Right?

Things are gonna be a little irregular around these parts for another month or so, due to job transitioning, freelance gigs, and the fact that it’s GORGEOUS in Seattle right now. I’ve been writing quite a bit lately, so if you miss me you can find me in a couple spots around the internets:

• Talking about Georgetown’s awesome beer scene for Beer West Magazine
• Giving my 2 cents about summer cycling style at ORbike.com

Also, if you’re going to be in Seattle on June 23rd and want to get crafty, drop me a line (jessie@bicitoro.com). My talented artist friend Nalisha of Concentric Designs and I are hosting a mellow crafty get together.

Now stop reading this and go ride your bike somewhere beautiful!

The post Hello, world. appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

On Saturday I checked off one of of those things: a cycling wine tour of Whidbey Island.

View Whidbey Wine tour–Jessie route in a larger map

Whidbey is the perfect day trip from Seattle—it’s only a 30-minute drive to Mukilteo, which means that if you time the ferry right you can be on the island within an hour. The trick, of course, is timing the ferry.

The day I went, the Saturday of Memorial Weekend, there was a line of cars backed up for several miles. One woman I met on the island said she’d caught the 2:00 ferry—but had been in line since noon.

Fortunately, I had a secret weapon: my bicycle. I drove past the cars waiting on the shoulder, parked in the public lot by Diamond Knot Brewery, and just hopped on my bike for a short ride to the ferry. Suckers!

(A note: the public parking lot doesn’t allow overnight parking. I was told later by an islander that if you plan to spend the night on Whidbey, you should park near the train station instead.)

By the way, unlike other ferries where cyclists enter through the car lanes, at the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry just head to the dock where the pedestrians are waiting. You can pay there, and you get to bypass all the parked cars. A round trip is $5.60.

Whidbey Island is a total dream for biking. The shoulders are wide, the traffic is minimal and courteous, and the hills are of the enjoyable rolling variety (for the most part). There was a fair amount of “share the road” signage, and there are even bike racks shaped like whale tails near the Clinton ferry terminal. How adorable is that?

Best of all, when I mentioned my problems with goat heads in the Rattlesnake Hills to an islander, I got a blank stare. “What are goat heads?” he asked. Folks, Whidbey Island is a little piece of heaven.

All Island Transit buses are free, and they all come equipped with bike racks. So if you wanted to strike out into the northern part of the island but didn’t want to spend hours biking along the side of the highway, you could easily just throw your bike on the bus. This bus shelter even has a pump to top off your tires.

I met my first hill coming out of the ferry terminal. It starts out, um, aggressively, but quickly settles into a pretty relaxed climb. When I was first planning out this trip, I hadn’t really looked at how far apart things really were, so I was pleasantly surprised to spot a sign telling me that Langley was only 6 miles away. I’d been expecting more like 10-12.

I arrived at my first destination, Spoiled Dog Winery, much sooner than I expected.

The dogs behind the name are a pair of gorgeous Australian shepherds that are fully aware of the effect their beauty has on visitors. Even though I’m not much of a dog person, I still had to excuse myself in mid-conversation whenever one of them came to demand pets from me. The softness of their ears was spellbinding.

The wines were lovely, as well. Most wineries on Whidbey get their grapes from Eastern Washington, though some do grow grapes for their white wines and Pinot Noirs on the island. Spoiled Dog specializes in Pinot grapes, and has a really nice lineup including a Rosé and even a verjus, which they make with grapes that don’t get ripe enough to be made into wine.

When I was there, they were doing a barrel tasting of one of their reserve Pinot Noirs, which they’d bottle on the spot for you if you wanted to buy it.

I like traveling alone. I don’t do it often these days, but it has its advantages—the main one being that it gets me out of my shell and forces me to make friends. I think of myself as an introvert, so I often surprise myself by how sociable I can be when I’m on my own.

Within a few minutes I was trading stories with a pair of older couples who were visiting the island. They raved about the loganberry liqueur at nearby Whidbey Island Distillery, so after purchasing a yummy bottle of Malbec (Spoiled Dog offers a 10% discount to people who arrive not in motorized vehicles—score!), I headed that way.

