The Lady Beekeeper

Will and I spent this past weekend at PAX East, an extravaganza of nerd-dom.  We played video games and board games, demoed a new role playing game, bought some dice, watched this comic strip drawn to life, hung out with lots of friends and even played a giant session of Secret Hitler.  It was definitely a great PAX and I can’t wait for next year!

Aside from PAX, Will and I have been doing plenty of nerdy things, including playing a campaign of D&D.  Will’s friend is the dungeon master and we’ve had some great times battling were-weasels, rooting out pirates and smugglers, befriending gnomes and following around our newly born mechanical front liner.   Many of the people in the group are in multiple campaigns and they have some nifty gadgets to make role playing games easier.

What Will was particularly coveting were their awesome dice bags like these and these.  The cool thing about these bags is that they are HUGE, they stand on their own, and they are reversible.  Not too shabby.  Well I decided to make my own version and give it to Will for Valentine’s Day (in addition to those Carbonite PB cups).  Mine is a bit different (because, well, I like doing things differently), but it boasts the same awesome features.

Freestanding Dice Bag

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2 yard of upholstery velvet
• 1 yard of double face satin ribbon

1.  Cut 8 8″x6″ rectangles and 2 6″x6″ squares.  If you want to use 2 alternating colors, cut 4 8″x6″ and 1 6″x6″ of each color.
   

   Cut 8 rectangles, 2 squares.

2. Place 2 8″x6″ rectangles together, right sides facing.  Pin on one edge, stopping 2″ from the top.  Stitch.  Repeat for other 6 rectangles.
   

   Pin rectangles on one side, leaving a 2″ gap from the top.

3. Place 2 double rectangle pieces together, right sides together and pin along edges.  Make sure that the edges with the 2″ gaps are on the same side.  Stitch the entire length.  Repeat for the other set of rectangles.
   

   Pin two combined rectangles from above step along both edges.

4. Pin one edge of the square to one edge of the bottom of the box you created in step 3 (right sides facing).  This should be the side without the 2″ gaps.  Stitch from the stitching to the other side of stitching.  Be sure to avoid catching other fabric in the seam.
   

   Pin bottom square to bottom of sides.

5. Repeat with the other 3 sides.
   

   Repeat with other sides.

6.  Repeat for second box bottom and box.
   

   Bottom of one finished half.

7. Trim corners and seams on the bottom of the box.
   

   Trim corners and seams along the bottom of the bag.

8. Press along the seams, even along the 2″ gaps you left at the top.
   

   Press seams. Pin two halves of bag together along top edge.

9. Pin the two halves of the bag, right sides together, along the unfinished edge of the bag.
10. Stitch.
11. Turn bag right side out through one of the 2″ gaps you left.
    

    Turn bag right side out through gap.

12. Adjust the bag properly, then pin the top of the bag.
    

    Pin the top of the bag.

13. Stitch 1/2″ from the top seam, then stitch again, slightly above where the 2″ gap starts, about 3/4″ below the first row of stitches.
    

    Stitch 1/2″ top and 3/4″ from 1/2″ line.

14. Using a yarn needle, insert 1/2 yard of ribbon through one opening of the bag, out and into the openings on the opposite end and back out through the opening next to where you started. Tie ends together in an overhand knot.
    

    Insert ribbon through bag cinch.

    

    Overhand knot end of ribbon.

15. Repeat with the other 1/2 yard of ribbon, starting at the opposite openings.
16. Fill with dice and enjoy!
    

    Finished bag, free standing while opened.

    

    You may have noticed the bag reads “It’s hard to be the bard”. Will is a bard this campaign, and that quote is from a play we saw recently called Something Rotten. (In the case of the play they are referring to Shakespeare, but I think it is equally applicable to DnD.)

    

    Look at all that room inside for dice!

Did I mention that Will’s siblings challenged us to read 20 books this year?  That probably doesn’t sound like a lot to most of you, but the last few years I haven’t gotten through more than 3 or 4 a year (especially if I’m reading George R.R. Martin).  Well we accepted the challenge and I’ve started reading a bunch of books that have been on my list for a while!  I’m on my 8th one this year.

The challenge all started when Will’s Aunt Elizabeth gave everyone a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas!  I have secretly always wanted a kindle, but have never actually gone out and purchased one.  The technology is just so darn neat.  Well now that I have one I realize that it is not just cool – it is SO CONVENIENT!   If you’re in Massachusetts you can even download library books directly to your kindle using overdrive!  This means I don’t even have to leave my house to have new books delivered to me!  Of the 7 books I’ve read this year, I’ve read 3 on my kindle, and I’m in the midst of my 4th.  The other 4 books I already had in hard copies on my shelf or had borrowed from friends.

