Washday blues (or pinks yellows and browns)

Suzanne showed us something of a departure for her. Sewing. Not on paper. Nope. This time she actually used fabric! She said:

For a long while (all year) I have needed a new peg bag. I've been using an empty biscuit tin which, frankly, wasn't really upto the job I was asking it to do. I had also, for a long while, had a set of three pretty cotton tea towels I bought from Home Bargains (something like £3 for three) with the express intention of creating something with them. So today was the day to gather myself together and get the thing made.

I'm not much good at sewing, following patterns and the like, so a foolproof design and instructions were a must. I did a bit of Googling and decided upon the instructions at this website for a really easy to make peg bag. 

And, just for the fun of it (and so you can see that I really am not good at sewing and not just saying that) here are the photos that show the simple steps involved.

Lay tea towel face up and turn over the top about 4" (or whatever depth required to accommodate your hanger).  The only wooden hangers I had were those with the trouser hanger bit on them, so I delved into one of the kid's wardrobes and found a plastic one with a narrower design. I also did without tailor's chalk (used a laundry pen) or the tape measure (I'm more of an 'ish' girl when it comes to measurements).

Mark the shape of the hanger for your sewing line.

 

Sew each edge of the folded section upto to the middle, leaving 1/4 inch gap unsewn at the middle for the hanger to be poked through later. (Remember, if you use your sewing machine a lot for sewing on paper, like I do, change to a new needle before starting.)

Fold up the bottom section of the tea towel so it overlaps the top section by about 1/2 inch. Sew up both edges just beyond the point where the top section is sewn on either side.

 

Cut away the excess fabric and create a notch for the hanger to go through (I used pinking shears as these help prevent fraying.

 

Turn inside out, add your hanger and fill with pegs. And hope for some more good drying days! Mine is here pictured with the other two tea towels that came in the set. Aren't they so pretty?

If you use a plainer fabric, you could always pretty it up by adding flowers, ribbons and buttons, but I thought this fabric was gorgeous enough without anything else added to it. They would also make really great gifts (especially for anyone setting up home) and craft fair items too.

xxx's

Suzanne

And that is the last of our archived posts for now! Come back tomorrow for a look at what we have planned, starting in August.

Comments

[Bev]

I absolutely love this project and as my peg bag has just given up the ghost I will have a go!! Thank you for sharing.