Thursday 7 November 2013

Project 11



I’ve been rather slow blogging lately, but I’ve been sewing like crazy.  The trouble is, I haven’t actually been wearing the garments that I’ve been sewing, so I haven’t had the opportunity to photograph them.  I know, I could do my hair, slap on a little make up and dress up just for the photos, but it does seem rather odd.

Anyway, one of the completed projects was a saddle bag for one of my bikes.  I actually have two of them.  One of them is a very light-weight road bike with those skinny, smooth tyres.  I bought that one four  years ago when I decided to complete the “Round Taupo” cycle race.  It’s an iconic New Zealand ride, 160 km round a lake in the middle of the North Island.  Given the time I was going to spend on that bike preparing for the race, I figured I could justify a proper bike.  The trouble is, she is a proper racing bike, and like a race horse, this girl doesn’t take kindly to being expected to do the work of a trekking pony.  She will slip in wet weather.  The slightest lump in the road and she’ll puncture a tyre.  Carrying anything larger than a hydration pack and a banana will unbalance her.  Since she wasn’t a cheap bike I don’t like leaving her alone for any length of time.   

When I decided to cycle to work about a year ago (get fit, save money and avoid horrendous road work related delays – win-win)  this bike wasn’t going to cope with 30km a day on a rough cycle track carrying a change of clothes and shoes, so I bought “Mary Poppins”, a cheap, clunky and practical bike who willingly undertook the trip without complaint.  She has a basket for luggage, which I have customised, and very low gears for the steep hills.  The best bit about her is that she cost less than the lock I use to secure her.  The result is that I actually use her to travel with.  The one missing accessory was a saddle bag, which has now been rectified…


The bag is supported with a plastic chopping mat, which I forgot to photograph before I stitched up the lining. This ensures that it keeps its round shape, and makes it at least shower proof.   


It has a clip at each end that clip to the bag of the saddle and a two-way zip so I can get into the back from either end.   


Of course, I also let the embroidery machine do a little customisation.
The other cool feature?  The clips also clip onto a strap that converts it instantly into a shoulder bag once I reach my destination.


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