While the kindle is convenient, light and portable it does have some drawbacks.  I have the problem of accidentally tapping the screen while I’m holding it, causing the page to turn prematurely.  This makes it a little awkward to hold.  Since there is no cover you have to gingerly hold the edges of the Kindle to avoid touching the “page”.  For this reason it doesn’t feel like you’re holding a book at all.  Of course they have dozens of types of covers you can purchase to remedy the situation.  My favorite solutions all look like books on the outside, and open to reveal the Kindle on the right hand side.

I decided to try my hand at making one.  If you’ve ever made a hardcover book before the process will look very familiar.   The good news is since I’ve made the cover I no longer hit the screen anymore with my fingers and accidentally turn the page.  I don’t have to be so darn careful with my finger positioning on the device when I hold it.  Make your Kindle feel like a book!

DIY Kindle Bookcover

What you need:

• 12×12″ chipboard sheet
• 12×12″ piece of scrapbook paper for inside
• 12×16″ piece of scrap fabric for the outside cover
• 7×6″ piece of leather
• 4″ of 1/4″ elastic
• Elmer’s White Glue
• E6000 Glue

1. Cut your chipboard sheet into 2 5.5″x7.5″ rectangles and one .5″x7.5″ rectangle.
   

   Cut chipboard into covers and spine.

2. Lay your rectangles out on your scrap fabric like a book with the .5″ wide rectangle as the spine.  Leave 1/4″ between each rectangle of cardboard.
   

   Lay out chipboard on cover fabric.

3. When you are happy with your arrangement, cover the back of each piece of cardboard with glue.
   

   Cover the back of each piece of cardboard with glue.

4. Smooth the fabric onto the cardboard so there are no wrinkles.
5. When all 3 pieces are glued to the fabric, then fold up the excess material on the top and bottom and glue, smoothing flat like the front.
   

   Fold up and glue the edges.

6. Repeat with the sides, folding the fabric under into a triangle then gluing.
   

   Fold and glue the sides, pleating at corners.

7. Put cover between 2 layers of saran wrap (or a large grocery bag) then put heavy books on top.
   

   Place cover between saran wrap or a grocery bag.

   

   Place books on top.

8. Remove after an hour and let air dry completely.
9. Cut your paper lining to 11.5″x7″.
   

   Cut lining.

10. When the fabric has dried completely, cover the inside of the book with glue, leaving a 1/2″ edge.
    

    Cover inside with glue.

11. Carefully center the paper lining on top of the glue and smooth out.
    

    Center the lining on top and smooth out.

12. Again place a piece of saran wrap and a heavy book on top until dry.  When it dries you should be able to bend it to look like a book.
13. Cut a 5″x7″ rectangle from your scrap leather.  Gently trim the corners so they are curved.
    

    Cut rectangle from leather.

    

    Curve corners.

14. Cut 2 1/2″ strips of leather and using your kindle as a guide, lay them over the bottom corners of the kindle.  Mark the length of leather you need and also the location on the backing.  Make sure you avoid covering the location for the cable and the power button.
    

    Using scrap paper, position where the leather straps will go, avoiding the power button or charging area.

15. Cut elastic in half and follow the same procedure as step 14 to line up where the elastic should go in the top corners.
16. Using a leather needle and heavy duty thread, stitch very close to the edge of the leather backing.  When you get to the location of the elastic, make sure the unfinished edge of the elastic is under the leather backing.  Sew through the whole thing: elastic, leather, elastic.
17. When you get to the location of the leather straps, position the strap where you want it on top of the leather backing and sew through both pieces of leather.
    

    Stitch elastic and leather holders to leather backplate.

18. Trim leather straps as necessary.
19. Finally, using the E6000 (and being careful not to breathe it in or get it on your hands) glue the leather backing to the right-hand side of the book cover.
    

    Glue leather to cover with E6000

20. Let dry
21. Enjoy!!

So tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.  The strange amorous day that depending who you ask originally had nothing to do with romantic love or plenty to do with it.  In honor of the holiday (that I maintain has nothing to do with love and everything to do with chocolate) I’m serving truffles to 700 people at work tomorrow.  This means I currently have 90 pounds of chocolate in my car.  I have never had to exercise so much restraint in my entire life. I desperately want to throw open the trunk of my car, rip open one of the boxes and gobble down fistfuls of truffles.  (That sounds like the beginning of a romance novel…)  This is the reason the chocolate is safely in the trunk of my car, where I can pretend I have forgotten about it.