Whidbey Island Distillery is a very homey affair—the distillery itself is in a converted guesthouse, and the tasting room has the feel of a cozy family room.

Steve and Beverly, the owners, are incredibly friendly and generous. One of their gaggle of grandkids gave a breathless introduction to the distilling process before running back outside to play, then Steve finished up while Beverly poured samples. The loganberry liqueur was yummy—apparently it goes fantastically with ice cream—and Steve’s working on a 50/50 rye/malted barley whiskey that he’s hoping to release in September. I’ll definitely be coming back in the fall to taste that.

My next stop was Bayview, which oddly seems to lack any view of a bay. They do have a bike shop, as well as a fantastic farmer’s market on Saturdays, complete with local produce and some interesting food stands selling things like lumpia and Thai satays. I grabbed a pair of divine samosas from Lesedi’s African Food and Produce.

Blooms Winery has a nice little tasting room right next to the market. There’s a tasting bar, as well as stools set around wine-barrel tables if you want to sit and snack on one of the appetizers they offer.

Along with a robust lineup of standard wines, they also offered the chance to taste three vintages of their Cabernet back-to-back (2006-2008). Each vintage has a really distinct flavor, which is all the more intriguing given that all three came from grapes grown in the same vineyard. I ended up taking home a bottle of their 2008 Cabernet, which had a faint smoky flavor on account of the local wildfires that raged that year.

Here I have a PSA to share: When wine tasting by bike, start from your farthest point and work your way back. I learned that the hard way when I left Bayview to head to Holmes Harbor Cellars—a trip of roughly 6 miles, mostly uphill. With two tasting rooms full of wine in my belly and bottles in my basket, I was carrying a lot of weight!

After climbing for what seemed like forever, I spotted a sign for Holmes Harbor to the right. With relief, I turned and began an exhilarating descent. Halfway down, I started to wonder. Where was the winery? Had I been too rash? Was I setting myself up for another needless climb after all that elevation I’d already gained?

Spoiler alert: Yes. The answer was yes.

I got to the bottom of the hill only to find Holmes Harbor Golf Course. I checked my phone to find that the winery was actually back up at the top of the hill, and onward another half-mile or so. Cursing, I turned around and began to climb that hill again.

Holmes Harbor Cellars is definitely worth the visit—so long as you don’t cause yourself unnecessary climbing grief. Their site is beautiful, the wines are delicious, and the outdoor seating is incredibly inviting (especially after the trek). Winemaker Greg Martinez is a cyclist, as well.

The bartender helped me convince myself to add a bottle of their delicious Syrah to my pannier, on the grounds that it would help balance my load. What a wise man.

By then it was about 4:00, so I decided to skip the winery/wine shop in Freeland, Vino Amore, and just head straight to Langley. Much of that ride was along Highway 525, which is actually a much better bike route than I was expecting. The shoulders are wide, and since it’s just a 2-lane highway traffic stays at a decent speed.

Folks, Langley is adorable. It’s got tons of cute little shops, views of Puget Sound, a park with a Whale Bell that rings when the whales are offshore, and Ott & Murphy Wines.

Ott & Murphy only does tastings until 6pm, after which they become a dinner place. After changing a flat and phoning my mom, I swooped in just under the radar. I sat next to Bob at the bar, who quickly began introducing me to everyone who walked in the door. (It turns out that Ott & Murphy is quite the local hangout.)

As the afternoon waned, I wandered over to Mo’s Pub and Eatery for a burger. (And an IPA. I was pretty done with wine at that point.) A band was gearing up to play, and the Saturday night locals crowd was gathering. I sat at the bar next to an older gentleman who looked over and laughed. “I’ve seen you riding all over the island today,” he said. “At least three times. Once, you were pushing your bike up the hill by my house.”

The Holmes Harbor Golf Course hill! Of course, this being Whidbey Island, I would sit down next to a guy who lived on the hill I’d accidentally turned down.

After a couple hours at Mo’s, I finally tore myself away from the new friends I’d been making. I had plenty of blinkies but I hadn’t brought a headlight with me, and I didn’t want to get caught after dark.

