Vinyl Sewing

I've been up to my eyeballs with cabinet sewing machines and trying to get them sold but what am I doing to see that it gets done? I'm sewing, of course! Nothing like avoiding the task at hand, I've taken a little bit of time to get some small tasks done, like make a new lunch bag. Okay, it all started when I got an email with new ideas for making small items that I thought would be nice dollar sales at the craft fairs. As a credit card holder, they suggested using leather or vinyl, anything that would not fray. I dug out my stash of vinyl and leather and found my pattern for a lunch bag made a few years ago. I made up a few of the card holders:

Card holders in vinyl: cute, huh?

and then took a look at the lunch bag pattern. Hummm... I think it would look cute with denim and lined with a checked laminated cloth for easy wiping off:

Lunch bag with top rolled down to show inside.

Lunch bag with flap over the front

I like a lunch bag with a nice squared bottom, large flap to cover the top even when it might be bulging, and a single sturdy handle. I made two the last time and only one has survived but it was time for a refresh. Since it was only laminated cloth, not a true vinyl, it was easy to sew up on my Viking Designer 1, but not so with a true vinyl. Here's some I cut out for the card holders:

Cut and matched pockets ready to sew

There is a larger inner pocket that is sewn up on three sides and then the outer pocked folds over it and is also stitched on both open sides and across the bottom just like the inner pocket. Problem was when my Designer 1 would not stitch the 2 thin layers of vinyl and kept catching the top edges under. Before I wrecked any more I took them to a Brother Super Select-O-Matic where they were stitched with ease. That's where I'll be stitching the remaining pockets I cut out. I did try a rolled hem on a serger but it also didn't like to feed the vinyl so I was back to the regular mechanical sewing machine.

There's a machine for each job and it's not often one machine can do everything. I think I'm kinda glad about that!