Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Yikes.

This is my very poorly executed attempt at the sandwich wrap from Betz White's Sewing Green.

sandwich wrap

Problem 1: In the book, she uses PUL. I used cotton duck cloth, because I had it on hand and I am, generally speaking, not into the whole plastic-coated-cloth thing. But because she used PUL, she didn't have to worry about unraveling edges and only turned the hem once before giving it a straight stitch. I mish-mashed a couple of variations together to see what worked best (or at all). For the main wrap piece, I turned the hem twice and straight stitched. For the side panels, I turned the hem once and zig-zag stitched. You can see that pretty well in the photo below because I used bright, contrasting thread. I thought the blue thread would help cute up the plain gray fabric. Which I still think it would have, had it not been for Problem 2.

Problem 2: I was lazy with my sewing. My lines are not straight. When I messed up a seam, I didn't rip it out and try again. No, I just backstitched and restitched right over it. And my sewing on of the velcro was beyond sloppy. Not pretty.

Problem 3: Size. This is the only problem that isn't a total function of my dysfunction. I think this wrap is just a bit too wide. It doesn't really hold the sandwich tight. Well, it didn't seem to really hold the sandwich I made this morning as tight as I think I'd like.

sandwich wrap

Despite its flaws, which are many, I sent it to work with Adam today. Lucky boy.

He said it held the sandwich together fine, it didn't leak mustard or anything, and he'd be willing to use it again. The only issue, which he didn't think was a big deal at all, was that the bread gets a wee bit drier since there isn't that plastic lining.

Verdict: It Works! Whew. Now I'll have to try to make one with some attention to detail so it isn't such a mess!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Negative, I know, BUT ... if you don't care for the plastic lining (which I would have thought was the whole point ... to keep it fresh), why not just wrap a large, thick napkin around it and pin it shut with a safety pin? For the cute factor, you could just embroider the napkin.

Sarah said...

A napkin and a safety pin would certainly work. Actually, that had never even occured to me!

I do like the duck cloth, though, because it is a lot thicker and stiffer than even a really thick napkin. So it offers a more protection (from getting smushed, from any wetness or condensation in his lunch bag or the fridge at work, etc.). And the wrap is easier to fold and velcro. Not a lot, but enough.

Sure, using fabric with plastic lining would probably keep the bread a little fresher, but Adam thought the texture difference was pretty slight and he's the one using it (I don't actually take sandwiches in my lunch).

Actually, Adam has been using this wrap since I made it and seems to be pretty happy with it. Most of the problems were just with my VERY lazy sewing. Even the width of the wrap doesn't seem to be a problem like I thought it might.