The sun had just set over the harbor, and a light rain was beginning to sprinkle. Although I was tired, I was flying high on the adventure I’d had. The ride back to the ferry was pleasantly sobering, and the long descent to the ferry terminal was a blast.

What an amazing day.

The post Joy Ride: Whidbey Island, or Drinking With Strangers Who Are Now Friends appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

Well, I’ve always wanted to be the one behind the wheel.

The crazier the better, really. Look at those spikes! Amazing.

In high school, my dad and I talked about restoring his old International pickup together, and I had big plans to paint a mural all over it. We never got around to it, but the dream of painting a vehicle has never died.

My canvas has gotten a bit smaller, however.

I’ve had this Torker Interurban in my possession for several months, now, but given the rainy weather and lack of garage, all I could really do was dream. And surf the interwebs looking for inspiration.

Should I paint a delicate Delft pattern, as a nod to my Dutch heritage?

Something stark and nautical? (I do love the idea of a simple black-and-white color scheme.)

In the end I was inspired by this bracelet my mom gave me:

I love it, but I seem to be allergic to the metal because I keep getting a rash on my wrist a few days after I wear it. So why not make it into a head badge?

I’ve been doing a ton of research on bike painting, and I plan to dive into the project this month. And, of course, I’ll share everything I learn with you here.

Have any of you ever painted a bike? I’d love to hear any tips you might have!

Oh, by the way, I’ve been collecting all my painted favorite bike inspirations on a Pinterest board. Check it out—there’s a ton of beautiful bikes out there.

The post Friday DIY inspiration: Painted bicycles appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

Thanks, Julianne!

On the pavement or blazing a trail, the thing that stands out most about a cyclist is the gear. A professional looking jersey will set you apart from the rookies. Whether you’re a seasoned roadie or mounting your steed for the first time, creating your own cycling jersey is fun and easy! So, lose the baggy t-shirts and hairy legs and use the tips below to create a professional-looking jersey and avoid looking like a Fred or Doris.

Source: www.shutterstock.com

Step 1: Choose a pattern and fabric

For you crafty chasers, sewing your own cycling jerseys is the way to go. Jerseys are tight-fitting so keep that in mind when you choose your pattern. You can find patterns online and in some stores. Cotton allows the skin to breathe and cool itself naturally but holds the sweat, while synthetic material like polyester wicks sweat off the rider and dries quickly. Preshrink your chosen fabric in the wash. Chalk your pattern line and use a rotary cutter to cut through fabric. With polyester thread and a ball point needle, use an overlock stitch and a quarter-inch seam allowance.

Tip 2: Screen printing

Screen printing is one of the most durable ways to customize your jersey and though it’s a little more complicated to do it yourself, you’ll likely save a lot of time. Whether you’re just planning on riding your beater bike but want to look legit, or part of a cycling club or team, this method is ideal. Start by tracing your desired image onto a piece of nylon stretched across an embroidery hoop. Fill in the areas you do not want transferred to your jersey with Mod Podge and let it dry. Clip the hoop to your jersey and evenly cover the design with fabric ink. Carefully lift the pattern away, allow the paint to dry and then heat seal it according to the directions on your paint.

Source: http://craftgrrl.livejournal.com

Tip 3: Iron-on Transfer

Weekend Warriors who want to look the part without shelling out the cash should start here. Print your image onto a transfer paper and trim excess paper and any part of the design you don’t want to transfer. Smooth any wrinkles on your jersey, place the transfer paper on top. With the steam setting off, run a preheated iron across the surface, allowing it to rest in one spot for 15 seconds at a time. Gently rub the whole design with a clean cloth for another few seconds and then remove the transfer paper.

Source: www.needlenthread.com

Tip 4: Design a custom logo online

For a custom logo professionally printed, the best way is to choose a template from the jersey company website you’ve decided to work with and import it into a design program like Adobe Illustrator. You can lay out your design the way you like it. If graphic design isn’t your thing, you could always get a custom shirt online for your ride! Teams that are looking for a polished and consistent look for large numbers of jerseys will often ride this route.

Whatever your cadence, you’re going to be riding in style!

