wear out very quickly -- or, at least, stop working. So, I end up going right back to this 6 foot (I think) cord for something that only needs about 9 inches. 

As a result, the cord ends up hanging over into the floor of the passenger side, getting stepped on, wrapped around feet and purses, and generally being bothersome.

But that hasn't happened since I finally sat down and took the few minutes to churn these out. I keep thinking "why did I not just go ahead and make these?"

These are another thing that take almost no fabric. I literally throw away pieces that are this size when I am cutting out fabric for another pattern.

The fastener is the biggest decision you have to make. There are several ways to do it. I saw patterns for velcro, snaps, and, of course, this button and elastic. There was even on that used a ponytail holder. It seems there might be a few others too.

There are also lots of ways to make these. A simple search can bring you tutorials for pocket type cord keepers or a roll up organizer for cords. You can find different styles and decorative ones too. I saw one that had a kitty head on it. 

Here's a tutorial similar to what I made. I can't remember which one I used before. If you'd like to try a different type of fastener or style, just google 'sew cord keeper' and you'll have enough options to make your head spin.

So, that's what has been keeping the sewing machine busy at our house. How about yours?