Lazy Days and Sundays

Good morning from the land of frustration.

Back in June, my sewing buddy and I went on a quilt shop hop where I didn't buy fabric or patterns for quilts, but I did make some small purchases. At one store I bought printed interfacing to make a market bag (tote bag) and kit with printed interfacing to make a cell phone holder.

Yesterday I was going to make the market bag. Perhaps I shouldn't have waited so many weeks before attempting this. There is no picture of the finished bag and my memory isn't what it used to be. The interfacing says that instructions are sold separately. The instructions that I have are a single typed sheet without any illustrations.

I am not a novice sewer, but I do have my "Duh!" days and yesterday may have been one. On a day with more patience, I should be able to tackle this project again, possibly by ignoring everything written since that seems to be the stumbling block. I've become critical of how instructions are written, knowing that whether the project is as simple as folding and cutting paper to make a card to a complicated quilt or knitting pattern, there will always be someone new to the project. Writers of instructions should not assume the reader will know to do what they have neglected to define or illustrate.

After a few hours I tackled the cell phone holder. That assembly went much better, but if I were to make it again, I would do a few things differently. Here is the printed interfacing next to the fabric and how it looks ironed into place.

There are two pockets in the open holder, one for the phone and another that I will probably use for ID and a few dollars when I am out riding my bike or walking. Since my phone is black, it didn't show up well in a photograph. I stuck scraps of interfacing in the pockets so you could see them.

There is a square of Velcro holding the flap closed. I may need a large piece of Velcro to hold me together if I don't figure out how that bag is supposed to go together. Wish me luck!