Source: www.shutterstock.com

The post Guest post: Top Tips and Tricks for Creating Your Own Cycling Jersey appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

My interactions with cars were generally positive or at least benign. I saw many more cyclists than normal—which reminded me that today is the first day of Bike Month. That lifted my spirits even more. An uneventful ride on a gorgeous day, accompanied by other actual bike commuters is just about tops.

And then I got to work. I was a couple minutes late, which shouldn’t have been a big deal, but my boss was obviously relieved to see me. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” she told me. “They said on the radio that a cyclist was killed on East Marginal, and I thought ‘Oh, shit, that’s Jessie’s route.’”

(Note: In almost 2 years, I have never heard this woman swear.)

I spent the morning trying to work and piecing together details as they trickled in. The man was killed by a semi truck at S. Hanford while trying to cross E. Marginal. The West Seattle Blog has more details.

I know that intersection well. Although it’s north of my work route, I rode through it regularly while the Argo Bridge was closed and I needed to get downtown. It’s sketchy as hell—in addition to being riddled with potholes and train tracks, it’s always busy with trucks taking containers from the docks to the railroad.

It is absolutely not the sort of place a person on a bicycle should need to ride.

I hate every second that I ride on E. Marginal Way, both when I’m headed north and when I’m on my way south to work. As I assured my boss this morning—and I’m assuring you, too, Mom—I always ride on the sidewalk* when I’m on the southern stretch of E. Marginal Way, unless I’m with Rob. Two cyclists is more visible than one, I hope.

Quite a few people today have proposed a separated cycle track along the West Seattle commute section of E. Marginal Way. I think that’s absolutely necessary—and I can’t imagine who would oppose it. Especially the Port and all the local companies. I mean, who would want to be that poor semi truck driver? By all the early accounts, he wasn’t at fault, it was just a shitty situation on both ends.

I know I’m being overly optimistic about a cycle track being supported by the industrial residents of SODO (see also: the Missing Link), but seriously. It’s not a matter of bikes vs. cars, commuters vs. industry, or whatever vs. whoever. It’s a matter of two very different usages of the same stretch of road. The problem’s not going to go away on its own, and neither side is going to “win.”

There are no safe routes for cyclists through SODO.

Yet we still ride through it. Every day.

Trucks are not going away. Cyclists are not going away.

What can we do to make this work?

* Before you point out that riding on the sidewalk can be dangerous, too, let me just say that it puts me in control. I’d rather be on the offensive, riding more slowly and watching for cars at driveways than trust that each semi speeding along at 20 mph over the limit is going to see me. On the sidewalk, I can 100% control whether I put myself in the path of a car. On the roadway, I am just 100% in the path of cars, and it’s up to them whether or not they run me over.

After a Seattle Metro bus put me on the ground last April**, I just don’t trust drivers anymore.

** I just noticed that the date on that post is also May 1, just in 2012 (although my “accident” was earlier). Creepy.

The post A sunny, sad sort of day appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

Something functional and fun, with plenty of space for commuting, or a grocery run.

To be totally fair, I don’t think this is going to be a hardcore grocery run sort of bag—I think it’s sturdy enough, but I’m not sure I’d stuff it full of heavy produce or canned goods. Rather, it’ll be a good bag for all those light-but-voluminous items like lettuce, bread, and bags of marshmallows. (You know, for camping only. Not for eating straight out of the bag—I would never do that.)

Think of this as the final project in my inner tube tutorial series. It’s a culmination of a lot of techniques we talked about, like cleaning, cutting, gluing, and machine sewing. I can’t promise I’ll never post about inner tube crafting again, but I can tell you that I’ve got it out of my system for a little bit.

A week, at least.

If you’re still not sick of inner tubes, stick around. Let’s make an oilcloth & inner tube shopping pannier.

You need:

• 3 road bike inner tubes
• 1 yard oilcloth
• 1 yard lining fabric
• contact cement
• large button
• About 5 yards bias binding
• 1 coroplast election yard sign

Cut list:

Cut out of oilcloth and lining fabric. Remember geometry class: trapezoid height refers to the measurement from top to base, not the length of the legs.

