Sip, Sip

When my kids were younger, and someone would crack open a pop can, they'd come running, calling "Sip, sip!". Even though the youngest is about to turn 11 next month, we still all do it.

I was surfing on Pinterest and saw that someone I followed pinned a tutorial for a square based water bottle holder. Well. Back in the summer, after I learned to make  the boxed corners, I thought maybe this would be a way to make water bottle holders faster (even though I can't seem to sell them!). I hate trying to sew in the circle base, and doing the math for new sizes.  So, I searched the internet to find out how to make a narrow cylinder with a squared bottom. And searched. Nothing was coming up. It seemed that when people make wine bottle bags, they just make it two sided, with no bottom. I struggled with the water bottle holder pattern sizing, then made one for my niece who was heading off to summer camp. I knew she had a Swell bottle, and those don't have any sort of carrying loop or handle, so I thought this would be great for camp (I've made her one or two before, they're a very active family).

After seeing this tutorial on Pinterest, I was sure it must be new and maybe they got the idea from my design.  So I came to my blog and searched.  And...it looks like I never posted about it?! I know it was busy then, but crazy. I never posted about another dress I made either! Turns out the tutorial was from January 2009.

So, here it is. 

 This brown fabric was used in the backpack I made for her birthday.  I was disappointed with how the seam lined up, but there's not much you can do about that when it's a narrow circumference. I probably could have tried laying the fabric out the other direction, but 1) I didn't have much left to work with and 2) I wouldn't have thought to check this anyway.

 I used the cute engraved snaps.

 The inside is a bright and fun fabric because I know she likes bright and fun colours. I put a bit of elastic near the top because the Swell bottle is quite a bit narrower at the top.  I don't think I made it tight enough to really do much though. And then I found out she has a Swell Junior. Didn't know that existed.

The bottom! I think it might have been a bit easier to figure out if I had seamed both vertical sides, and also if I did the type where you don't cut the notch out of the fabric, but you sew diagonally over the corner so there is then a flap. I didn't want the bulk of those flaps though--I thought it might make it hard for the bottle to sit upright, especially if the two layers weren't aligned well.

After all this, I'm not sure how much faster this method is. Again, doing the other style would probably make it a bit faster. I might try that at some point, but since I'm the only one here I can get using them, I don't really need more!

The tutorial I mentioned at the start is here....it's always good to read other's instructions.  Mine is sewn by making two separate holders (no batting layer), putting them together, inserting the straps, and topstitching the layers together.  This makes them reversible, instead of the sew the top together and then pull the one layer through and handstitch the opening closed. Oh, wait a minute.  I have vague memories of actually doing some very tidy handstitching on something.  Maybe it was this, to see if it was overall easier.  Crap.  Don't remember. I was sewing a lot over the summer.

I did add some heavy iron on interfacing to the bottom base. That took some figuring as to how to size it, when to do it. Not sure how much it helps.  I also made the strap from fabric, with a layer of heavy iron on interfacing. I was starting to run out and I had to piece it together, but you'd never notice. It really does make a nicer strap.  Now, perhaps if I had new interfacing to cut from, and could just iron on one long strip (or the sewn in stuff), that would add back a bit of speed. I just find the light weight webbing I was using before got all bunchy and wrinkly. The heavier nylon webbing is nice, but I really didn't want to go shopping again, and I want to make these without having to buy a lot of extras.

Apparently I never blogged about the other holder I made in this style. I started it as the tester, then finished it after this one, for our trip. It has some extra features.  It hasn't had it's photo shoot, though there is a photo of it on our trip. Of my daughter using it LOL. They won't carry their own...