See that roll that says "Clear Iron-on Vinyl"? That's the shiny stuff. And it's pretty cool. I have no real use for another cosmetic or toiletry bag but I wanted to check out this stuff that I had read about elsewhere. So, the best my imagination could come up with at that time was a toiletry bag since I was getting ready for a road trip anyway.
And boy, did I blunder! That cloth was in my stash and the colors are really much more vivid than they are in that photo and it also has a bit of a waterproof quality to it. I don't know what it is but it probably would be well used for outdoor cushions or something. I thought it might add to using it for a toiletry bag. Which it would have...if...I hadn't used an iron on it.
Unfortunately, I really didn't think of taking any pictures until I completed the project (doing the blog is a new concept to me).
See the pretty shiny lining inside?
Doesn't the toiletry bag look a little more 'square' than the usual rectangle?
There's a reason for that.
Okay, remember the words on that roll...'iron-on'? Remember that pretty fabric already seemed to have a water repellent feel to it? Wellllllll..... as soon as an iron touches it (which is impossible to avoid when using an iron on vinyl), it shrinks! I made the basic piece for the bag twice. Thought perhaps that I'd measured wrong. So, did it again and then I realized what was happening. That stuff apparently has a high nylon content in it and I lost a good inch at least in length when I ironed on the vinyl. You don't notice it while it's happening because you use a pressing cloth between the iron and the fabric so you can't really see the fabric while the iron is on it. I've been sewing for a long time. This should have occurred to me when cutting the fabric. But, alas, it worked out. It was more square than any cosmetic bag I had ever seen but I was able to load it with my bottles of bubbles and stuff for the trip.
