Knitting Bag Tutorial

I worked in law enforcement for thirteen years and often had to find ways to relieve my stress.  For me, knitting did that perfectly.  I honestly used to tell people that I knit so I wouldn't kill people.  I thought this phrase up myself and I seriously thought I had invented it.  However, one day while surfing Pinterest, I saw a bag that had this exact saying on it.  I was excited and floored all at the same time.  The bag was a cotton-twill bag with silk screen lettering in various colors.  I absolutely loved it but justify the $30.00 price tag (plus shipping, of course).

If you read my previous post you know that my family and I are moving to Idaho in a couple of weeks.  If you haven't moved in a while, it is surprisingly expensive.  I have only ever moved across town so this little adventure of ours is far more expensive than I ever thought it could be, hence the lack of funds for the bag that I have decided should be mine.

I started packing my office/craft room and realized I had one of those cotton-twill bags that I had seen on Pinterest.  I looked through the rest of my stuff and found some pretty fabric paint, paint brushes and a sponge.  I went to a nearby craft store and bought some letter stencils that were on clearance for $2.97!  So exciting!!!

The fabric paint calls for your fabric to be pre-washed so I did that.  Let me just tell you, I have never washed a bag in this fabric before.  A little hint....it shrinks...A LOT!  I expected to find the bag I had put in the dryer but instead I found a balled up, shriveled cotton-twill bag wanna-be.  And it wasn't even dry even though it had been sitting in there all night.

I pulled it out and ironed it while it was still damp.  I'm not sure if that's a good idea but it turned out okay.  I ended up with a 10.5" x 11.5" working surface for my lettering.

The hardest part of this, for me, was trying to figure out where to put the lettering.  I used a disappearing ink pen that I used during my "I wanna sew my own clothes" days.  It worked perfectly.  I used a little math (thank you Mr. Wells) to figure out where my borders should be to make the lettering centered.


I originally wanted my bag to say "I knit so I don't kill people" but after trying to space it out I realized my bag wasn't big enough for all of that.  Instead I eliminated the word "people" and just made it say "I knit so I don't kill".


I had already marked the letters with my ink pen and saw that they weren't exactly centered.  I was going to change it but then decided I actually liked the way it looked, so I left it.  I also decided to make the word "knit" and all of it's letters throughout the bag the same color.  The rest of the letters were done in a different, but comparable color.

I have never stenciled before so I really wasn't sure what I was doing.  The first couple of letters I did had fuzzy edges but at least they were recognizable as letters.  Once I put a hard surface between the layers of the bag, I got very crisp, professional looking letters.  I initially outlined each letter with a paint brush but then went over the stencil with a sponge to layer the color some more.


It's certainly not perfect but I am pretty pleased with it, and myself.  I just made myself a dedicated knitting bag for $3.00 and a little time.  And the fabric paint has glitter in it, so it's blingy too.  Not bad for $3.00!

I might add some more embellishment after it dries, but I haven't decided yet.

I really hope you'll try it.  I would love to see your finished bag!

Send me a message and i will send you a PDF copy of the tutorial if you want one.

Moving Day is Almost Here!!

I try to use this blog for my love of yarn and fiber crafts only but today I am going to change it up a little bit.

My family and I have decided to take the plunge and leave California.  I have had to quit my job in law enforcement to go, and I don't have any new prospects, but we're going anyway.  Where are we headed? Boise, Idaho.

We are looking for a slower pace of life without as much crime, better schools, and different politics.  I worked in law enforcement for 13 years and I loved nearly every minute of it.  Lately, though, with the current political and economic situations, I have grown to dislike my work. 

I am tired of twenty-something scumbags thanking me for paying my taxes and allowing them to live off the state; oh and allow them to have a medical marijuana prescription for some made up ailment.  I am also depressed by parents of young children (and I'm talking about those under 18 years old) who can't raise their kids but want me to come to their house and fix a lifetime of bad behavior in the ten minutes I am able to provide. 

I can't help people the way I want to because budget cuts have shut down nearly every assistance program available, except for, of course, welfare.  Criminals are being let back out on the street and wreaking havoc and there is nothing anyone can do about it.  Governor Moon Beam rules the roost again, and is driving California to Hell in a handbasket.

It's pretty sad to me when government officials spend more time trying to keep a professional sports team in their town than worrying about providing mental health care and social programs to their citizens.  As it stands right now, local hospitals have to take in anyone legally deemed suicidal.  The emergency rooms are over run and there is no end in sight.

That is just one of many reasons we have decided to go.  Maybe I'll tell you about the others at a different time.

For everyone in California reading this, I wish you all the best of luck. 

See you soon (yeah I'm only kidding about that.  I have no plans on coming back).