Stitching and Finished Objects [successes, even!]

Sewing by hand is hard, y'all. 
Okay, it's not hard but man does it take a long, long time. So the decision that I would, well, sew something by hand was either really smart or really stupid.
I'm going to go with smart. Because I'm quite proud of having done it (after not having sewn anything in years) and it didn't really take a terribly long time (but much longer than it would have if I had a sewing machine!).

I had the idea of sewing up a wallet - the purse variety, not the fold up and stick in your pocket variety.
I found multiple patterns and tutorials and thought, well, I'm smart, I can figure it out...I'll just use some measurements and some photos for reference and just, well, wing it.
I'm not sure that was smart, however. I mean, it worked, technically, but not necessarily 100% the way I intended!

And, let's be honest, it's been a while since I've done any sort of sewing or fabric manipulation, so there were a few hiccups along the way - the first of which being cutting one piece an inch short (I was focused on getting a straight line, and thought I'd measured length...I hadn't).

But it worked out as the measurements given were awfully strange and extra large (and I never figured out where all that extra fabric was supposed to be) so the shorter cut turned out to be fine.

I made a card pocket, with two slots, a cash pocket (both on one side), and then another pocket on the opposite side.
I'm not sure I went about it properly, but there are pockets, and they are inside the wallet, not on the outside, so that's a success to me.

I got about halfway and bemoaned the lack of an iron.
It would have been easier to cut and measure everything, if it was ironed flat. And it would have been easier to get all the corners even and stitched together straight (no rippling, I mean) if the fabric was ironed.
Also, at about the halfway point (with the pockets attached at this point to the inside/backing), I was realizing that this wouldn't ever be anything that would leave the house. Because, in my brilliance, I did not have any sort of interfacing and this was going to be a very, very floppy wallet. Oh well.
Also, the decision on how to close the darned thing.
Oh there were instructions for elastic and buttons I had found, or snaps, or velcro, or anything. And I had none of those things, so it will just, well, fold over and be done.So, again, not something that can leave the house. More oh wells.

It was plain, though. And it needed some spicing up. So I added an applique "J" to the front. For one, because why not. And, two, because it would mean I'd have to learn blanket stitch (and, no, I'm fairly certain I've never done that one before).

It turned out alright, sure. After I cut out the letter the right way 'round! I traced on the back, the first time, with a J the right way...except, you know, on the back of the fabric. So, I had to do it again, and is just the kind of thing I was liable to do with this project.

For final assembly, sewing up everything right sides in, I'm fairly certain those were my best and straightest stitches, which was nice. Until the end when, well, I left a gap that I thought would be large enough to turn it all right side out.
Apparently not so much. So I had to rip some out, then flip right side out, and sew up that gap - which I did not do so neatly.

But it's done! And I'm pleased!
It brought some decent amount of soreness to my hands, but that was to be expected. And it didn't turn out nearly as nicely as I would have wanted, but that is to be expected for a wing-it kind of project, especially one of the first variety.
Though I do think I will take a break from sewing for a bit. The energy and excitement has run out, especially considering it takes so long. So, until a machine can be procured, I'll collect patterns and tutorials and dream of what else to make. If you have any suggestions for things of the simple beginner nature, please share them in the comments!

~ Havok

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