Tobacco Pouch DIY Part 2: Faux leather version

So like a week ago I made this fabric tobacco pouch as part of an ongoing effort to design more of my own stuff rather than using other peoples patterns or tutorials or whatever. But I wasn't really happy with it. In truth, it was a bit shit, wasn't it?

But Captain Perseverance came to the rescue and I gave it another bash. This time it's made out of sturdy faux leather and doesn't have a lining, making it about a million times easier. 

I used the same dimensions as last time - you want a 15 cm x 22 cm rectangle and you fold it 8 cm from the edge.

Here's mine all sewed up and stuff. The fake leather doesn't really fray so you can get right in there with your seam allowance and it makes for a cleaner fold later on.

Since I was just trimming the top flap rather than having a seam or hem or whatever, I folded it in half before I cut it so then if it was fucking awful, at least it would be symmetrically fucking awful.

Then all you need to do is sew the hair band or elastic or whatever you're using onto the bottom edge. I really can't be arsed to explain it all again so refer to my original post if you're not sure what I'm on about.

And that's it, you don't have to fuck around with lining or any of that bullshit.

Also, if you're feeling lazy but rich and just want to buy one that I've made, you can get them here on my brand new shiny Etsy store. Currently it's the only thing I'm actually stocking... but you know, you've got to start somewhere :)

Pom-pom curtain edging upgrade

I bought some pom-pom edging type stuff from Craft and more in Bristol a while back with the intention of using it to jazz up my curtains. But actually I just looked it up on Amazon and I feel like a prize twat because it's much cheaper here. Whatever, that's life I guess.

Aside from that edging stuff I just used some scissors and thread and a sewing machine and all that. Seriously though what is that pom-pom edge stuff called because whenever I type edging I can't help but think about that thing where you masturbate but stop before you orgasm. It's supposed to hold in your Chi or some shit, whatever that is. And before you start thinking I'm a freaky sex deviant it was on Orange Is The New Black alright.

So here were my curtains before, big yawn right?

With this edging you just need to pin and sew it straight to the outside edge of your curtain. But unless you want to sew the edge onto both sides of the curtain, be careful which side you sew it to.

Just in care you're a complete idiot, here is a helpful diagram to help you figure out which sides to sew it to.

Be careful though cos this stuff is thin as fuck and those little pom-pom bastards can get in your way. But I mean other than that there's not much else to it besides enjoying living in a bohemian paradise.

Tobacco pouch DIY

Yeah yeah yeah, smoking is terrible for you and disgusting or whatever, I know. It also feels great and looks super cool btw, but you don't hear me banging on about it. 

For the last few years I've kept my tobacco and rolling paraphernalia together with a hair band., which surprisingly, isn't actually that practical. You always end up loosing something in your bag, and also it looks trampy as fuck. To make this pouch I used a hair band and a few scraps of fabric. 

I used some squared pattern paper to measure my tobacco and make my pouch pattern. I made mine just under three times as long as my tobacco pouch, and added 2 cm seam allowance. It ended up being a 15 cm x 22 cm rectangle, see what I mean about scraps?

I bought this dope ass ÄLGÖRT fabric from our Swedish design overlord friends at IKEA last time I was there. But you need such a small amount of fabric, you could probably just cut it out of a shirt or something if you wanted to be Super Captain Economical.

This pink lining fabric is something I've had lying around leftover since my year 13 textiles coursework about 7 years ago. I told you I was a hoarder. But really, does anyone know, what is the actual difference between proper lining fabric and regular fabric? Except that lining fabric is shit and frays like a motherfucker? Whatever I usually just use regular fabric for lining because I'm just a fucking rouge who doesn't play by the rules.

You only need two rectangles, one for the outside and one for the lining. You need to fold both pieces of fabric over (wrong side outside) about 8 cm from one of the shorter sides and sew along each side.

You should have two little pouches. Now cut the corners off the bottom of them for a cleaner corner later when they get turned the right way around.

Turn the outer fabric the right way out, but leave the lining fabric inside out. Now put the outer fabric inside the lining fabric pouch.

Next you need to pin the tops of the pouches together like this. I know in the photo the outer fabric isn't inside the lining fabric, but that's only because I only figured out that would be much easier until after I'd done it, because I'm a fucking moron. Anyway whatever sew that shit up.

