A Few More Stitches

 As always, I made something to thank the Friend Who Drives To The Faraway Places.  This time, it was also an excuse to do an experiment I'd been thinking about for a while.

A year ago, I had the idea to make a doll jacket with what was essentially quilted clear vinyl on top of a layer of cotton broadcloth, with sequins trapped between the stitches. It looked cool, but I hadn't drawn out the sewing lines so they were kinda...haphazard.  But it still looked neat!

Unfortunately, the sequins made it impossible to turn the sleeves right-side-out, and the attempt to do so caused the sequins to damage the thin vinyl, so I had to sigh and let this project go.

But the basic idea stayed with me, and yesterday I made a zip pouch with the same approach (but heavier vinyl) on one side

This time, I measured and drew lines on the cotton--although, as part of the overall experiment going on here, I used the roller presser foot for the first time, and...let's just say I need a little more practice finding the center of that thing. But!  The stitching is mostly where it should be.

I stitched the vertical center line first--and of course I used a leather needle--then the horizontal center line.  I placed sequins around the stitching intersection, then stitched on the next sets of lines out from the center. I placed sequins in the four horizontal cells, then stitched the vertical lines outside those. This left the cells around the outside, which I filled with sequins then stitched closed at the ¼" seam lines I'd marked when doing the initial measuring and marking.  That's as much sense as my explanation is  going to make.

I chose a dark blue thin vinyl for the back, a yellow zipper, and glowworm green lining, and assembled them in my usual lined zip pouch way.

The only thing different from normal was that I had the ¼"-from-the-edge existing stitch lines to guide where to sew when attaching things to the front.

This was silly fun.  I'm not sure if I'll try it again, but that's mostly because I can't, at the moment, think of anything else to make from trapped sequins like this. But, the technique is unlocked.