All bagged up

Progress on my Jacobean crewelwork had to take a back seat this week as I set myself a new but related challenge.  For some time I have been wanting to make an bag for my slate frame, as it is so awkward to carry any distance in the rather large plastic bag supplied by the RSN.

My idea was to make a simple bag from PVC coated cotton, to protect my frame from the weather.  I wanted to line it with cotton, to provide some cushioning for the frame and the embroidery in progress and a couple of simple handles.  I wanted a really long zip to go right round the top and sides if the bag, to allow the frame to be slid easily in and out of the bag.

The sheer size of the frame the bars are about 32" long, meant that this was never going to be a small (or cheap) endeavour.  A trip to Dunelm later and I was equipped with fabrics, super long zip and extra strong sewing thread.  I dusted off my sewing machine and channelled my inner sewing bee, and before nightfall I was the proud owner of a new bag for my slate frame, complete with pocket to carry notes, design brief, small books etc.  the process wasn't without hiccups (I didn't have the right kind of machine foot for sewing PVC coated cotton and to start off with the cloth just stuck to the foot and the feed teeth).  And the scale and stiffness of the fabric meant that wresting with the bag wasn't just a turn of phrase!

My finished bag is by no means perfect, hopefully the embroidery that gets carried in the bag will be a higher standard(!) but it meets my needs and will hopefully allow me to negotiate the cloisters and staircases of Hampton Court Palace much more safely and easily than before!  It's back to school on Friday so I will find out then......