• 2 trapezoids with a base of 10″, top of 13″, and height of 15″
• 2 trapezoids with a base of 7″, top of 9″, and a height of 15″
• 1 10″ x 7″ square

Baste the oilcloth to the lining

Baste the wrong side of the oilcloth to the wrong side of the lining fabric. I decided to do it this way rather than making a separate lining bag because I thought it’d offer a bit more strength when sewing on the straps and other hardware.

Make straps

Take 3 half-lengths of inner tube, and—without cutting them open—wash well and dry.

Hopefully the tubes aren’t full of the green goo used to repair flats. If so, ew. Grab another one and use the gooed ones for a step that involves washing the inside of the tube, too.

Stitch all 3 halves along the length 1/4″ from either side.

Plan

Use a ballpoint pen to mark a few lines on your trapezoid pieces. Don’t worry about mistakes—the ink cleans right off with rubbing alcohol if you need it to.

On all trapezoid pieces: Mark a line 2.5″ up from the bottom.

On one small trapezoid: Mark 2 vertical parallel lines that are 3″ apart, centered. (This is for the reflective strips; optional.)

On both big trapezoids: Mark all the yellow lines on your back piece, and only the 2 vertical lines on your front piece:

Stitch down the straps

On both the big trapezoids, stitch an inner tube strap along the vertical yellow lines. Extend the bottom of the inner tube down 1/2″ past the lower yellow line, and reinforce it well at the top.

Note: You may want to drop the feed dogs here—I found that was the only way to keep the oilcloth from puckering, like so:

For the front piece

In order to secure the top of the bag, I decided to make a little button closure to go around the back strap. Here’s a closeup:

I used a large ladybug button that I had left over from a coat I made for my niece. I’m a bit embarrassed at how completely and utterly happy it makes me.

To make the button closure, cut a piece of inner tube that’s 8″ long and about 3/16″ wide. Thread the button through, then knot the ends together.

Stitch it on the front piece, 8″ from the top and dead center between the straps. Stitch it as close to the button as you can.

For the back piece

On the back piece, stitch the 3rd inner tube strap along the upper yellow line. Leave a gap across both straps—this is where your bungee cord hooks will go through.

Take a 6″ length of the remaining strap piece, fold it in half, and stitch it down at the halfway point of the lower yellow line, with the ends extending 1/2″ below it.

Ignoring the rubber base and bungee cord, it’ll look like this. (Sorry, I thought I’d taken a photo of the finished piece. Turns out I did not.)

Add Reflectivity (optional)

On the smaller trapezoid you marked, add reflective strips in between the 3″ lines. I cut them at varying widths to make it a bit more interesting. You don’t need to extend the reflective pieces beyond the 2 1/2″ line at the bottom—that’ll be covered up by the rubber bottom.

(Again with the forgetting to take photos of the finished piece.)

Sew it all together

Sew the trapezoids all together along the long ends. If you’re only adding reflective stripes on one side, make sure it ends up being the side that faces to the rear once the bag’s mounted on your rack.

Trim down the seams, then finish with bias binding.

On the inside of the back, sew a couple strips of bias tape across in order to hold the coroplast in place. This will give you the option of removing the coroplast if you want to (or if you no longer like the candidate on the sign).

In hindsight, I should have sewn a pocket on the bottom, rather than just a strap. It would be a bit more secure.

Sew the bottom square to the small end of the trapezoid, and finish with bias binding.

Turn the bag right side out, then finish the top edge with bias tape.

Make the rubber bottom

Cut your remaining 1 and a half inner tubes open lengthways and wash them well. Cut them into 16″ pieces.

Make a flat mat of inner tubes that measures 11″ x 15″ like so:

Stitch the pieces together lengthways until you get a piece that’s about 12″ wide.

Square the ends so that the piece is about 14″ wide, then stitch a half-width of inner tube along both ends.

Square the whole piece to 11″ x 15″.

On the inside, mark a square 2 1/2″ in from all edges.

Fold up the edges (using the square you drew as the base) and secure with binder clips.

Test the fit by setting your oilcloth bag inside.

Stitch down the triangles in the corners. I had problems with skipped stitches at this point, so I tried changing out my needle. That helped a little bit, but I think my machine was just not interested in sewing through 3 layers of inner tubes….

