Minimalist Wallet

Are you like me? Do you have scores of young men for whom you must produce holiday gifts? Do you want to give them something lovingly hand-made but fear they will find such objects deeply un-cool?

Then this post is pretty much a public service announcement. Take a look at the Elastic Wallet pattern at Thread Theory. It's not a free pattern, but it's the next best thing: only $1.50. I read about this pattern in Barbara Emodi's newsletter and it's like an answer to this Aunt's holiday prayer.

With 15 inches of knitted elastic and a scrap of leather you can sew up a cute little wallet which, at least in my eyes, is stylish enough to be acceptable to my 30-something nephews.

Here's a shot of the wallet in action. The little tab of elastic on the end is to allow you to attach the wallet to a lanyard, or to add a split ring so you can hook on your house key.

I used 2-inch wide black knitted elastic and some scraps of leather. The black leather turned out best because the cut edges of the fawn and gray leather were a different color, so my raggedy cuts looked extra messy. 

My sewing machine did not love this project. I think it objected to the layers of elastic more than to the leather. I did use a leather needle, but a few stitches were skipped. Even so, these little guys seem pretty sturdy.

I turned out eight little wallets yesterday morning. I got faster and neater with each one. Do I have eight nephews? No, I don't. But I'll be happy to have a little stash of these puppies ready for future gift-giving emergencies.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Holiday Sewing

Need a quick gift for a green-minded friend? May I suggest re-usable produce bags?

They're kind of cute, right? Like lingerie for your fruits and veggies.

I took the idea from Heather Lou at Closet Case Patterns.  She has a lovely, clear tutorial on how to sew these up, and what materials work best. I don't have a serger, so I made mine on my sewing machine. French seamed, of course. I haven't road tested them extensively, but they seem pretty sturdy.

I used a polyester tulle that I got at Joanne's for something like 5 bucks a yard. I figured polyester is light, tough and washable. Probably even machine washable. But maybe not machine dry-able. I thought the checkers at the market would appreciate that the bags are see-through, so they won't need to slow their roll to figure out what's inside.

I was a bit worried my Babylock would freak, trying to sew something that's mainly air, but it didn't even stutter.

I'm a knitter, so I have a closet full of yarn stash to poke thorough for draw strings. I used two colors of cotton and one dark green linen. I'm hoping the drawstrings wash and wear as well as the bags do.

I made 18 of them in a couple of hours. After the first half dozen, I was whipping them out pretty quick. Still, they're fiddly enough to sew that I've decided not to go into the reusable produce bag business. Cutting them out was the worst part. That tulle was something like 60 inches wide and it stuck to every chip in my fingernails. It felt like trying to lay out an enormous spider web.

I'm happy with the way they turned out though. I think I'll even make a few for me, once the hurly-burly of the holidays is behind me.

Holiday Cheer

Now that the day is passed and my me-made gifts have been delivered, here's a quick rundown.

I made a couple of Maria Denmark Kirsten Tees for friends. This shirt is so easy to wear and looks good on most anyone, so I figured they might enjoy them.

 

I also sewed up a couple sets of pot holders

And knit a ruffly scarf for the son's girlfriend.

The boys seemed to like their quilts as well as any 20-something man could be expected to.

nephew wrapped in quilt

 

son taking quilt for a test drive

Hope the holidays brought you plenty to smile about!

Zoe being petted to a fare-the-well at the Pause for Paws event up on campus