There's been a slight rearranging of things to the right hand side there. You'll notice a new etsy shop. I decided to open sewJudyBags for the various bags I've been making. So, there's some shopping to be done if you don't want to make your own!
I look at it as a sewing adventure as try to create a good knitting bag or a good tote bag. Sometimes, it's so hard to find the perfect bag for my uses!
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Let's finish that hex bag!
Okay, I'm back with the end of the hex bag instructions. As I'm working my way through it, I realized that for this size, you can actually make a bag out of 2 fat quarters of the exterior fabric and 2 fat quarters of the interior fabric. So, you can have fun picking out fat quarters!
I did make one slight change between the last post and this. I opted to not include the instructions for the bag handles.
For the refresher:
Remember the 1/2 inch seam allowance!
For the exterior, start by ironing on the fusible quilted backing to your exterior piece. Then, with right sides together, pin the sides and the long bottom. Back stitch at the start and end, and sew along the three sides.
As with the interior, press the corner seams flat so that you match up the seams. Check the inside of the bag to make sure the seams are meeting and pin the outside along the seam. You can check both sides to make sure the pins are entering and exiting along the seam. Measure in from the very corner 2 inches and draw a line perpendicular to the seam. This line should be about 3 inches long. Now, sew along the line. It is very important to backstitch here. Repeat on the other side.
Trim the fabric to 1/4 inch from the seam. Turn the bag exterior right side out.
For the bag bottom, cut from the plastic mesh a piece that is 3 inches by 10 inches. To double check this measurement, measure along the seams at the bottom of the bag. You may need to trim the mesh down a little more. You just want it to fit the bottom and lie flat. I like to pin this to the bottom with safety pins while I install the feet to make sure it doesn't move.
To mark the location of the feet, I measure in 3/4 of an inch from the long side and 1.5 inches down from the short side and mark the fabric. I will mark it with a pen or a sharpie because you're going to be making an incision right through the marking and the feet will end up covering the ink.
Using your seam rippers, make a 1/4 inch incision for each bag foot. Depending on the size of the square of the mesh, you may also have to cut the mesh slightly for the bag feet to fit through the mesh.
Insert the feet from the bottom to the inside of the bag. You may need to use plyers to slightly separate the two prongs. Once there is enough of a separation, use your hands and bend the prongs down. Do this for all of the feet. The bag feet are now holding together your plastic mesh and the fabric.
When all the feet are installed, the inside of the bag should look like this:
The bottom exterior looks like this:
And now for the magical last steps
The exterior piece is right side out. The interior piece is wrong side out. Place the exterior piece inside the interior piece so that right sides are facing each other. Start by matching and pinning the seams. Once the seams are pinned, pin around the sides.
Sew around the top edge of the bag with your 1/2 inch seam allowance, being careful at the seams. You can backstitch at the start and end, or stitch straight through while making sure that the first and last stitches overlap and lock. You want these stitches to be locked in place. Trim your threads.
Remember, the bottom of the interior lining is open. Reach your hand through and pull the bag exterior out.
Seat the interior inside the exterior. Press the top seams and topstitch around the edge. Try to stitch as close to the edge as possible, while catching all layers of fabric. Be careful at the side seams so that you don't end up introducing any pleats.
Now, to finish off the sewing, pull the interior back out. Press a half inch seam allowance into the two open sides. Pin the gap together, matching the folds and top stitch the bottom closed, remember to back stitch at the start and end.
If the hex frame is fully closed, and the screws are in, you'll need to remove the screws first. The easiest way I've found to insert and remove the screws is to hold the frame in the open position so that the two sides are lying in a flat straight line. Sometimes, a third hand is useful here. Once it is open, you can push the screw in or out.
Once you have the frame disassembled, slide each frame piece through the frame casing. I like to lead with the side with one hole.
Hold the end open and put the pin in. Repeat on the other side.
And now, the bag is done!!!
I hope you had fun with this tutorial and were successful in your bag making attempt. I've shown you my thought process in the pattern drafting and how the bag was created so you can use different sized frame and make different sized bags based on this basic concept.
I did make one slight change between the last post and this. I opted to not include the instructions for the bag handles.
For the refresher:
- The materials list is at the bottom of this post:
- Pattern drafting is here
- Cutting the fabric and making the bag interior is here
Remember the 1/2 inch seam allowance!
For the exterior, start by ironing on the fusible quilted backing to your exterior piece. Then, with right sides together, pin the sides and the long bottom. Back stitch at the start and end, and sew along the three sides.