Glue the base to the bag

Spread a thin layer of contact cement over the bottom of the bag and the bottom of the rubber bottom. (I used an index card folded in half as a squeegee.) Don’t try to do it all at once. Let it dry for 10 minutes, then stick them together.

Repeat with one long side, then the other.

After both long sides are done, use a paint brush to coat the short sides with contact cement. Let dry, then press together.

Finishing

Cut out of coroplast:

• 1 trapezoid with a base of 10″, a top of 12″ and a height of 12.5″
• 1 10″ x 7″ square

Insert the trapezoid down the back, and wedge the square in the bottom.

Shorten a bungee cord so that it fits comfortably like so:

Add a Velcro strap that loops through the lower tab. The hooks will go over the top of the rack, and the Velcro will loop around the lower legs of the rack.

You’re done!

Whew! While I had a lot of fun with this whole series, and this project in particular, I’m really looking forward to using my machine for materials that are a little less hard on it. Please leave any thoughts, questions or suggestions in the comments section. I look forward to seeing your own projects!

The post Tutorial: oilcloth & inner tube shopping pannier appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

This is the sixth part in a series on crafting with inner tubes. You can find the introduction, learn about how to choose and clean inner tubes, how to cut inner tubes, how to glue inner tubes with contact cement, and 3 ways to hand-sew inner tubes by following the links.

And in case you missed it, check out the interview I did with Nancy McDonald of Re-Velo Bags. She’s got a lot more tips to add about working with inner tubes.

If it’s not obvious by now, I really enjoy crafting with inner tubes. I love that they’re a recycled craft material, and I love their industrial-chic look.

One of my absolute favorite things to do is to sew with them. Mostly I make pretty straightforward things like belts and wrist cuffs, but after all this series I’m inspired to branch out into making bags, too.

Ideally I’d have an industrial sewing machine that could handle the inner tube abuse, but since I have nowhere to put it, it’s out of the question.

I’ve sewn inner tubes on my old Singer, as well as on my new Pfaff Ambition. I was a bit nervous about using the Pfaff, actually. Even though I knew it was a much stronger machine than the Singer, I was deathly afraid of destroying such an expensive purchase.

The very first project I sewed on it, though, was an inner tube belt for an Etsy order.

It performed amazingly better than the Singer. It has a built-in dual feed (Pfaff calls it the IDT—Integrated Dual Transportation) which helps move the rubber through the machine. Add in a teflon presser foot and titanium needle, and sewing inner tubes is relatively easy.

Not entirely easy, however. Sewing inner tubes is still difficult, but I’ve learned some tricks along the way. Back in October I wrote a post that gave some tips for sewing inner tubes on a home sewing machine. I’ve sewn a lot more since, and it’s time for an update.

Especially since on Friday Saturday I’ll be posting a tutorial I’m really excited to share: sewing a shopping pannier using inner tubes and oilcloth. It’ll be super helpful to keep these tips in mind if you decide to make it.

Use the right tools

Sewing inner tubes is so much easier with a few simple tools: particularly a teflon presser foot and titanium needles. You could use denim or leather needles, too, but I prefer titanium because they won’t dull as quickly. I found titanium needles at my local fabric store, and the teflon presser foot at Quality Sewing & Vacuum, where I bought my machine.

Clean off your needle from time to time with rubbing alcohol, since it can get a bit sticky from the rubber.

Keep an eye on your tension

Stitch a couple practice lines to check your machine’s tension. Be sure to check the bobbin thread—it may look totally fine on top, but be snarled below.

I find that I need to keep my tension higher than normal (in the 7-9 range).

Check the tension every time you change thicknesses—like if you double over the end of a belt to sew on a buckle.

Drop the feed dogs

If you find yourself stitching inner tubes to something other than themselves, you may encounter problems with both fabrics feeding at different rates. I had this problem with sewing inner tubes to oilcloth—the thinner oilcloth fed at a faster speed, which made it pucker horribly.

I tried a half-dozen different things before I finally thought to lower my feed dogs. (My Singer didn’t have the option, so I forget sometimes that it’s possible to do.) I left the upper IDT feed on. I had to manually pull the work so that it fed through, but the result was that everything lay perfectly smooth.

