Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Work-in-Progress Wednesday



This morning I'm working on my Linen Stitch Coin Purse. The purse is knit in two pieces, seamed and then inserted into a 4 inch purse frame. As of this morning I've completed the knitting, seamed the purse, glued the fabric into the metal frame. With my very smallest sewing needle I've started hand sewing to secure the fabric through the pre-punched holes in the metal frame.

I've used Hand Maiden Sea Silk (fingering) left over from a Clapotis knit last year so this is a stash-busting project. The two pieces of this purse used 22 grams of yarn leaving me with enough to make one more. Knitting on 3.25 mm needles has resulted in a nice sturdy fabric in linen stitch.

When I was knitting the pieces I did notice that my overall width was 4.625" rather than 4". Being larger isn't much of a problem at the bottom of the purse below the frame but where the knitted work is inserted into the channels in the frame I had to force the excess width in resulting in some subtle puckering. When I do this again - and I will be doing it again because I have five more purse frames - I think I'll narrow the width by four stitches. And if you're interested, I ordered the frames here.

I used my sewing machine to stitch the bottom and side seams but that was a mistake. My machine struggled with the bulk of two thicknesses of linen stitch and it was hard to keep those seams straight. My bottom corners look a bit pointy but I'm hoping to block it to a more rectangular shape once I've got the purse securely sewn together. Next time I'm going to hand sew these seams. In the designer's photo her seams provide really nice bulk to the sides of the purse; nicer than had it been knit in the round.

On her purse the designer also added a fabric liner. My attempt was an epic fail but it would be a nice touch, so maybe I'll be more successful at this on my second time through the pattern.

I was really nervous about the step where I was to glue the purse into the frame but that ended up being easier than I feared. I used Super Tacky white craft glue - the stuff that dries clear. I thoroughly lined the channels in the metal frame using a toothpick to distribute the glue evenly. Then I jammed in the fabric, again using the toothpick to really force every edge in there. After letting it dry for about 20 hours it didn't look half bad. Once those edges are reinforced by sewing I'm going to see if I can't clean some last splotches of glue off the metal frame with rubbing alcohol.

Overall, there's room for improvement, but my worst fears have not been realized so I'm feeling pretty positive. It's work-in-progress Wednesday - you'll find plenty of inspiration in the links over at Tami's Amis!


18 comments:

Elisabeth Andree said...

Wow it looks great and it encourages me to try that too, I have a nice silvery frame waiting in the cupboard.
Take care with the stormy weather:)

Anonymous said...

I think I must make one of those.

Thanks for the little tips. Anything with glue usually ends up a big mess for me, but if it dries *clear*, I can't be too bad, eh?

Sarah ~ Crafts from the Cwtch said...

It's beautiful - I love the colours!

Unknown said...

Love the yarn colors! I have plans for a linen stitch scarf using some silk blend Louisa Harding yarn. It will be an ongoing, work when I don't need to concentrate project. But, that all has to wait for the big blanket project to be done. When will it ever be done!!!!

Handmade by Stefanie said...

Thanks for sharing! I have always wanted to do a project like this, but I know that I am not very good with sewing and such things. Your finished project looks lovely, and I'm sure that each one you make will be better than the one before. Thanks for sharing your lessons learned along the way!

Anonymous said...

It's lovely! Thanks for sharing.

Catherine said...

I love linen stitch and what a lovely project to use it in (I've just added it to my Ravelry library!) Your yarn is very beautiful too.

Evelyn said...

Simply lovely ... what a great project!

Unknown said...

This is wonderful! It might just be what I make as gifts for each of my bridesmaids next summer...

Janet said...

The coin purse is so cute. Love the colors of the yarn.

Unknown said...

That purse is beautiful!
x
Natalie
Marigolds' Loft

Karen said...

Your coin purse is fantastic! I love the yarn.

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Oh - you just made me go and favourite one of the larger purse clasps... there may be one of these in my future! Damn that linen stitch!

sustainablemum said...

That is so lovely, the colours of the yarn are gorgeous. What a great project.

Unknown said...

Wow, this is gorgeous!

Mary said...

Looks great! Love the yarn and the stash-busting! :-)

Faith (the Vampire Slayer) said...

Your purse is gorgeous! I would be terrified to glue my knitting.

Stefanie said...

I appreciate how you explained how to use this frame with knitted fabric. The linen st really looks great with this yarn.