I need something to distract myself with.  Pillows.  Pillows are nothing like chocolate.  You never have a trunk full of pillows and yearn devour them.  Frankly I’ve never had the opportunity to purchase an entire trunk full of chocolate so I honestly didn’t know it would be so hard to restrain myself.  Anyway I digress.  Back to pillows.  So I had some material left from the curtains I made for my mom and decided to make a large matching pillow for my mom’s bed.  I finished the pillow the night before her birthday.  For this pillow I purchased cording to edge the pillow, but it is very simple to make trim yourself (and much more cost effective).  I really liked the look of this cording though, so I splurged and bought it.  Mom is worth it!  Some day soon I will post another tutorial for a pillow with homemade trim.

The pillow should take 1-2 hours to make.

Finished pillow with trim!

Simple Pillow with Purchased Trim

What you’ll need:

• Pillow form (mine is 20″x20″)
• Fabric 1″ wider than your pillow form (for mine it was 2 squares 21″x21″ each)
• Cording with lip* – 4″ longer than 2*(length + width) (Mine was 84″)

*If you have a bit more time you can create your own edging for the pillow using bias tape and cording, but to save time it is much easier to purchase cording.

1. Take your two pieces of fabric wider than your pillow form and lay on top of each other, right sides together.
   

   Lay back of pillow on to front of pillow, right sides together (note, both squares should be the same size, this picture does not show that).

2. Starting at a corner, take your cording and sandwich your cording inside the two pieces of fabric, lip of the cording lining up with the edge of your fabric.  Pin in place along the first side.  You’ll want the end of the trim to start 2 inches beyond the corner of the pillow.
3. When you come to the corner, curve your trim slightly.  Pin in place.
4. Continue pinning up the other edges and corners until you get back to the start.
   

   Pin trim inside the pillow, matching the edge up with the lip of the cording.  Note the curve at the corners.

5. At the corner, pin 2 edges of cording so the cording ends touch.  Eventually the unfinished edge will be inside the pillow.
   

   Where cording meets other end of cording, press cording against cording and pin, leaving the unfinished edge outside the pillow.  You’ll notice I did this in the center of one side of the pillow – my trim was too thick to do this at the corner, though I wish I had tried, it is a bit less noticeable on the corner.

6. Using a zipper foot adjust needle and foot so needle is closest to the cording.
   

   With a zipper foot, stitch as close as possible to the braid of the cording through all 3 layers.

7. Machine baste around the edges of the pillow with the needle as close to the cording as you can get.  When you get to the corner with the trim edges, back tack here to secure.
8. Machine stitch around the edge of the pillow as close to the cording as you can get.  Leave a large gap on one side of the pillow so you can easily insert the pillow form into this gap.  Back tack at edges of the gap to secure.
9. Seam rip the basting stitches on the gap.
10. Open the gap and secure the cording to front side of the pillow along the gap as in 8, but be sure to leave the back side of the pillow unsecured.
    

    At gap that you left in pillow, pin trim to front of pillow.

    

    Stitch trim to front of pillow in the gap you created. Be careful not to catch the back fabric.

11. Turn pillow case right side out.
    

    Open out your pillow.

12. Insert pillow form into case.
13. Fold under the back material along the gap, which was not sewn to the cording in step 10.
14. At the gap, pin along the cording from the front of the pillow, catching the folded-under back material.
    

    Fold back fabric under and pin to the trim, close the braid. Sew close to the braid, avoiding the front face of the pillow as best you can.

15. Stitch close to the cording, catching the back material to close the gap.  Avoid stitching the pillow front.

Enjoy your pillow!

Mom with her birthday present!  You can see her yoga mat carrier as well – this is version #3 – with a big pocket!  Post soon to come.

Last January I resolved to blog more regularly. More specifically I wanted to blog once a week. Later in the year I started to impose a more strict goal of finishing a blog entry every Monday. I didn’t quite hit every Monday.  A few times I was a couple days late, but looking back I feel pretty proud that I managed to accomplish my original goal! Not only that but I came up with a year of food, craft and sewing tutorials and got a lot of great Pinterest traffic from all you awesome pinners! Plus that blogging goal was all before my early spring decision to make and sell homemade hats at King Richard’s Faire! So I guess you can say I feel pretty accomplished! What a great feeling!