As with the interior, press the corner seams flat so that you match up the seams. Check the inside of the bag to make sure the seams are meeting and pin the outside along the seam. You can check both sides to make sure the pins are entering and exiting along the seam. Measure in from the very corner 2 inches and draw a line perpendicular to the seam. This line should be about 3 inches long. Now, sew along the line. It is very important to backstitch here. Repeat on the other side.
Trim the fabric to 1/4 inch from the seam. Turn the bag exterior right side out.
For the bag bottom, cut from the plastic mesh a piece that is 3 inches by 10 inches. To double check this measurement, measure along the seams at the bottom of the bag. You may need to trim the mesh down a little more. You just want it to fit the bottom and lie flat. I like to pin this to the bottom with safety pins while I install the feet to make sure it doesn't move.
To mark the location of the feet, I measure in 3/4 of an inch from the long side and 1.5 inches down from the short side and mark the fabric. I will mark it with a pen or a sharpie because you're going to be making an incision right through the marking and the feet will end up covering the ink.
Using your seam rippers, make a 1/4 inch incision for each bag foot. Depending on the size of the square of the mesh, you may also have to cut the mesh slightly for the bag feet to fit through the mesh.
Insert the feet from the bottom to the inside of the bag. You may need to use plyers to slightly separate the two prongs. Once there is enough of a separation, use your hands and bend the prongs down. Do this for all of the feet. The bag feet are now holding together your plastic mesh and the fabric.
When all the feet are installed, the inside of the bag should look like this:
The bottom exterior looks like this:
And now for the magical last steps
The exterior piece is right side out. The interior piece is wrong side out. Place the exterior piece inside the interior piece so that right sides are facing each other. Start by matching and pinning the seams. Once the seams are pinned, pin around the sides.
Remember, the bottom of the interior lining is open. Reach your hand through and pull the bag exterior out.
Seat the interior inside the exterior. Press the top seams and topstitch around the edge. Try to stitch as close to the edge as possible, while catching all layers of fabric. Be careful at the side seams so that you don't end up introducing any pleats.
If the hex frame is fully closed, and the screws are in, you'll need to remove the screws first. The easiest way I've found to insert and remove the screws is to hold the frame in the open position so that the two sides are lying in a flat straight line. Sometimes, a third hand is useful here. Once it is open, you can push the screw in or out.
Once you have the frame disassembled, slide each frame piece through the frame casing. I like to lead with the side with one hole.
Hold the end open and put the pin in. Repeat on the other side.
And now, the bag is done!!!
I hope you had fun with this tutorial and were successful in your bag making attempt. I've shown you my thought process in the pattern drafting and how the bag was created so you can use different sized frame and make different sized bags based on this basic concept.
Friday, May 24, 2013
FO Friday - Heartbroken Valentine
I do love my spinning progression pictures.
This fiber is a Bullseye Bump from Loop! It's a piece of roving in a long color gradient so you get some really long stretches of color. The colorway is named "Moody Valentine".
It starts from a dark purple and transitions to grey and then white, then pink and finally black.
I navojo plied the yarn and ended up atih 365 yards of something close to worsted weight.
The pattern is called "Fragile Heart" and so I decided to call this project "Heartbroken Valentine". The shawl is knit from the center out with increases on every row at the sides. With each section of the pattern, you move up a needle size so interchangeable needles come in handy here.
This fiber is a Bullseye Bump from Loop! It's a piece of roving in a long color gradient so you get some really long stretches of color. The colorway is named "Moody Valentine".
It starts from a dark purple and transitions to grey and then white, then pink and finally black.
I navojo plied the yarn and ended up atih 365 yards of something close to worsted weight.
The pattern is called "Fragile Heart" and so I decided to call this project "Heartbroken Valentine". The shawl is knit from the center out with increases on every row at the sides. With each section of the pattern, you move up a needle size so interchangeable needles come in handy here.
Friday, May 10, 2013
FO Friday - fast knits and not so fast knits!
I actually finished this Honey Cowl a couple of months ago. I just never got around to taking a picture. The Honey Cowl usually calls for a DK weight yarn. I used bulky. I cast on 250 stitches to start. Let me just say, this thing is HUGE! It can hang from my neck down to my knees!
Next up is Henslowe.
It's a little shawlette that fits just around my neck. It was such a quick knit that I started it last Thursday and finished it up on Wednesday. I used 1 skein of MadelineTosh tosh merino light in the Tomato color. There was something about this project had me obsessively knitting it. Otherwise, I don't think I would have finished it so quickly. I think I will make another one but much much bigger.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)