Off the Clock

First, an update. I kind of left you hanging with the black bathing suit coverup . The problem I was having with this top was that the white interfacing showed through the sheer black fabric at the button bands and collar. I resolved this with a packet of black dye. After the top was completely finished I dyed it and it turned out beautifully. I have proudly worn it on vacation since. I will definitely keep this in mind when working on sheer fabrics in the future. Now for the new news - it seems the current title of my blog, "Off the Clock", is more appropriate than originally thought. I'm retiring! Yes, I am only 53, but there are a number of reasons for me to take the plunge now.  I am looking forward to having much more free time to spend with my loved ones, as well as getting into my hobbies that often get left on the back burner. I am not saying I will never work again, because if the right thing landed in my lap I would certainly consider it. Being reti...

When I travel I usually use ziploc bags to pack my clothes inside my suitcase. I find it helps keep things organized and I like that I can see through the bags to see what's inside. The downside of ziplocs is that they don't lay flat when packed. That's not so bad if you are leaving them in the suitcase but they tend to slide all over if you try to put them in drawers or on shelves such as on a cruiseship. A bit of googling showed me travel cubes, but they are a bit on the pricey side for what they are and I would need to order them from the states. So of course I decided to make some. This is the first prototype. I used two layers of broadcloth with one layer of medium weight fusible interfacing and a layer of clear plastic for the top. I thought about using a double ended zipper but I was trying to make this as frugal as possible, and therefore found that two long zips opening towards each other would work just as well. I will take pics of the process as I make the next...