A friend from work was turning 30 and suggested a yoga mat as her birthday present. I thought I could go one better and make her a bag for it. We both worked as occupational therapists and, as a result, could regularly be found wearing the stylish green slacks of our uniform. These trousers hold a special kind of symbolism for anyone who has worn them but they also have a tendency to wear thin. Not so good for looking professional but great for making a yoga mat carry case for a fellow occupational therapist.
Here is the finished article (plus a couple of monkeys):
I unpicked the inside seam of one of the legs then sewed it back up again, narrower, on a machine at my local library.
I folded the top of the bag over and hand sewed it to form a little tube through which I threaded a kind of silky cord I picked up from goodness knows where.
I then threaded the cord through a toggle donated for the cause by a good friend and sewing mentor. Top done. Simples.
To be fair, it turned out to be a fully functional base that provided a decent fit for the mat. If I was doing it again I would learn that neat little method where you turn the corners over. Still, it’s good to try the things that are in your head.
An opportunity to see my friend (now 31) arose and I thought it was a case of “now or never”. Being such a niche gift I had two options: finish it and give it to her or else forget it entirely. I chose the former and this last stage is probably the one of which I’m most proud.
I was annoyed with myself and reluctant to get out my unpicker. It felt like a retrograde step. I also wasn’t looking forward to redoing the seam by hand. These two things certainly contributed to the project being mothballed for several months.
However, much changes in a year and I had recently acquired my own sewing machine! I fired it up, set to work and finished the bag a few minutes before heading off to meet my friend.
She loved it.