MY PROTOTYPE "STITCHER'S POCKET POUCH"...

 

As you know, I am unable to do any hand stitching anymore, my tremors are way too bad most days to risk such a loss of blood at the end of a sewing needle, lol.  Even the pins that I use for machine sewing and quilting tend to be problematic, lol.  On a GOOD day, when I CAN sew, a few pins in a seam can be a three Band-Aid endeavor!   Since I am not about to give up sewing (my sanity) I obviously need to keep a supply of Band-Aids close at hand.  All sewists know that there are "tools" that need to be kept nearby, as they are used frequently.  Mine, however, seem to have grown feet and walked...and are not always found where I expect them to be!  Solution?  A "Stitcher's Pocket Pouch". 

Based on the chatelaines used by stitchers in the past, I wanted a small pouch that could hold not only my Band-Aids, but small scissors, my seam ripper, my favorite thimble (okay...I will admit it is lost at the moment...Grrr...see the need for a pouch?) and my sewing gauge.  You know...the little things that seem to crawl into the deep dark recesses under piles of fabric!

While sorting through my stash and moving less frequently used items to the new Expansion Sewing Room, I came across a box full of denim pockets.  Hmmmm......could these work for my pocket pouch?

I found my answer later that night in the middle of a very strange, completely disjointed dream....hanging around my neck!  Yup, it would work and I knew exactly how I was going to make it!  And it was Oh. So. Cute!  (A little aside:  Yes.  I do have the strangest, nonsensical dreams you can possibly imagine...usually centered around being late for school, not having my homework done, or spiders...BIG ones!.....yikes, I'm an arachnophobe!  Lately, though, sewing and quilting have wormed their way into my nightly scenarios.  Thank Goodness for some peaceful happy scenes!  I really do need to keep a pen and paper next to my bed because sometimes the designs are just amazing...and unfortunately gone by the next morning.)

And thus began the design of my "Stitcher's Pocket Pouch". 

When I first retired I attempted hand sewn English Paper Piecing in the form of 1" hexies.  I didn't have too many done before it became obvious that, as much as I ADORED hexies...they didn't adore me!  The pocket pouch in my dream had an adorable hexie flower on the front.  Okay, I had the hexies...could they be sewn on by machine?  The answer?  Yes.  It took a few starts and stops, but I managed to machine sew a hexie flower onto one of the pockets. 

Construction was then just a matter of adding two inside pockets in complementary fabric, attaching a zipper, gluing on a bit of ribbon to pretty it up and sewing the pockets together.  The hardware for the strap was stolen from two keychains in our junk drawer.  They were keys whose purpose was forgotten YEARS ago and the keychains would be much better used elsewhere!  Am I rationalizing, lol?  Probably, lol.  Shhhh....nobody will ever notice! 

A simple strap to hang around my neck and it was done. 

But I think my Stitcher's Pocket Pouch will have another purpose as well!  Next weekend my Dear Aunt, possibly Mom (depending on how Dad is doing) and I are going to a quilt show at the local 4H club.  I CAN. NOT. WAIT!  I really don't want to be encumbered by my handbag while oohing and aahing over all of the quilts, so I think I will leave my main handbag at my folks' house and just wear my "Stitcher's Pocket Pouch".  It is plenty big enough to hold my license, keys, money and camera...all I really need for a wonderful girl's day out admiring quilts!