If you can imagine, the whole hat thing ate up a lot of my time (understatement of the year, try 6 months of nights, weekends and holidays), but if you count hat-making as “life” and not “work” (I do) it forced me to keep a more reasonable work/life balance. This year I’m planning to keep to my Monday blogging schedule and attempt to keep that work/life balance I managed to forge. I also want to work on my time management and scheduling skills. More specifically I’d like to be more reasonable with the goals and deadlines I set for myself. I’ll have to come up with a measurable success meter for that.  Handmade hats will not be a goal for this year.  While I’ll always be a mad hatter at heart, I feel that I can also say, “been there done that”.  Oh and you’ll have to stay tuned for some ridiculous vignettes from the faire.

Amidst all the bustle of my hat making and blogging I did manage to fulfill a few custom orders for family and friends. One of those was a neat fold-up beach tote. If you’re like me and have a “to make” list a mile long you’ll want to put this on your list now so you’ll finally get to it by beach season. Or perhaps whipping up this bag will evoke fantasies of laying on the beach and stave away the winter doldrums. This reusable tote was requested by a friend of mine and it is based on a free bag they got at a company give away. My friend lives near the ocean and he and his wife frequently trek down to the beach with lunch, towels, chairs and drinks in hand. This bag can hold it all, and effortlessly hang over your shoulder! The embroidery is optional but adds a nice touch. Unfortunately it was very tricky to successfully embroider on rip-stop nylon without excessive puckering, so take that as a warning!

Look how big this bag is! (Or how tiny I am?!)

Take-it-all-to-the-beach Bag

Materials:

• 2.5 yards of rip stop nylon
• Scrap pieces of lightweight fusible interfacing
• 1 set of snap fasteners I used this kind
• Beach Bag Pattern here

*Note in the pictures below I used my serger – my new favorite sewing device!  If you don’t have a serger, no worries, you can use just an ordinary straight stitch!

1. Cut 2 body pieces from pattern above. Cut 4 20″x5″ rectangles for side of bag.  Cut 2 handle pieces to the line on the pattern and 2 3″ by 8″ rectangles for handle reinforcement.  Finally cut 4 5.25″x1.25″ rectangles for the snap closure.
2. Take 2 of the 20″x5″ rectangles and pin them together along to the length.  Stitch.  Repeat for second set.
   

   Pin to side rectangles together and stitch.

3. Pin one of sides of the bag from step 2 to the side of one of the body pieces starting at the point below the handles.  Make sure to keep right sides together. Pin second body piece to other side of the side piece from step 2. Stitch both sides.
   

   Pin side to body of bag, matching top corner of body to corner of side.

   

   Repeat for second body piece.

4. Pin the bottom of the bag together, then pull out sides to see if bag bottom length will line up with sides perfectly.  Adjust pins as necessary.  Stitch bottom of bag.
   

   Pin bottom of bag, pull taunt to bottom side of bag to see if sizes match.

5. Pin side bottom of the bag to sides.  They should line up perfectly if you lined things up in step 4.  Stitch.
   

   Pin bottom of bag to side, stitch.

6. Pin handles to each other at the top, right sides together.  Stitch
7.  Pin handle reinforcements to side reinforcements. Stitch.
   

   Pin handle reinforcement to side reinforcement, stitch. Repeat for other handle piece and other side.

8. Pin handles on reinforcements to each other at the top, right sides together.
9. Open the bag right side out.  Fold under 1/4″ along unfinished edge of handles and bag top.  Pin.
   

   Pin handle area to handle reinforcement.

10.  Repeat step 9 with the handle reinforcement.
11. Slip handle reinforcement inside bag and align the handles.  Pin reinforcement to bag all along the edges you just pinned.  Unfinished edges should be sandwiched in between.
12. Stitch around “armpits” of the bag. Mark the center back of the bag with a pin. Stitch from 1″ past pin to 1″ from this pin all the way around the handles.
    

    Stitch around edge of handles.

13. Take 2 of the thin strips for the snap closures and iron on a 1.25″x1.25″ square of interfacing to one end of each strip.
    

    Attach interfacing to strip for snaps.

14. Pin a strip with interfacing to a strip without interfacing, interfacing side out.  Leave the edge opposite the interfacing opened.  Stitch.
15. Clip corners.
    

    Trim corners.

16. Turn inside out, press flat and stitch 1/8″ around the edges to reinforce.
    

    Top stitch 1/8″ from the edge.

17. Attach one edge of the snap following package directions.
18. Repeat steps 14 through 18 for second snap strip.
19. Insert unfinished edges of snap fasteners in between the handle and handle reinforcement you left unfinished in step 12. Pin.
20. Double check your alignment of the snaps.  You want to be able to roll the bag up to the snaps, and the snap pieces to button around the bag like a bracelet.  (See picture of the bag closed below.)  When you’re content you have it right, stitch the remaining edge closed, sandwiching the unfinished ends of the snap fastener pieces inside.
21. Go to the beach (or optionally add a pocket in steps following!)
22. Cut a 10″x10″ square.
23. Fold under 1/2″, press and stitch.  This is the top of the pocket.
    

    Fold under 1/2″ on top of pocket and stitch.

24. Press under 1/2″ all around the remaining edges of the pocket.  Pin the pocket to the center of the bag all around the unfinished edges.  Top stitch 1/4″ from the edges of the pocket to attach to bag.
    

    Fold under edges 1/2″. Pin pocket to center back of bag. Top stitch around edges.

     

    

    To fold the bag up, just fold up tightly starting at the bottom of the bag. When you get to the top, fold in thirds then fasten the snaps around.

    

    Snaps fastened around the bag. It folds up fairly small for such a large bag!

    

    You can fit a novel in the back pocket for beach reading!

    

    Inside view of the bag. The strips for the snaps just hang inside the bag.

    

    I added an optional pocket (steps 22 through 24) to the back.

    

    My friend wanted the bag to say “Nana’s Beach Bag” on the front. His wife is now “Nana” to his young grandson!

On Saturday Will and I marched with over 100,000 people in the Boston Women’s March. What an amazing, empowering experience to have been a part of. Like many Americans I have felt belittled, insulted or targeted during this election for being different than the man who was just sworn in as president. (And I am a privileged, white, straight female so I can only imagine how the rest of the nation feels.) I marched to support anyone and everyone who was or is being targeted because of their differences. I don’t want the younger generation to grow up believing that racism, bigotry and hatred is the status quo. I never want a child (or adult) to be treated differently because of their gender, color, religion or sexual orientation. I marched as a lover of Mother Earth and an engineer who will not ignore science and global warming. Finally, I marched as a woman, who refuses to have her reproductive rights governed.

One of our favorite signs, “we are the daughters of the witches you weren’t able to burn”.

The night before the march I found out about the Pussy Hat Project. The idea was to fill the March on Washington with a sea of pink hats (with cat ears) and judging from the pictures it worked out pretty well. Since it was regretfully too late by Friday night to ship any hats to D.C., I decided to make a couple for the march in Boston out of some leftover polar fleece I had lying around. After talking with several women at the march it seems I was very lucky that I had pink polar fleece in my stash because stores across New England were completely sold out of pink fabric the week before the march! Awesome!

Emma, Danielle and I rockin’ our pussy hats at the march!

Even though the march is over, you can still make and wear a pussy hat with pride. Whatever your reason for wanting a hat, when you wear it think of all the women and allies who stand together with you and refuse to let their voices sink into the masses.

Is that a pussy hat? How stylish!

Fleece Pussy Hat

(This pattern is made for my 21.5″ head)

• 1 yard of pink polar fleece
• pink thread
• Pattern here

1. Cut out 4 sets of the ear pattern from the fleece (2 on the right side, 2 on the wrong side).
   

   Cut out ears.

2. Cut out 4 of the triangles (all on right side of fabric)
3. Cut out a 22.5″x7″ rectangle for the brim.
   

   Cut hat band.

4. Pin cat ears together, right side to wrong side.
   

   Pin ears together, right side to wrong side.

5. Stitch around the curved edge, trim to 1/4″ and turn out.
   

   Stitch ear along edge and trim.

   

   Turn inside out.

6. Fold the ear along the line in the pattern, wrong side of fabric on the inside of the ear.  Pin.
   

   Fold ear in 1/3s

7. Pin 2 of the triangle pieces together along one side, right sides together.  Stitch.  Repeat for second set of triangles.
   

   Pin two triangles together on one side.

8. Place one set of triangles right side up on the table.  Put ears on either side of the hat front, about an inch above the bottom of the hat on each side.
9. Flip ears onto front of hat, right sides down.
   

   Turn ears into hat.

10. Place hat bottom on top of ears and hat front, right side down.
11. Pin along to top edge and sew.  Open out.
    

    Pin and stitch top, bottom and ears of hat together.

    

    Finished top of hat!

