Ever since I made the first
Walker Bag, it seems every time I turn around I notice another person in need of a bag for their walker. So with an ever increasing list of names, I've completed another walker bag to be shipped to Oklahoma for my cousin's mother-in-law.
What is a Walker Bag? A walker bag helps someone who uses a walker hold the things they need..... maybe a phone, tissues, book they are reading..... while freeing their hands to use their walker safely, without having to juggle their
stuff, as they move about.
The photo below is of the first bag I made 'in use' on my elderly friend's walker. She's even brought it to church on her walker holding her bible and sunday school lesson. She had the biggest smile!
As a precaution, recipients do need to be warned not to pack their bag with too much
stuff, as it could make the walker unstable and hard to maneuver.
Using Laura's easy-to-follow
free pattern from
Laura's Sewing Studio.....
(Laura's
Hall of Fame included my first walker bag and there are also photos of others).....
.....this is what I came up with.... denim and toile....a great combination.
The front:
The back:
I kept this one simple. No decorative stitching, just a straight double stitch complements the 10 oz. denim and the toile twill. I am in love with this toile. It is washable, easy to work with and very pretty.
Instead of buttons I used 5/8" heavy-duty snaps. There is definitely a technique to using the specified pliers and installing these snaps. The directions on my package were of little help.....
...but after a few tries, and instructions from
sew4home....(though she used different-type snaps - I still 'got' it) ...they went in well.
I used a small piece of stabilizing fabric on the back of the twill.
The photo below is of the first walker bag I made, but I wanted to show you all the pockets Laura's
pattern provides...2 in front, 3 in back, and the entire middle, as shown here, is a large pocket.
(I now realize I should have made the buttonholes
perpendicular, and not parallel.)
This time I wanted to try out snaps instead of buttons. I'm asking each recipient to give me feedback of what they like about their bag and what modifications they would like to see, if any. I'm curious to find out what is thought about the snaps vs. buttons.
As a personal ministry, my goal is one walker bag per month this year. Hmmm.....I think I may be one behind.... this year is going by so fast!
~Lisa
Linking to:
I like this bag even better than the first one. You're right, that blue/white toile fabric is gorgeous. And what a good idea to use snaps instead of buttons! Often a person using a walker has a little arthritis in the fingers and buttons are difficult. I would think the snaps would be much easier to do and undo. Faster for anyone also!
ReplyDeleteHi Mama Pea ~ you would not believe how I went back-and-forth on the snaps vs. buttons thought! Once I got the hang of that tool and process, boy those snaps went in a lot faster than making buttonholes and sewing on buttons!
ReplyDeleteI am looking to make one of these for my mom from her father's overalls. Have you tried velcro? I'm not much with snaps.
ReplyDeleteI've not used velcro, but probably the strongest binding velcro would work. From what I understand, folks like to put a lot of stuff in these, and they can get heavy on their walker. Great idea what you are wanting to do! Good Luck!
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