Chopsticks for Everyone!

Want to make a useful color-block pouch?

Thank you Carol of Just Let Me Quilt for organizing another wonderful blog hop. I’ve had to miss a few hops recently, and it’s so sad. I’m just getting over Covid but refused to miss this one. Time to showcase my favorite new zippered pouch!

First, let me share my favorite sewing gadget. It’s usually used for eating sushi You see, one sturdy chopstick is the best gadget! I use it for pushing corners out through the lining of a bag and so many other steps for projects with zippers. I have used it to push out edges of baby bibs and even to hold things when using a hot iron.

This color-block zippered pouch is my new obsession. The final bag at 10.24″ x 6.5″ is a convenient size so many uses.

I’ve often heard about people who cut up canvas drop cloths to use for sewing projects. I wanted to give this a try and finally I took the plunge. I’ve made cross body bags, box zippered bags, zippered pouches and there’s a canvas tote bag in my future too. Instead of purchasing canvas yardage at a fabric store, I bought a $9.00 4′ x 5′ canvas drop cloth on Amazon. It is a light beige color, has enough weight to work well for bags and has been great for all my applications.

MY EXPERIMENT BLEACHING THE CANVAS

Not content to keep things simple for myself, I went ahead and tried something wacky. I cut off a piece of the canvas drop clothing tried bleaching it a whiter color. After following online directions, running out to buy bleach, emptying a pail and soaking the canvas for 14 hours, the results were unimpressive! The canvas came out NO DIFFERENT than when I began. Yup, the color didn’t change one bit. While the texture is the same as before, I had now made the entire house smell like a swimming pool! The canvas was odorless to start and looked clean before I began, so no improvements were made. If you prefer working with a whiter canvas material, you’ll need to find an alternative to the brand I used.

I’ve finished 4 of these zippered pouches, given some away and now I can’t stop! For the front, I used solid scraps and created a random design going around the central canvas. After pressing, I trimmed the front piece to be 7″ x 11″ in size. To add some heft, I then ironed a piece of fusible batting to both the front and back pieces. I quilted the front piece only with just straight lines. You really can quilt the backing piece too, and sometimes I do that if I’m in the mood. I added a D-ring tab to one side of the bag. The tab helps when pulling open the zipper, plus it adds a nice touch. (I use a lot of D-rings when making bags or doll clothes. I found this assorted bundle of D-rings on Amazon, which has lasted me a long time.)

The final bag at 10.24″ x 6.5″ is a convenient size so many uses. Here is how I used the chopstick to help shape the inside-out bag.

These chopsticks really look like knitting needles, don’t they?

Here is me using the chopstick to fine and push up the zippered tabs.

Here I am using the chopstick inside the lining hole to push out the corners of the bag.

Finally, here is how I lined up the bottom of the lining before sewing the hole closed.

Thank you for stopping by. Check out all the other fun creations and gadgets being shown this week. You can find the Queen of Gadgets Pinterest page HERE.

Check out the Queens of Gadgets!

September 19

Creatin’ in the Sticks

Annie’s Musings

Days Filled With Joy

Quilting Gail

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Scrapdash

September 20

MooseStashQuilting
For The Love Of Geese
Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
Food for Thought
Karrin’s Crazy World
Patchouli Moon Studio
 
September 21
Inflorescence
Selina Quilts
Samelia’s Mum
Just Sew Quilter
That Fabric Feeling YOU ARE HERE!
Songbird Designs
Just Because Quilts
 
September 22
Ms P Designs USA
Quilted Delights
Words & Stitches
Beaquilter
Quilt Schmilt
Crazy’boutquilts
 
September 23
Just Let Me Quilt
Quilt Doodle Designs
DayBrook Designs
Lianne Makes Stuff
Homespun Hannah’s Blog
Time 4 Stitchn
Lynn’s Blog