Peg Bag Sewing Tutorial!

My old peg bag was tired, it was made of less than funky fabric, it had an unattractive hole and it hung from a little coat hanger and generally annoyed me. As a result pegs found their way into jumper pockets, aprons and boxes, still less than useful. So the thought began to make a brand new peg bag, one that I could wear so it didn’t get in the way, but was also stylish enough that I didn’t make a break for the kitchen should the neighbour be waving over the wall. I’m really very pleased with it, so pleased in fact that I thought I’d share my instructions to make it 🙂

What You’ll Need

1/2m Outer fabric

1/2m lining fabric

Strong Ribbon or tape

Button

Step 1

Take both your outer fabric and lining fabric and cut out a rectangle 30cm X 48cm. Place them right sides together and pin around the edge.

Step 2

Leaving a seam allowance of approx 1cm machine stitch around the edge, leaving a gap of about 6cm (2″) to turn the bag out. If your fabric is likely to fray remember to run a zig zag stitch around the edge or cut with pinking shears.

Step 3

Cut some of the fabric off at the corners to make it easier to turn out. Take out the pins and turn the bag the right way out. Iron your piece, making sure the seams are nice and flat. Then machine stitch the open edge closed. You should now have a rectangle that measures about 46cm X 28cm.

Step 5

To make our bag lay the rectangle with the lining facing upwards. Turn up the bottom to reveal about 20cm of the outer fabric. Pin and machine stitch about 1/2 cm from the edge.

Step 6

Cut two pieces of ribbon or tape about 85cm long. These will be sewn onto the back of the bag. First fold down the top of the bag, so that all the lining is hidden. Then place your ribbon either side and sew in place. Fold under the raw edge of the ribbon and sew.

Step 7

I finished my bag with a big button on the front flap, of course you could add your own touch, a flower, an applique design perhaps.

Step 8

Enjoy your new peg bag! You can tie it around your waist or over your shoulder. I normally fold the top flap back to allow easier access to the pegs, then when I put the bag away I flop it back into place.

Simple Upcycling Tutorial

It’s that time of year now when we all unpack our hats and scarves. But sometimes you just don’t like them as much as you did last year. Maybe you have a new coat or hairstyle, maybe you just fancy something new. Whatever the reason you shouldn’t just bin last years wares, instead you should up/recycle them into something stylish and new. Here I’m bringing you one really simple and quick way to turn a plain hat and scarf into a gorgeous new item.

What You’ll Need

Hat

Scarf

Buttons

Sewing Needle & Thread

Step 1

To be truly economical you should raid your button stash. If you don’t have any buttons then take a look through your clothes, are there any you were planning to get rid of and could borrow the buttons from? How about making your own (see my previous tutorial here for instructions) or buy some.

Personally I like the buttons to be different sizes, styles and shapes. From a design point of view odd numbers always look better so keep that in mind.

Step 2

Arrange your buttons on the hat until your pleased with the effect, then sew them on. I sewed mine slightly to one side.

Step 3

Repeat the previous step on your scarf.

Step 4

Enjoy your brand new creations!! It really is as quick, simple and cheap as that!

Autumn Watch & Blackberry Cupcakes

Keeping on my theme for the week, Autumn Watch starts this evening on BBC Two at 8.30pm. Time to start hunting for nature in your garden, making bird feeders and preparing for the season ahead.

It’s also the time of year when I start wanting to eat comforting food whether savoury or sweet. My husband jokes that I’m trying to put on weight for winter, in reality the large jumpers and big fluffy coats means we’re probably all a little less self conscious.

Our garden has been full to the brim with blackberries (or Brambles as my Dad calls them). I love this simple way of using them to decorate cupcakes. Just pipe a little cream, pop on a fresh blackberry and ta da you have a really yummy cake!

The dark evenings also drive me to revive hobbies that had fallen by the wayside during the summer months. Currently my knitting needles are getting a work out, keep your eyes peeled as this is to do with an upcoming tutorial!

From a work point of view we’re gearing up for the festive season with new products, old favourites and more. We have launched another new craft kit online this week, our Cupcake Badge!