small bags for not-so-smalls

Before I went on holiday at the beginning of October, I had a look at my list of "travel items to make".  Yes, I have a list for that.  I have lists for everything, who doesn't love a good list?  One item was bags for used undies.  I like to keep them separate in my case and as I always take enough undies for a month (you never know what will happen!  OK, I haven't been forced to change my pants mid-day since I was a child, but you never know!) I needed a bag, or two.

I made  simple drawstring bags and I made them reversible.  Clean undies when the patterned side is out, dirty undies when the undie-themed fabric is out.

I used the blue and purple fabric as the casing for the purple bag and vice versa.  I found some glitzy cord to thread through, though I'm not sure how that will bear up in the wash, I probably need to take it out.

They are about 12" square, so plenty of room for one of my mammoth-sized bras along with the smalls (or not-so-smalls in my case).

And as you've never seen a draw string bag before, I thought I'd better take photos of them closed so you can see what they'd look like!

Do you have a bag for your dirty smalls/not-so-smalls/down-right-huges or is it just me?

luggage tag

I'm back, and back with a snappy post title too.  That was a bit of an unexpected break, I think that's the longest I've ever been between posts.  Without wanting to go into detail, things have been difficult lately, it may be reflected in my lack of making and lack of posting.

Anyway!  I went to Tunisia last week for work - no major disasters, if you don't count the panic attack I had on the plane on the way home.  Seriously, the engine was broken, why noone else could hear that there was a problem, I do not know.  Add that to some pretty hefty turbulence and lightening outside the window and you get a pretty freaked out (i.e. hysterically screaming) Wendy.  Embarrassing?  At the time no, we were all about to die, I didn't care.  Afterwards, yep, pretty embarrassing.  Major thanks to the bloke in the seat in front who talked me down...

I've gone off on a tangent... Before I left,i wanted to make a luggage tag.  I have one of those little black wheelie suitcases.  Like 95% of people who fly.  I can't identify it in a line up.  I have had to take cases off the carousel and open them to see what's inside to find my case in the past.  Let me tell you, people don't like it when you do that to their case...  I clearly needed a luggage tag.  I found a tutorial at Sew Christine which I followed, except for the ribbon to hold it in place, I used a long thin piece of fabric for that.  I also couldn't be bothered to wait for the glue to dry, so top-stitched the front panel.

Once again I used the fabric left over from my Weekender and my back pack (tutorial still to come!) so I do look quite matching when I've got my Weekender (which I use as a carry-on bag, I don't do packing light and certainly couldn't pack for a weekend in my Weekender!)

The strap I made is just a loop which I feed the tag through.  Clearly that is not my suitcase in the picture, it's just my Accordian bag which happened to be close by!  Despite the fact I forgot to write out my address details to put in the window, I did manage to identify my bag without rummaging round in anyone else's dirty pants, so it did the trick.  However, after 4 flights it's not looking so healthy, part of the stitching has come undone, the corners are poking out and it's all dirty (seriously, what do they DO with out bags??) so I feel another one coming on...