the M bag

I completed the body of the M bag today. I sewed the liner pieces to the outside pieces, instead of sewing the liner separately from the outer. This meant I had to bind all the seams with grosgrain ribbon, which was tough in the spots that there was upwards of 8-9 layers, as I do not use any binding feet on my walking foot machine.
Here are some photos of the inside. Although my bags are made out of rubber, I still feel that the insides should be beautiful and professional.

I couldn't sew over the zipper and 6 layers, I had to burn the edges of the zipper and grosgrain ribbon, and use some seam glue so the zipper and lining material wouldn't fray.


These were taken on my phone, tomorrow I will take some product shots in good lighting conditions.

New Bag

I was asked to make a bag for my friend Emily. She is an avid biker and runner, and she wanted a more feminine bag made from vegan components. She told me about a few Coach bags whose styles she likes, so I worked from there as far as dimensions and styling are concerned. It felt weird to click around the Coach site.
The working prototype turned out okay. I will have to adjust how I sewed the lining and the exterior, as I don't have a bag finishing machine and that makes it impossible to properly close my larger bags.
Here is a work in progress photo of what I hope is the final bag.

Camera Strap and Strap Pad

My brother is going to be leaving the states to go on a big 4 month trip. He and his girlfriend are going to Central and South America. They commissioned me to make a few accessories for their travels. I made them laptop sleeves, a camera strap, a strap pad (for a bag that had a very narrow, leather strap), and a camera bag. I didn't have the time to make the camera bag, though I would have liked to attempt it.
Here are some photos of their stuff:

Cupcakes!

After seeing the Etsy feature on this shop, and realizing it was a mile from my home, I took a little trip. First I ran an international order to the post office, then I ran to buy some cupcakes. It was fun to go in person to a local shop that I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for Etsy! I also felt great supporting their shop, and felt super great eating their deliciousness!
I got three "It's Always Sunny" cupcakes. They were quite yummy, and not too sweet. Under the tasty frosting was a pocket of lemon meringue. My kids didn't like them at all, which meant I got to eat all three!! And of course it's best to eat them when they are fresh, so let's just say I should have run 4 times as long as I did to make up for my cupcake calories.
Here is their Etsy Shop.

Anchor Pouch

Living in the city is very inspiring. But a lot of the time, I don't see the inspiration. I see the dirt, I feel the intensity of stress, I see the poverty. I went for a run the other day with my son, that I wrote about here. While out, I saw a helicopter, an airplane, a train, cars, trucks, boats, and a submarine. The Delaware River was particularly inspiring to me. I love water, and the juxtaposition of water and land.
Here is my favorite shot from that run:
I made a zipper pouch with a teal vinyl anchor on it based on that inspiration. It has a very unique zipper opening:

Check it out in my shop.

The Girlfriend

Here is a bag I call The Girlfriend:
It is named because it is the perfect gift to get your girl while you are shopping for Tube Heaven bags for yourself. That way she won't feel left out of your purchase.

I just had a nice couple of days off with family in upstate NY. I spent some time trying to explain the whole Tube Heaven concept to them, which was quickly resolved once they touched my wallet, my backpack, etc. I turned them into lovers of the reincarnated rubber!

My little helper

My 4 year old daughter likes to get involved in my small business as much as possible. I try to include her as safety and time permit. Today I had her help me cut some tubes that I had already sewn together. I marked lines for her to cut. She did a great job and made it more enjoyable!
Two nights ago, she helped me clean out a bag full of tubes that I cut open. She was a great scrubber! We used liquid castile soap in the bathtub.

Inspiration for sewing bike tubes

This bag sold after being listed for a few hours. I will try to post more laptop sleeves as soon as possible!

You may wonder where I got inspired to sew bike tubes together. Or where I even learned that it was possible! For a few months in the fall of 2009, I had an internship at an awesome shop called Fabric Horse here in Philadelphia. I worked under Carrie and Alex as their cutter, snap applier, and clean up girl. I learned a ton from Carrie and Alex, and Carrie eventually introduced me to the industrial walking foot machines. One of the awesome items she makes and sells are spats. They are super cool, and also have a strap made from bicycle tubes. This was the first time I had seen or heard of anyone using bike tubes. Carrie is inspiring and awesome!

How do bike tubes go from busted to bags?

 

You may wonder how I transform bike tubes into bags. The first step is acquiring blown bike tubes. My husband works in a small bicycle shop, so he is my supplier of those. When I have a large bagful of them, it is time to dissect, wash, and dry them. I slice them open, clean them in a sink full of eco-friendly suds, and then hang them to dry outside. I try to pay attention to areas of dry rot or holes and cut them out. 

Next, it is time to stitch them into stuff. I have a Consew industrial walking foot machine. It can sew through 8 layers of leather. I purchased the machine head on Craigslist and the table through my local industrial sewing shop, Keystone.

I sew with heavy duty bonded nylon thread, with a breaking strength of about 8 pounds. You can't rip this thread with your hands! I stitch a few tubes together, and from there I cut and sew whatever I want! I buy zipper in bulk, so it is actually a huge reel of zipper. I cut it to the desired length and add the zipper pulls! 

I make my own sew-in labels with my inkjet printer and printable fabric.

Inaugural Post

This is the first Tube Heaven post. I want to show where I come from, what I do, why I do it, and how I do it. Here is a little of where, North Philly. These are some walls behind my house: