Kate Bird – Fiber Artist

Author: Kate Bird

  • Designing and Creating Your Own Tool Kits

    Demo for the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild, September 2025

    Making your own tool kits is a fun way to put your art fabrics to use and allows you to design exactly what you need for your workflows.

    Process

    1. Design your tool
      • Consider workflow: what tools do you use together? How do you use them?Consider the best elements and materials to store and easily access these tools.
      • Think through construction by sketching on paper.
    2. Make a prototype
      • Test ideas with low-stakes materials (muslin, cardboard) and minimal finishing.Approach this as an artist, not as sewist! Be inventive, not a construction perfectionist.
      • The goal: a useful tool, not perfectly finished corners!
    3. Make your first version
      • This is a great opportunity to use your dyed and printed fabrics or items from the free table.
      • No need to consider something finished – keep exploring ideas through updates or new copies.
    4. Document your process
      • Keep your sketches, notes and prototypes.
      • Add notes about the materials you use, things you learned during the design and creation process, and any ideas you have for future iterations.

    Example Tools

    • Needle case
    • Notions bag
    • Project bag
    • Tool bag
    • Tool belt
    • Apron
    • Sewing machine mat
    • Pincushion bracelet
    • Tool roll

    Elements and Materials

    • Pockets measured to fit each tool
    • Canvas and elastic tool loops
    • Grommets for guiding yarn & thread
    • Felt for needles
    • Peltex, cardboard, felt for stiffening
    • Magnets for needles, pins, stitch markers
    • Metal sheets for magnets
    • Snap, zipper, draw string closures
    • Old bags, totes and belts

    Resources

    Find patterns and tutorials for similar items that you can use as a starting point and guide and then adapt and riff on.

    Explore books available through the library

    • Sew What! Bags:
      18 Pattern-Free Projects You Can Customize to Fit Your Needs
    • The Bag Making Bible:
      The Complete Creative Guide to Sewing Your Own Bags
    • Sewing Terrific Totes & Carryalls:
      40 Bags for Shopping, Working, Hiking, Biking, And More
    • Simple Bags Japanese Style:
      Twenty Designs to Sew

    Look for ideas and inspiration online. Find examples from other crafts and professions – woodworkers, cooks, and gardeners all have interesting options to draw from.