Sometimes – well, quite often, it seems, if you’re me – sewing projects don’t quite go to plan.

I am not what could be described as a “technical” stitcher. I don’t measure if I can get away without.

I struggle with dressmaking, because pattern instructions often seem to me to be akin in trickiness to an Ikea flatpack. And I don’t tend to follow tutorials, or buy patterns, when I can make things up as I go along.

But sometimes, I admit, this turns out not to be the best approach.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate producing shoddy work. I start off most projects with confidence in my ability and experience, thinking “how hard can it be? I’ll work it out!”

Which is why, when I was asked to make a peg bag for a friend, I didn’t hesitate, despite the fact that I had never attempted to make one before.  I mean, a peg bag, how hard can it be?

Flippin’ tricky, it turns out, when you don’t really know what you’re doing.

I had drawn around a coat hanger and cut out some fabrics ages ago. I had an idea to add interfacing and/or wadding and lining, to make the item sturdy and durable. I had a coat hanger put to one side, and a plan in my head of how to go about sewing it all together.

Turns out my plan was pants. I unpicked and tried again. Nope.

I gave up any fancy design ideas I had in mind and concentrated on just getting it done.

Nope. Still wrong.

I caved in and looked for peg bag tutorials. Nothing suitable emerged, not with lining and interfacing anyway.

I tried various ways of pinning, and then sewing, it all together – none of which seemed to result in a functioning peg bag.

I tried various ways of dealing with (i.e. edging, trimming, binding, etc.) the hole in the front through which the pegs may be accessed, all of which looked rubbish. I was losing the will to live and faith in my ability to do anything at all. I mean, a peg bag, how hard can it be?

Unkind words were uttered, fingers pricked, and lessons learned.

I did complete it eventually. But sheesh, I mean, it’s not rocket science, is it? It’s not tailoring! It’s a flippin’ PEG BAG for goodness sake! So HOW HARD CAN IT BE??! 

Well, lets just say that I won’t be in a hurry to make another.

And to my friend I can only apologise, that this one took me so long.

But it really was a pig to make. ♥