Sewing Dares – update

Oh the shame!  I was included by the popular kids and had a sewing dare bestowed upon me way back in February.  Like a keen puppy I completed it just as asked but my blogging break has meant I haven’t posted about it.  Hey, I’m such a small fry, who would remember little old Hannybobbins – less than twenty posts?  So I began reading blogs again last week and there, in Gillian’s post, was my dare!  That, my good people, is the definition of inclusive – and working in Special Needs that really is my specialist subject!!   Thanks Gillian!

So my dare:

• Hanny Bobbins is going to use her new serger to make a knitting project bag!

Well you can count that one as **completed** Gillian!

I used the box bag project from my Craftsy Beginning Serging course and this was my first attempt:

I also used scraps for this project – meeting another one of my blogging pledges – these are left over from a tie I made Mr Frog and the Block of the Month Quilt.  I keep seeing references in online patterns to ‘fusible fleece’ and I have never really understood what the hell it is.  I have never seen it on sale in any bricks and mortar shop – in fact I get downright odd looks if I ask for it.  I had added it to the ‘North American’ category i.e. stuff which is ubiquitous in the US and Canada but either isn’t used or has an alternative name here.  So I used firm interfacing.  Mistake.  Just no real ‘body’ to the bag.  It would do.  Just had to get round to blogging it…

A few weeks later I was doing an online shop and I needed to boost my total to get free delivery – so I thought I’d buy some of this fusible fleece stuff.  Well what a great little product, albeit pretty expensive for what it is.  I decided to give my sewing dare another crack – what a difference!

I also made this with upholstery weight fabric which also made it more shapely:

Now I simply adore it and use it all the time for the knitting projects!  So not only have I pushed my original sewing wall by creating a usable bag but I have also sewn with fusible fleece!  Thanks Gillian for not giving up on me!

Over to you:

• Have you had a sewing dare?
• Do you have any experience of working with fusible fleece?
• What ‘replacements’ for hard to find items have you had success, or not (!), with?

I’d love to hear from you!