Community Cycling Center, a local bike shop and nonprofit, tweeted the other day about a sale on “tool rolls.” So I clicked over to check out what they were but the picture wasn’t very big. I spent some time googling around and found some great examples on etsy and bikeburrito.com. The Bike Burrito looks great and the toe-clip strap closer is cute, but doesn’t seem practical. Since I’ve been carrying my tools around in a canvas bag I made 3 years ago, and have repaired several times since, I thought it was time for a new one. And because we have tons of fabric and a DIY spirit, I thought I’d throw one together.
Laura usually tells me to mock one up or think it through before starting something like this. She’s probably right, but I just get so eager to make it, that it just ends up being a frustrating exercise. Either the practice model is great, but made out of crappy materials so it’s unusable, or it’s all-around crappy and I get frustrated and never come back to it. What can I say, I get frustrated with crafting. Last night after Amelia went to bed I started digging through Laura’s box of fabric and found some nice thick winter pants type material. It may be wool, honestly. I hope not, but it’s better that it’s recycled than thrown away.
The piece I found was perfect. It had enough for 2 large pieces (front and back) and a smaller piece for the pockets. I used a scrap to make the strap to hold the thing together. Laura ironed some of it while I sewed everything together. It took an hour, 2 tops.
Before I had access to, or knew how to use a sewing machine my default position was to buy new stuff. It never dawned on me to make something new or repair something torn. Instead of spending 2 hours immersed in my Google Reader or bouncing around Facebook, I made a perfectly usable item that I could’ve easily bought down the street. Today, inspired by my successful sewing venture, I made Laura a bag for her yoga mat. It fits perfectly and has an adjustable strap. I’m no where near ready to tackle something like Eli over at Lemolo Bags, but it feels good to use what you’ve got and reduce, reuse, and recycle. That said, if you’re in the market for a new durable, handcrafted backpack click over to Lemolo Bags. I’ve got one that is completely waterproof, and has served Laura and I well for 3 years.
(I should take the opportunity to point out that on my road bike I have a saddle bag with tools that always stay with it. It’s got enough for me to mend my bike just enough to get home or to a bus. Anytime I’m in the city or with Laura and Amelia, I carry a bag with a larger tool kit just in case I actually need to fix something. This is why this sort of thing is necessary.)
this is awesome. but mostly i want to know – who was wearing those as pants?
Actually, now that I think about it, they couldn’t have been pants because the swatch of material was too big. And I think we freeboxed it.