So I was thinking.... A garment bag for Hubby

I go through phases with sewing for other people. Sometimes I don't mind but mostly I just like to sew for myself. But I do love giving handmade gifts. It's just more personal in my opinion. I mentioned last week that husband was consecrated a Bishop and I really wanted to MAKE him something.

I knew any of his robes/vestments was out of the question as I've not done any of that before. I thought about making a jewelry roll but he found a travel jewelry case online that he really liked so I left that alone.

Then it occurred to me that none of our garment bags would be long enough for him to carry his vestments. So I asked him how he intended to carry his robes (the service was two hours away so we had to travel). He said he was going to order a bag from Murphy's. So I went to murphy's website and looked at their bag dimensions. The bags they sell are pretty generic. I looked on Etsy because you can always find good inspiration there. I was mostly looking for the type of fabric to use. Then I visited Joann to be sure I could find the right supplies locally.

Armed with info I went to husband and said "So I was thinking...". He always gets nervous when I lead with this (and rightfully so) LOL! I explained to him that I wanted to make him something that would be a keepsake for the occasion. I told him of my idea to make a bag for his vestments. He had some questions. How long would it be? What color would it be? What type of fabric would I use?

I sketched out a couple of ideas for him. He actually gave quite a bit of input - which was heart-warming because he usually takes very little interest in my sewing. However when it comes to these types of things he knows exactly what he wants and he likes quality. (He's the only male I dated who had GOOD towels, real dishes and quality pots LOL).

The first option we discussed was a basic bag with a zippered front and two zippered pockets with his monogram on the front.

 

He decided he liked this 2nd option better. Very similar except this one has a panel at the top - leaving more blank space for embroidery. He asked for his full name + the date of his consecration.

He had given me two color options but burgundy was his first choice. However as far as long zippers go, there wasn't much choice. So the color of the embroidery was pretty much driven by the color of the zippers. Overall I think it came out very nice. It's a great contrast.

Here is the finished bag. He was very pleased with the outcome.

 

Here is a close-up of the embroidery. I recently upgraded my sewing machine and I am really enjoying the larger embroidery hoop.

He was so impressed he asked me to make bags for his fraternal brothers - the other two pastors who were also consecrated the same day. Both of their bags also included their full names and consecration dates. I neglected to take pictures of their bags. The bags were a big hit and husband said several people were inquiring if I could make more. I think I'm going to add a listing on my Etsy shop.

Now he wants another bag that's thick enough to carry about 3-4 suits in. I think I have it all worked out in my head. Just have to put it on paper. For this bag I used approximately 2-2.5 yards of duck canvas. The zipper was a 72 inch home dec zipper from Joann. It also includes a D-ring at the bottom which can be hooked over the hanger so it doesn't drag the ground when walking.