How about you? What are your favorite tips for sewing with inner tubes?

The post 3 tips for sewing with inner tubes appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

I’ve been wanting to get back to sewing more bike bags, ever since my first oilcloth bicycle pannier, so I’m looking forward to sharing this new one with you.

In the mean time, if you’re not completely over inner tube crafts just yet, I want to invite you to head over to my inner tube craft Pinterest board, where I’ve been collecting tutorials, tips and tricks that I’ve come across in my research.

Have a great weekend!

Jessie

The post Pinteresting: Inner tube crafts appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

This is the fifth part in a series on crafting with inner tubes. You can find the introduction, learn about how to choose and clean inner tubes, how to cut inner tubes, and how to glue inner tubes with contact cement by following the links.

Today I’m going to show you a couple different techniques for hand-sewing inner tubes, using inner tube laces.

I’m taking a lot of inspiration from leather stitching, where you punch holes for the laces, then stitch your pieces together using sinew. Using inner tubes makes it a 100% vegan craft.

Use binder clips to hold your pieces securely, then punch through both layers at once so all your holes line up.

Cut the laces about 1/8″-3/16″ wide. I used a yarn needle to sew with.

Tandy Leather Factory’s Leathercraft ABC’s has a great collection of tips on sewing leather, as well as other stitches you might want to try.

Baseball stitch

To stitch two edges together so that they meet, insert your needle from bottom to top through the first hole. Do the same on the other side through the second hole, then back to the first side through the third hole, etc. Keep crossing over, lacing every other hole bottom to top. (Like lacing up shoes.)

Once you’ve gotten to the end, repeat the process to lace up the skipped holes.

Whip Stitch

The whip stitch is a great way to join two edges with wrong sides together. Either do a single whip stitch:

Or double it up by whipping through all the holes from the opposite direction.

Triple Loop Stitch

This was a really fun one to try, and I love the decorative way it looks. Head on over to Kingsmere Crafts for a really detailed tutorial on how to do it.

Enjoy!

The post 3 ways to hand-sew inner tubes appeared first on Bicitoro: bikes and crafts.

I also just have to point out clever her shop motto: “Turning flat inner tubes into well-rounded accessories.” Love it!

JK: I see on your blog that you ride a bamboo cargo bike—that your boyfriend made! I know this interview is supposed to be about inner tube crafting, but can you please tell me about it? It looks amazing!

NM: I love my bamboo bike! it only weighs 26 lbs. so it’s super light for a cargo bike—or any bike really. It’s wheel-base is 5″ longer than a regular bike so I can put larger panniers to carry all my junk on the back and not hit my heels on the edge of the bags when I pedal. It’s great for commuting or all day riding. It’s very flexy so it’s comfortable for long rides and over bumps. The joints are hemp and epoxy. I’m hoping he’ll make me another bike this summer. You can never have enough!

Tell me a bit about your Etsy shop, Re-Velo. What inspired you to work with inner tubes?

I’ve always enjoyed riding bikes and I met my boyfriend in a bike shop where he was working as the head mechanic. He showed me an inner tube bag made by another company that was sent to a shop where he was working and I thought “I can do better than that.” Plus, the material is free! Bike shops love to give away tubes to someone who can use them. I was also working at a job that used industrial sewing machines so I had access to a machine that could handle sewing rubber. All the stars aligned and I just kinda fell into a business of my own. I had no aspirations before that but it’s been really satisfying owning my own business and working on all the many aspects of it from the designing to the sewing, blogging, photographing the items, shipping, etc.

Do you sew things besides the bags you sell in your Etsy shop? What other crafty outlets do you have?

I’ve sewn clothes all my life. I took fashion design in college. I don’t sew as much as I’d like. I have a couch in my living room that could REALLY use a new outfit…I made potholders for all my friends one Christmas with one of those little metal looms. I handmade Christmas cards one year. I like to cook and garden—anything where I can work with my hands. I was a videographer for many years. I’ve made jewelry, done ceramics, even re-tiled my shower with 4 different tile colors and 2 grout colors.I generally learn enough about something to create what I want, then move on to something else. I’d like to learn to weld. I’ll build my own bamboo bike frame at some point. I have a great teacher for that one!

