Once again, things at the RTP household have been a bit hectic, and once again, I have neglected by blog friends. Sorry about that. Here's something I meant to post last week but wasn't able to get around to it.
Sometime early last week I made my way over to Trinity Bicycles and asked if they had any touring pedals on hand. I walked out of there with a pair of Grip Kings. So far I like them.
I've been needing a pouch for my Kindle. I've got some left over cotton duck that I though would work for the exterior. I just needed some padding and a soft fabric for the interior of the pouch. I rode over to the closest fabric store to pick up the materials.
I forgot my lock so I leaned my bike against the window where I could keep an eye on it. I then shoved my jacket through the spokes between the fork and basket stays in the hope that it might slow a thief down long enough for me to run outside and grab hold of him.
I took my time browsing through the sewing gadgets and accessories (I believe they are called notions but I refuse to use that word, it's kind of girly).
I laid everything out and got to work. It didn't take long for things to go down hill. Sewing padding between two layers of fabric is a real pain in the rear. Everything kept bunching up no matter how many pins I used. I ended up with a pouch but it can't be described as attractive. I will make another attempt at producing a functional and presentable pouch this weekend.
I picked up this sewing awl at Tandy Leather Factory after reading about a similar item here. It should come in handy for repairing all kinds of gear.
I like the jacket through the spokes idea!
ReplyDeleteMan, I wish I knew how to sew.
I'm learning the hard way, through trial and error. Pick up an old sewing machine and get after it. You're pretty creative, I bet you'll pick it up quicker than I am.
ReplyDeleteHi RTP, I do a fair amount of quilting, hence work with sewing layers.. here are a few ideas that you may want to try... Make sure you baste all layers together before putting the project through the machine. Baste like there is no tomorrow. Safety pins can be used to baste if you don't want to needle and thread it - just make sure that the machine does not run over any of the pins as this can break your needle. Basting with big hand stitches OR with a ton of safety pins prevents all the layers from shifting around. Next length your straight stitch a bit so that when you begin to stitch in the machine each stitch is a tad longer than normal and you may also want to loosen/adjust your tension a bit. The fabric "shrinks" quite a bit when you stitch all layers together, so you don't want to trim your finished measurements until your sewing is complete. There is special machine-quilting thread if you find your thread breaking, but if you check your seam length and your tension, you will probably be ok for projects like you are wanting to do. Practise a bit on some "test" bits. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI dont post alot but always read your posts and again a very imformative post!,
ReplyDeletegood idea about the jacket through posts idea, i have left a bike upside down in top gear before with the v brakes disconected- big suprise for a thief if he manages to get rolling before caught!
I'm always interested in your projects, and am looking forward to how this one turns out.
ReplyDeletePaddyAnne-I really appreciate the advice. I will try basting (I looked it up) and lengthening the stitch next time around. I also received an email from somebody who mentioned that I should try seam stick tape from Sailrite to keep the layers together. I will gladly accept any tips you are willing to pass on.
ReplyDeleteCoastkid-The jacket in the spokes seemed to be the easiest option, plus it's easy to see. I'm so absent minded that I would have forgotten that I had disconnected my brakes etc. until it was too late.
Pondero-Thanks Chris. I'm learning, slowly but surely.