One-Skein-Project Bag

A couple of days ago, Dianne sent me a link to a really nice bag. (Wasn't that kind of her! A+ for enabling, Dianne!)

Naturally I kept thinking about that little bag. Dianne wished the blogger had given dimensions.

Knitting has not been very satisfying around the cul-de-sac lately. I'm blaming - can you guess? - the HEAT. Last night, instead of knitting, I pulled out some fabric scraps and cut some 2" squares. I didn't do it long and I didn't plan my fabric scrap choices very deliberately.

I had some scraps of Osnaburg and sort of had the idea of making another of these little baskets, but as I was piecing the squares together my thoughts kept returning to the bag Dianne liked. Who can't use another one-skein-project bag?

I couldn't be bothered to take step-by-step pictures, but I did make notes of the measurements and I took a couple of photos to show the handle placement since I did the handles a bit differently than Sandra did.

The patchwork top border is done exactly as Ayumi did for the basket and each one finishes out at 9-1/2" wide. I stitched my borders to two 9" x 9-1/2" blocks of Osnaburg. Stitch sides together and form the box corners the same way.

Cut two 12" x 9-1/2" rectangles of lining fabric (Osnaburg again for mine) and stitch the same except leave a 3" or so opening on one side for turning later.

I stitched the handle strips just as Ayumi shows using two Osnaburg strips and two lining fabric strips; 2"x 12" for the over-the-wrist handle and 2" x 7" for the closing loop.

I centered the longer wrist loop on one side; centered over the seam between two squares. On the other side, the curved loop fits exactly over the two center squares.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out even though you can't see in these photos that two squares of the same fabric wound up next to each other at one side seam. [I'm blaming the HEAT.]

I didn't use any interfacing but you could if you wanted it a bit sturdier. Mine stands about 9-1/2" tall, so a good bit taller than Sandra's. You could shave an inch or so off the measurements if you prefer a shorter bag. And, of course, you don't have to piece a top border. You could use plain fabric pieces. You know....if it is HOT and you can't be bothered.