One of the many tasks I had for yesterday was finishing the green wallet I’d started a few days ago. All I really needed to do was add a strap:
I’m really happy with the way this turned out, in the end (no pattern, sorry). When I decided to make a wallet with multiple cash pockets, I tried whipping something up and it was just a little bit too small (I didn’t want it to be bulky). So when I started this one, I erred on the side of too big, and thought it was also a failure. Once I realized that my phone would fit in one of the pockets, though, I decided I could put a removable strap on it and use it more or less as a purse. I like having something to carry just the bare minimum in the summer, so I don’t have to stuff things in my pockets.
This is what the inside looks like, and this is what it looks like as a purse. And slightly out of focus, whoops. The fabric is a vintage canvas upholstery sample that I thrifted — it’s a large print of trees, which I used a big piece of to cover my Going-to-Frankfurt binder. There’s a surprising amount of hand stitching in this — I’m definitely enjoying doing stuff without the machine more and more. Some things, like the basic piecing together and the top stitching, are ideal for the machine, but others (the binding and little details) are much better done by hand.
Here’s something else that’s green and (sort of) made by me:
I opened the curtains in my living room today (which rarely happens in the summer, but it was overcast this evening), and I could plainly see this guy sitting out on the vine. I hadn’t thought that any of my cantaloupes were actually taking hold and growing, so I rushed right out to inspect, and found the other one in the photo above as well. I made chicken wire cages for both of them — I do NOT want to share these with the wildlife! The plant itself is really sprawling, and it has tenacious tendrils that I’ve had to pry from the plants around it. I particularly like how they pick up bits of mulch. It’s like they’ve got tiny spears to keep away predators.
I love the wallet/purse. It seems tailored to hold that phone! Do I understand you’re using the cash slots as part of your budgeting process? Presumably you’re just carrying a portion of your money in them, not the whole budgeted amount. What do you do with coins?
Debbie — I carry cash for the week’s food (grocery+dining out), spending (thrift store), and entertainment (haven’t used any this month, but I saw a couple of movies in July). Don’t worry, it’s not very much money! But it’s giving me a much more concrete feeling of ‘saving’ money if I don’t spend it all by the end of the week!
WOW! That looks amazing!
Super cute, I have to make one too, I love it!
Love the fabric!