Stuff Sacks & Etsy Thank Yous

Last year I got into mountain biking pretty seriously. Well in Colorado, you can be going along just fine and all of a sudden a huge (cold) wind starts blowing, or a loud, rainy thunderstorm begins.  So I had to go drop some money at Go Lite (our fave local outdoor gear shop) to purchase this fine weighs-almost-nothing-and-is-small-enough-to-fit-in-my-water-pack jacket! 

It was a good purchase; I've used it more than enough times to justify the cost. But, while it's tucked safely in my backpack during the dry, warm moments, it is at huge risk for getting spilled on, poked/ripped by a key, or marked with a pen or pencil. So it needed a bag. Today's project: a stuff sack just for it:

I've been trying to learn how to do these stuff sacks for years and have gone along ok without anyone showing me how to do it.  In fact, this is the second stuff sack I've made for this jacket. (The first one got lost somewhere while on vacation earlier this summer.)  However, they aren't that easy to figure out because there's math involved and the diameter of the base circle matters.  I should say the math isn't hard, but mixing geometry and sewing is not something I do every day.  So I finally looked online for a tutorial and found this one (thanks, Queen of DIY!). The project was so much easier, faster, and less frustrating with a little help!!!  Ah, using high school math is so satisfying (small nod to my 10th grade geometry teacher, Mrs. Douglass).

The bag is (unexpectedly) fully reversible!

Here is mine with a companion bag for another person in my house who is known to put his expensive gear in direct fire of possible damages.  :)

As I've mentioned before, I've learned through selling on Etsy that it is proper etiquette to give something away as a freebie when you make a sale.  I just ran out of the thing I've been giving away, so spend half of last week's studio day making something else. I had some leftover collage from the Studio Tour and so decided to turn that into little 2x3 cards.  On some, I've embellished with random collage ephemera I have. Others I've left simply the collage (sewn on to the cardstock, of course).  As usual, they're better in person.  :)  Shop my Etsy store if you'd like to receive one of these freebies as a fun extra to your purchase! 

(Remember you can always click on these photos to see them better.)