Starting to look pretty fucking A right? Next we gotta sew up the seam along the top, of what will eventually be the flap. But you want to leave yourself a hole to turn it the right way out, so just sew along one side and the top and leave the other side. Also you can see my edge is wonky as fuck, so if you're incapable to cutting or sewing straight lines like I am, now is a good time to trim and straighten the edge. 

Now it's time for the really fucking annoying part - turning it out the right way. Trim the fuck out of those seams to make your life easier. 

Ten hours of poking fabric through a one inch hole later, and it's the right way out. Turn the edges of your little hole in and pin it before hand sewing closed.

My granny always called this a 'sleeper stitch', but she was also a crazy but awesome old lady who used to say that she remembered being born, so I feel like that might have just been the term she made up for it.

All we have left is sewing on the hair band. I folded the bottom edge in half and stuck in a pin in to mark the middle.

As I am very helpfully demonstrating in this picture, the hair band needs to be sewn at a right angle to the bottom of the pouch.

If you're a better sewer than me (so everyone then yeah?) then maybe you could figure out a way to do this on your machine, probably before you sew the side seams even. But I can't do that so whatever I just hand sewed it on like a bunch of times so it wouldn't break.  

But now it's done! Just fill with your tobacco and enjoy being more awesome than everyone else.

Handbag rail DIY

Argos clothes rail - £7.99

+

Wilko shower curtain rings - 98p

=

Easy handbag rail.

Spray painting the fuck out of a bunch of shit

So there are a few bits and pieces I've been meaning to spray paint for a while now.  Mainly because spray painting is literally the funnest kind of painting you can do. The least funnest kind of painting, if you're interested, is varnishing or staining wood, especially if you're required to sand it first. Eugggghhh so terrible. 

I originally bought this cute teeny tiny chrome paint for £3.45 from Wilko, but definitely don't buy this unless you only want to paint like one thing because this will last about twenty seconds.

This one is more expensive at £4.95 (also from Wilko) but it's a million times bigger and literally exactly the same as the small posh sort. Don't let the shitty colour on the cap fool you, it's awesome.

As I said I had a bunch of stuff that I wanted to paint but it was mainly a mirror, a waste paper basket, and a bunch of plastic storage boxes. Lets start with the mirror since it was the biggest pain in the arse as it was the only one that required preparation of any sort.

I bought this mirror for £5 in a charity shop when I was about 17, and I've been lugging it around with me ever since. The frame was cream when I got it, but because I've moved house about 10 times since then, it's all chipped and scuffed and looks like shit.

Ideally you want to use masking tape and newspaper to cover the mirror part of your mirror if you're going to paint the frame, unless your fancy pants frame detaches from the mirror, in which case definitely do that and save yourself some hassle. 

Anyway I didn't have masking tape or newspaper in my house, so I used regular sellotape and old copies of Heat magazine. It worked pretty much the same, except the sellotape was harder to get off the mirror afterwards. P.S. Please don't judge me for reading Heat magazine.

And here it is afterwards, lookin all fly. And in case you were wondering, yes, that is a pink unicorn onesie hanging next to it.

Next was the waste paper basket, here it is before I painted it. I was originally aiming to go for a kind of ombre look, but as you can see it came out terrible and I had to paint the entire thing.

It's the worst!

Not quite so terrible!

Here it is looking futuristic as fuck in the corner of my bedroom like a robots lav.

Lastly we have the storage boxes. See those ugly as hell blue and green boxes under the sofa? Those were the ones I wanted to paint. The blue ones weren't *too* bad, but the green ones looked fucking grim. When I was 18, I spent a night in Reflex drinking pitchers of this luminous green cocktail probably called 'The Hulk' or something equally moronic. Anyway, the next morning my shit was the exact same shade of green as those storage baskets. That morning was pretty hungover and terrible, so it's not something I particularly want to be reminded of on a daily basis 7 years later. I only bought them because they were cheap as fuck from Wilkos, being £2.50 and £2.00 for multi-packs. Time to paint that shit.

The paint came out really nice on the plastic actually, and it was all shiny like tinfoil. I'm still sort of paranoid that it's going to chip off, but I had a good go with a fingernail and it seems pretty permanent.

Here they are being all metal-y and looking cool against my black rug.

So find yourself something to spray paint that isn't a brick wall, yeah?