A Comedy of Errors amongst a {Pattern Review} for the Sunny Glasses Case and A Giveaway

Do you ever have those sewing days, where it's all, well, a comedy of errors?

When it happens to me, I can unequivocally say, I'm tired. I'm certain I was making these at about 11 o'clock at night. Two nights in a row.  I thought I really had to share this, as one of my friends seems to think I don't make silly mistakes. Really, I do. Sometimes, too many to admit. Like here. I'm going to share this with you anyway.

I discovered this pattern thanks to Sarah at Hunting For Ladybugs (wanna learn to sew? check out her website and FB pages. You definitely should, she's super lovely) when she posted the link to a tutorial on her Facebook page.  I had literally just purchased a new glasses case, which is just the cutest, from another handmade business (Me and Leigh Creations), so well, I didn't really need this, but then really I did, because I have two pairs of glasses - specs and sunnies. Of course I needed two cases.

Enter Sunny Glasses Case tutorial by Thread Riding Hood. The second best bit is it's a free pattern and tutorial. The best bit, is it's pretty flippin' easy! If you pay attention to what you are doing.

I'll walk you through my COMEDY OF ERRORS night.


I fussy cut this deer fabric, which I've had for quite some time. Hoarding it, in fact, to use for something for myself. A bag? A scarf?  I wasn't quite sure what. Anyhow, I positioned the pattern quite precisely so that the deer would be around the right way when the case was folded. Only it WASN'T. I'd cut it upside down. Error #1.

That's OK. Liveable. I had one yard of this, I could afford another piece, but man, this was a little wasteful of this beautiful fabric. I cut that new bit anyway and I'd use this bit for the lining.  On the upside, the deer would be up the right way, on the inside. (Does this cancel errors out?)

Then I decided to make one of these for one of my friends, for her birthday. She has sunnies. It's useful. And cute. So I cut out another (after much deliberation on both inner and outer fabrics) and all the pieces of fusible fleece.

Are you still with me?

I took all these pieces to the ironing board and ironed them to the outer fabrics. Actually, I didn't. I ironed them to the lining fabrics. Doh. Error #2. Fortunately I'm a little slap dash when it comes to making sure the fusible fleece has stuck and I could pull it off (mostly easily) and re-iron it down to the outer fabric.


Which is where I realise Error #3. Those deer. I've cut the outer piece THE WRONG SIZE. There are two pattern pieces here. One inner and one outer. I've cut TWO INNERS. Numskull. Those deer. I'm not willing to sacrifice more. I check online to see if Cristy at Muddy Ruffles Fabric Addiction (the shop I bought it from) has more. Nope. It's probably sold out everywhere. If I cut another one, I risk not having enough for the scarf. I'll just make it and see how it turns out.

I make the one for my friend first and I decide to go with the velcro closure option. It sews together a breeze. This pattern is excellent. Yes, it's a great pattern. Just follow the instructions. And then I go to fold it up, sit those velcro pieces together and ...oh, man...what have I done here? I've sewed the top velcro to the outer piece, not the lining, so the velcro wont go together. Error #4. I'm not sure what I did. Clearly, I didn't follow the instructions.  What else am I gonna balls up? Do I unpick this and see how I go, or do I just make another one?

I'll unpick. I saw this really cool thing on how to use your unpicker properly. When I find the link to the right blog I'll post it here. Check this nifty you tube video out here. Turns out I've been using my unpicker upside down. And when you use it right way up (with the little ball on the bottom, not the top), it's a breeze to slide through the fabric and cut the stitches. Neat, huh! So that's what I did. Only, I obviously didn't do it quite right, because I ripped the outer fabric. My unpicker is pretty sharp, so not sure what my error was. Maybe it was just much too thick to unpick that way. Error #5. Now I just carefully unpicked each and every stitch.

But now, I have a hole, that isn't going to be under the velcro. I'm going to have to patch it. I go to bed. I'll deal with it tomorrow.

Night 2.
Right. I've just unpicked this carefully around the edge, now to cut a strip to go over the edge and topstitch it back together. Easy. It actually wasn't that easy, but that's what I did and it would have taken me around 30minutes. And when I'd finished, I decided it looked pretty average, including the awfully wonky stitching on the inside of the case's front flap. I'm calling that Error #6.

And then, I decided to just make another one for my friend. Which came together perfectly, in about 15 minutes. Actually, it is slightly asymmetrical, because I didn't draw the line across the back like I should have (Error #7), but it's barely noticeable (sorry this picture is a little fuzzy!)

I went back to finish off my deer glasses case. The only thing I really modified was to make the deer glasses case with with double sided fusible buckram. Why? Because I had some. The deer case is no where near as rigid as the other two, which I made with the plastic canvas (which is available near the tapestry supplies, in Spotlight), but I'm OK with a softer glasses case, it's just a little bit squishier. Oh, I lie. I also did the side seams on this one slightly differently - so the final seam is on the inside, rather than the outside of the case. Just wanted to try it. Both ways work fine.

I sewed the seams a tiny bit smaller, but not much and my every day specs fit inside perfectly. My sunglasses only just fit, as the arms seem to have a huge curve in them. As a result, they poke out of every glasses case I own (and thus don't go into one very often). Even my new one from Me and Leigh is too narrow for the sunnies. They don't sit down inside the case very well and end up sticking out the top too much (I didn't take photos of that to share what I mean, you'll just have to believe me).

Which is when I realised that my friend's glasses probably wouldn't fit in this case. She has bigger bug-eye style glasses, so I think they'll be too tall to fit. Luckily, they did fit. Phew! I'm not sure I could have handled it!

Sew, now I have a spare one! Imperfectly made with lots of love. If you would like this one below, just let me know with a comment below or on my FB page and I'll post it out to you (provided you live within Australia). GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED.

THE REVIEW
So, in defence of the pattern, if I were to review it properly, I'd say it is overall an excellent pattern and tutorial. The errors made here are purely mine.

Instructions - clear and concise
Ease of construction - super easy
Does it make what is says it makes - yes.
Does it look like the picture - yes.
Would you make it again - definitely yes!.
Variations - fusible buckram instead of plastic canvas. Would stiff interfacing work - I'd say probably not, it wouldn't hold the shape very well. Final side seams are finished on the inside of the case, rather than 'French seam' to the outside.
Next time - I meant to put a magnetic clasp on my deers case (Error #8, but we'll glaze over that), next one I make will have one! 

SUPPLIES
Sunny Glasses Case pattern and tutorial by Thread Riding Hood
Deer fabric -Dreamlandia Irradiated, Utopia by Frances Newcombe, Art Gallery Fabrics from Muddy Ruffles
Bloom fabrics - Spotlight
Velcro
Fusible Fleece- scraps of Pellon 630 and 640. here
How to use a seam ripper/quick unpick properly here.