Wallet wear

Here's what five years of wear looks like on a label. Not too bad, I suppose.

The acrylic-coated poly looks great, though.

Pfaff table

Finally built a proper table with some scrap wood for my 335. Only took, like, five years. Time to use it more. :)

Practicing some woodworking skills: laminating plywood, routing, staining and using polycrylic. Good times.

In the wild

 David's bag at Lake Hiyaha.

Phil's wallet at Glacier National Park.

Bag cover

We recently went on a trip, and I made a roll-top backpack cover so my bag wouldn't get chewed up in the checked-baggage mayhem.

Tried out some new construction techniques with my new post-bed machine 'cause, you know, why not: felled seams; curved, webbing-covered seams. Not bad.

Consew 289RB-1

Picked up a post-bed machine from Nick-O Sew a while back and been setting it up to my liking. Pretty excited about the different kinds of construction methods I can use now.

I believe the 289 is the post-bed version of the 255, which is Consew's fancier flat-bed upholstery machine (the 206 being their standard machine).
This is a used machine (from the Seiko era), but it's still in production.

Needle-feed, walking-foot, of course. Size U bobbin, methinks. It's slightly bigger that the M bobbin that many of my other machines use.

Instead of a stitch-length dial, you press a button on the bed and turn the handwheel. 

I love this thread guide.

Nice hinged door to the needle-bar stuff. I wish more machines had this feature.

Been practicing making tiny half-totes.

Boone Dawdle bag 6

Well, it's time for my yearly fancy bag. Did this for the True/False Film Fest's Boone Dawdle. The film this year was Breaking a Monster, a doc about the preteen metal band Unlocking The Truth and their deal with the Devil.
I hope this bag is metal enough...

17 inches across the top.

Chainstitch'd. Not bad for my second serious attempt. (The first being last year's BD bag.)

 

Floating liner. Trying some new construction techniques, plus a 3D zip pocket.

Flipside almost looks cooler...

Sourcing materials is always one of the trickier aspects of bagmaking. Took me a couple tries to find a satisfactory chainstitch thread. Burmilana from Madeira is great. Got a bunch of the wool/acrylic ... and a couple in cotton/acrylic.

Made a bonus tote bag from an old acrylic T/F banner (see below). More of these to come, I imagine.

These have been flown every January/February downtown for the last seven-or-so years and are being retired. (Photo by T/F.)

Straight Grain Studio

There's a new sewing cafe in the neighborhood (espresso bar coming soon) offering classes, alterations, and more. If you're in the Mid-Mo area, check it out!

 Paris & Mt Vernon.

Machines to rent by the hour.

Tiny serger!

Draping class.