"True Tracy Design"

First off, is anyone having trouble coming to my blog?  I added a thingy for the MKing web ring, and sometimes when I click on my blog, it's coming up with the webring page instead.  Let me know.

I decided I wanted a water bottle holder.  I'm tired of carrying my big purse just so I can jam my bottle in.  I'm tired of carrying the other kids' bottles.  I'm tired of not having my water because I had no way to carry it easily.  I saw on www.resweater.blogspot.com that she had made a water bottle cozy from a sweater sleeve.  I had somewhat forgotten this when I embarked on my design, but I did use a sleeve.  The sweater had a weird folded back cuff that I had to deal with.  I just used my limited design skills to design a cylinder with a folded down, to the outside, casing for a strap.  I cut a strip off the bottom of the sweater because it had a nice design, folded it over, and also added two additional plain sections that I thought I needed for length, and I thought they'd be hidden in the casing.  Then I made a second one, using the other sleeve.

Well.  Issues galore.  I worried about the strap stretching, and it did.  Big time.  It also pulled up over the bottle, and just looked bad.  You can see that I had just knotted the straps because I wasn't sure about length, stretching, and if maybe sometimes we'd want to tie them to something, or if someone of a different size was using it.
I went back to the Resweater blog and looked at her's.  Well, she didn't have a strap.  Meg then asked for her own, but didn't like any of the sweaters available.  I knew I had to do some googling.  I found a tutorial for a reversible holder.  That would work with sweaters, although I started with sweatshirt material and hot pink fleece for Meg's.
Things started out great.  Then I went to sew the circle on the bottom.  On mine, I had kept the sleeve seam, so I just had to sew the circle on.  I just traced around the bottom of the bottle to figure out the size.  This tutorial has you do (easy) math to make the circle, which worked well.  But then you sew the circle to the flat rectangle before the side seam.  It doesn't really explain how to do this well.  You have to leave 1/4" flap at each end, of the rectangle.  Yeah, not the easiest thing to line up.  As I was almost done sewing on the circle, I had a thought...did I sew it to the right edge of the rectangle--one side was 9", one was 9 3/4", and which was which?  Luckily I had sewn it to the right end!  I made a mental note to always check that.  Then it came time for the straps.  I was skipping the steps with the batting, so I got a little confused...I really don't think the tutorial is written well.  I had this white webbing from a "SSC" (soft structured baby carrier) I was going to sew.  Perfect for this project.  But the tutorial doesn't say how long to make the strap!

 I wasn't sure how it would be reversible, but it worked!  So, I set about trying to re-work the sweater ones  I made.  This was a bit more challenging, since I didn't want to/couldn't undo the sleeve seam.  I also snipped a small hole in the sleeve on the left, so I did a little applique from a piece of the sleevehead--I wouldn't be able to use that part of the sleeve for other projects since it's a set in sleeve.  And, when I was trying to figure out the size of the inner piece, I snipped it, instead of getting a marker, and it turned out to be in the wrong spot.  Just a little snip, once I had it all together, I put some Fray Check on it.

For the bottle on the left, I used a polyester top that I had sewn and never liked so I hadn't really finished it.  For the strap, I cut the neck ties off the shirt, and top stitched them on the original wool strap (shortened).  For the middle bottle, I used some blue/beige seersucker from the stash.  For the strap, I made a tube and thread the original wool strap into it (thereby obscuring the details that were on the original).  These two are not reversible...well they are, but they won't fit onto my water bottle if I reverse them.  It was hard to get the sizing right.  If I were doing this again, I'd slice open the sweater sleeve to ensure the two body pieces are the same size.  These carriers are much better than my original carriers, and I envision more to come.

The reason for the title....often when I make things, plan things, do things, I don't start with the easiest way.  I dive in.  Rob (my husband) often says "....in true Tracy design....." (or "fashion" or "style") when I'm doing something like this, in a way different than how he'd do it with his engineer brain.  Yet, even he acknowledges that it turns out in the end.  I'm thinking of this as my new "business" name  :)

Some Good, Some Bad

The Good: Another top, just like the white one, but without the pocket, and with the proper sized sleeve elastic. This is a light beige crinkle cotton gauze that started out life as a summer time baby wrap for Megan's first summer. My fondest memory of it was picking blackberries, and feeding her (9 months old!) berries as fast as I could pick them. We ended up with a big purple splotch on the wrap, but it washed out fine. I never liked back carries with the wrap (although we haven't tried since moving on to back carries with the MT), so it had a limited timeframe to use. I had cut the fabric so it was half as wide to use as a wrap, and it was JUST wide enough to fit the front piece of the shirt on it! I'm not sure why the back is made in two pieces, except that the same pieces are used for a dress with a zipper.
I did put the back darts in this time, and like the trimness they give. I'm proud of them too. Just before doing them, I read in a book how to do them--sew from the center to the point. I would have started at the point and ended up with a pucker. More ends to tie off, but a much better look!
And now, the Bad:

Knitty.com Coachella.
I had totally passed over it, even though it said it could be worn with a halter bra. Then I saw Rachel's sweet version and thought, it looks good on her! And it didn't take too long! Then I saw it on Lisa. I could use the Patons Fresco I have kicking around! I thought the verigated would add some interest, and when I first tried it on, I liked how the stripes go upwards. The first time I tried it on I was braless and I thought it looked okay. I don't know what the hell happened for that photo there! OMG. Looks like my surgeon should be on the "When Good Docs go Bad" shows on TLC, LOL. I didn't know what size to make, but Rachel made the 29" size for her 38" bust so it would be snug. I also made the 29" size, I think I was planning to some how increase a bit extra for the bust, because I didnt' want larger armholes. But I think I forgot to do that.

I think it's too snug around my ribcage, where I have some extra padding that I really don't like.
And then, I ran out of yarn. I don't know yet if I made it to gauge, or even how long it ended up, but I'll check that later. The problem is (other than I don't think the blues look as good with jeans as I was hoping) that the bottom rolled edge hits the waistband of my jeans, and gets pushed up. And even when worn with something else, it's too small to pull down over my belly/hips.
I like the pattern. It was quick and easy for maximum results. But the yarn I used is too thick--not gauge wise, but it's a flat, tubular ribbon yarn that knits up thick. And I think I needed more ease to compensate. And more length. So this item won't be cruising with us in 10 days time (what happened to losing 8lbs before the cruise?!). I'll finish it up (weave in the ends) when we get back, and maybe I'll think of someone just as short as (or shorter) me but skinnier. And I do think I'd make it again, but I'll be more careful about gauge and yarn choice and sizing.
And for tomorrow's post, come back and see ANOTHER Knitty.com disappointment!
Edited later--I realized after the cruise that I DO have a halter back bra, although it doesn't fit all that great. Maybe I'll try the top on again, now that I lost those 8 pounds, LOL