Do you sell your bags anywhere else besides Etsy?

I did sell on my site for awhile but it was a pain to manage. I sell my stuff at a local bike shop. I could sell a lot more if I had more time to sew and market myself. I have gotten huge orders from our local Bike Week celebration organizers. I really have to gear up for those well in advance. They order 300 to 500 items each year. I also have a Zibbet shop and I’ve just signed up for my first local show. It’s actually an Earth Fair, not a craft show. I’m looking forward to getting some customer interaction and feedback.

I’d love to hear the logistics of how you work with inner tubes. What kind of sewing machine do you use, and why? Do you have a dedicated machine? Any suggestions on needles, thread, etc.?

It’s not easy. There has been a lot of trial and many errors. I have a Rex industrial machine that I use for everything. I got it dirt cheap from a former boss. It can handle the thickness of several layers of rubber easily. I still have to hand turn the wheel on certain parts so the needle won’t break. I use a Teflon foot so the rubber will feed through properly. Even then, it can be a challenge. Some tubes I just give up on because they are so “sticky” despite washing them in my washing machine and then scrubbing them by hand after I cut the pieces. I use regular thread. I’ve used heavy duty thread also on larger items. I use a size 14 needle to make the smallest hole I can. I also use a silicone spray on the machine and needles occasionally. It’s always a challenge to sew rubber though. Every time I sew woven fabric I’m shocked at how EASY it is.

How do you “pin” the inner tubes while you’re working?

I don’t pin anything usually. Most things are really small so there’s no need. I definitely have to make sure everything is matching up constantly as I sew. For larger items where I piece strips together, I always cut way more length than I need so I can cut it down to size after all the pieces are sewn together. I do use binder clips on really large bags but I haven’t sewn anything big in awhile. It’s on my to-do list to make larger bags. I don’t plan on creating any messenger-type bags since so many people do those and at this point unless I feel I have something original to add, I want to stay with my unique designs.

How do you choose and clean your inner tubes?

I try to find the cleanest tubes I can to start with – especially after cutting open a few with green slime in them a few years ago. Not fun. I have a few widths that are requirements. My wallets must be made from tubes of a certain width because the width of the tube is the width of the finished wallet. My purse straps also need to match the D-ring size. But for everything else, I can usually use just about anything. I’m not too fond of 26″ tubes since they tend to curve too much. To clean tubes, I cut off the valves and usually slit the tube on the inner circumference with very sharp scissors. I then use a dry towel to wipe as much of the talc off as I can. I do all this outside. After I get several cut and wiped down, I put them in the washing machine. I wash them on warm with laundry soap. I like to use Zum laundry soap since it’s made locally and smells great but anything is fine. I hang them to dry and then cut them to size as I need them and then scrub them again by hand with a nylon scrub brush and Zum soap.

Last one: Give us a glimpse into you studio. What’s your favorite part about being there? What do you listen to or watch while working?

My studio is WAY too small but I make it work. I live in a 2 bedroom house and one bedroom is my studio. I have an industrial serger in my studio as well as my Rex machine so it’s pretty tight. I do haul my stuff into the living room occasionally when I’m doing some non-sewing parts of making bags so I can see Breaking Bad, Duck Dynasty or the Food Network.

Any time I get in the zone is my favorite part about being in my studio. It’s when everything just flows and I almost don’t have to think about what I’m doing. Everything just comes together with very little effort. It definitely doesn’t happen every time, but the fact that it might is a big part of what keeps me going back.

I listen to podcasts a lot. Fresh Air, This American Life, The Moth. I also listen to 60′s girl groups, Elvis Costello, Dusty Springfield, Burt Bacharach stuff, Tammy Wynette, White Stripes…I was the kid in high school listening to Billie Holiday and watching Marx Brothers movies. My music tastes are all over the board.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks for your interest in my little shop! I feel lucky to be alive and creating at this point in time. The internet has opened up so many opportunities for anyone who wants to make and sell products. I’ve sold items to customers in England, Australia, Italy, and just last week, Estonia! Whoda thunk it?

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