12. Fold band in half the long ways, wrong side in.  Pin along the edge.
    

    Fold band in half and pin.

13. Pin short edges together and stitch.
    

    Stitch edges of brim together.

14. Place hat band on top of hat top, unfinished edges together, matching seam on hat band and back of hat. Pin and stitch.
    

    Stitch brim to top of hat.

15. Wear with pride!
    

    Check out those hats!

I mentioned that my sister was in town the other day for our New Year’s Eve Party, right? Well it was also her birthday this past week!  I wanted to make something for her that she could easily fit in her carry on and then I remembered my last visit to Denver.  Mandy asked me to join her for her first yoga class.  Now she is hooked!  Not surprising since yoga is so awesome, but I consider getting another person hooked on the joys of yoga a total win!

I decided to make her a mat holder for her birthday, though I wanted to improve on the one I made for myself.  My biggest problem with the holder I made is that the pocket is pretty small.  I can only fit my strap in there.  This is because the curvature of the mat tightens the pocket.  I haven’t completely solved this problem, but in the coming weeks I hope to show you yet another solution I came up with to resolve this problem.    The other issue I did resolve.  The orientation of the straps make it a bit awkward to throw over your shoulder.  I also lengthened them a bit, though I don’t think this was necessary.  Let me know what you think!

Improved Yoga Mat Carrier

What you’ll need:

• ~1/2 yard of scrap fabric (I used some leftover from the curtains in our lounge)
• 3.5 yards of 1″ thick nylon heavy webbing
• 1 foot of velcro
• 3 inches of covered elastic
• 1″ button

1. Cut a 22″x16″ rectangle of your fabric.
2. Press the sides under 1/2″ then under 1/2″ again.
   

   Fold edges under and press

3. Fold out the corners.  Snip the corner off at the first intersection of your folds.
   

   Snip off corner at first intersection

4. Fold the rest of the corner over at the inner most intersection of your folds. Then fold the edges under 1/2″ and under 1/2″ again following the original folds.
   

   Mitered corners

5. Repeat for all 4 corners.  Pin & stitch
   

   Pin and stitch edges

6. Cut an isosceles trapezoid with dimensions as shown in the picture for your pocket.
   

   Cut trapezoid with dimensions specified.

7. Press the top (long end) under 1/4″ and then under 1/4″ again.  Stitch.
8. Fold large rectangle for the bag in half to find the center.  Pin the unfinished edge of the pocket slightly above this line. Stitch, leaving 1/2″ at each end unstitched.
   

   Pin bottom of pocket to bag. (The top of your pocket should be finished.)

9. Fold 1/2″ in along each side. Pull the sides up so they are perpendicular to the bottom that you stitched. Pin the sides of the pocket and stitch on the right side of the pocket.
   

   Stitch on the right side of the pocket.

10. Attach a loop of elastic to the inside of the pocket.
    

    Attach loop of elastic to inside of pocket.

11. Attach a button an inch above where the pocket ends.
    

    Attach button.

12. Attach a 3.5″ piece of velcro vertically to the edge of each side of the top of the “bag” on the the right side of the fabric.
    

    Attach other side of velcro to opposite side, outside carrier.

13. Attach the other half of the 3.5″ piece of velcro on the edge of each side of the bottom of the “bag” (this is the side with the pocket) on the wrong side of the fabric .
    

    Attach velcro to sides inside carrier.

14. Take your nylon webbing and toast the edges slightly with a lighter to prevent fraying.
    

    Burn edges to prevent fraying

15. Form a giant loop with your webbing, making sure the loop is not twisted anywhere.  Pin the ends of the loop together and stitch.
    

    Stitch nylon together. Fold loop in half, and mark the center on both sides.

16. Fold loop in half and mark the two folds (one should be the part you stitched in step 15).  Once again fold fabric in half and pin one of the center marks of webbing to one side at the fold.   Pin  strap to edge until you are within 5 inches of the top and bottom.  Repeat for second center mark.  Make sure your strap is not twisted.
    

    Fold carrier in half and pin nylon centers at this mark on each side.

17. Stitch both straps on the edge from 2 inches below the velcro to 2 inches below the velcro on the other side.

Enjoy!

To roll up your yoga mat lay the rectangle flat and put your yoga bag on top.  Pull the side with pocket up first around mat snuggly, then wrap the other side around securing to the velcro.  You can put your yoga strap in the front pocket!

Wrap your yoga mat.

Your pocket can hold small things like a yoga strap!

Mandy with her yoga mat carrier!