I did it!
Last night I sewed the rectangular rings for the strap onto the bag, then I took a deep breath and tossed it in the washer.
Observation: Eeew. The inside of the washer smelled like a wet sheep.
I sincerely hope I haven’t clogged anything with wooly debris on account of the pillowcase kept coming untied and I’d find the bag loose in the washer shedding bits everywhere. I couldn’t find any loose bits to pull out before I spun the water out, though.
Right now it’s drying. I cut some cardboard pieces, stuck them in grocery sacks, and put them inside, with more grocery sacks in between, so I think it’ll block nicely. It started out about 13½” wide and 14½” tall and is now about 10″ wide and 12½” tall. I’d hoped to get it just a touch smaller, but I ended up deciding that was a good size. I love the way the flap came out; the shells lost all their stitch definition but give it a nice texture.
Photos forthcoming after it finishes drying and I sew the strap on.
Oh, and line it. This makes two bags I need to line, so I think I’ll just do them both at once and be done with it.
