What's Happening...

Welcome to all of my new followers and Facebook fans, it's great to have you here!  This blog is going to be filling out a little more over the next few weeks. I have some great tips for beginner sewers and bag makers that will hopefully give you one of those "AHA!" moments where you say, "Oh that's how you do it, it's that easy". 

Stay tuned because over the next couple of weeks I'll be adding PDF patterns, and more free tutorials! These will all be announced on my Facebook page.

I'll also be putting links and write-ups to some of your great businesses on my blog. Message me you you want to be featured.

My Latest Addiction...

Are any of you on Pinterest?  I've looked a few times, and requested an account awhile ago and when my application was approved... nothing... I left it for more serious, time pressing issues.  Ok, Ok,  I was sewing.  But yesterday, I clicked over to it and started some boards and just couldn't stop pinning and pinning.  I have a lot of items in my Favourites on ETSY, and they got pinned. Some places I want to get to some day, they got pinned. I pinned my bags, I pinned projects I want to make, I even pinned some soap in the shape of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!  If you want a fun way to make lists of your favourite things, or just want to see someone else's - go to Pinterest.

Thank you for looking,

Janelle

1)     Cut the width of your pocket piece 1.5” wider than your zipper is long and 12” high. My zipper is 7 inches so my pocket piece will be 8.5” x 12”.  You can use any length of zipper you like, and if you want your pocket a little deeper, you can add length there too.

HINT:  Make sure you are measuring just the zipper teeth, not the little fabric ends that stick past each end of the zipper (measure the bit between the metal staple things!)  See picture below.

2)     Adhere Interfacing to the entire 8.5 x 12” pocket piece if it is a light material. In this photo, I am using canvas for the pocket so I’m not interfacing the whole piece this time. If you are not using interfacing (like me) you still should adhere a 3” x the width (8.5” in this case) across the top of pocket piece. This will create a sturdy surface for the zipper to be sewn to.  So, I’ve ironed on a 3” x 8.5” piece of interfacing to the wrong size of the top end of my pocket piece. Interfacing is always a great idea because you want this pocket to be strong, and you don’t need your keys poking through. 

Stitch across open zipper tails.

3)     HINT:  Stitch the little tails that stick out beyond the zipper (on the open end) so they are connected. This will keep them closed and from coming apart when you are adding the zipper.





4)     On the end of the pocket with the interfacing, one inch down from the top, you will draw a rectangle that is the same width as the zipper teeth (measure yours exactly, mine is 7.25 inches).  The rectangle is 3/8” (1cm) wide.  So the rectangle I have drawn is 7.25” long x 3/8” wide.  Then, draw a line right through the middle of this rectangle with triangle points at each end, just like the picture. The triangle points are approx 3/8” from the ends.

5)     With right sides together, center the pocket piece where you want the pocket opening to be on the bag lining.

6)     Sew outside edge of drawn rectangle only. Do not sew the center line or triangle points.

Draw rectangle 3/8" x length of zipper. Sew border line only (pink).

7)     Clip the center line and triangle points by pushing a seam ripper through the center line and making a spot for the scissors to poke in. Snip along line with scissors, but do NOT stray off of the drawn line!  Be careful not to clip any stitches and do not clip off the triangles. 

8)     Take the pocket piece and push it right through the zipper opening to the wrong side of the lining piece. My fabric happens to be printed on both sides, so in the picture it won’t look like the wrong side - but I promise it is!  Smooth out with your fingers, easing out any puckers from both sides. Finger-press first and then press both sides flat with iron. Don’t stress over any puckers at the ends. 

9)     Flip your lining back over so the right side is up. Place the zipper underneath the hole and pin in place.  You don’t really need that many pins, you can adjust the zipper as you sew.  Use your zipper foot to sew zip in place. Stay about 1/8” or less away from zipper.  Go slowly and make nice straight stitching lines adjusting the zipper underneath as you go.

HINT: When you are sewing around the opening and you get to the zipper pull, you must slide it out of the way so you can get past it. Do this by dropping your needle into the fabric, lifting your presser foot and sliding your zipper pull a couple inches forward or back so it is out of the way. Whey you are going back the other direction, repeat and slide it the other way so you can get past it.


10)   The scariest part is over!  Fold the long end of the pocket piece up to match the top edges and pin all the way around. Sew around the pocket piece on 3 open sides. You will have to flip the lining out of the way as you sew around each side. Remember to back stitch! 

If you have found this tutorial helpful in the slightest way, please follow my blog by either GFC, Blog-lovin, or Email.   And... please share your finished bags with me in the Emmaline Sewing Patterns Group.  I love to see your finished Emmaline inspired projects!

Making straps for your purse or handbag is very easy, and kind of fun actually!  This is just a quick tutorial to get you through the basics. You can experiment with lengths, widths, and fabrics. Later, when you get adventuresome, you can add O-rings, D-rings, sliders, and lobster clips.  I just love the results, and they turn out so professional looking!


A typical handle length your bag strap is anywhere from about 18" to 26".  I will let you decide how long yours will be.
 

Handbag Straps - I love making them!

Let's get started:   

1.     Pull out your rotary cutter, mat, and ruler.  Out of canvas, twill, duck cloth, or quilting cotton, cut a rectangle that is 6 to 6.5" wide for a handbag strap that turns out about 1.5" wide. To get a strap that turns out 2" wide (for your large beach bags) cut a strip that is 8" wide.  Cut this width x the length of strap you have chosen.  

HINT:  If you cut it the width of your fabric from selvage to selvage, you may be able to do all your sewing at once and then cut it in half later to make two straps or cut some 4" lengths to be used as O-ring or D-ring tabs.   If you are using quilting cotton, you may want to fuse some interfacing down the middle of the strap leaving 1/4 of the width on either side without.)

2.     Fold entire strip in half length-wise and press. 

3.     Open again and fold outside edges towards center fold and press.

4.     Fold entire strip in half once again, meeting folded edges together and press.  Why four layers of fabric?  Because you won't need interfacing and it makes a nice sturdy, thick strap! 
 

 5.     Pin every few inches (optional).  TIP:  If you find that the top layer is sliding when you are stitching, I would highly recommend pinning before you do your first stitches on the open side. Pin every 3 inches or so. (Sometimes if I have a material that is sliding quite a bit on itself, I use a quilting foot or walking foot and it works like a dream.)

6.     Using a longer stitch length (3 - 3.5) top stitch along edges using a 1/8” seam and then again 1/8” to the inside to make two rows.  You might also like to stitch a few lines down the strap at ¼” to 3/8" intervals instead. This makes a very sturdy strap.  Experiment with different stitching colors and different weights of thread. Heavy duty thread and quilting thread make gorgeous stitches too. Press stitching to set stitches and heat shrink.
If you have found this tutorial helpful in the slightest way, please follow my blog by either GFC, Blog-lovin, or email.  And... please share your finished bags with me in the Emmaline Sewing Patterns Group.  I love to see your finished Emmaline inspired projects!

I can't stop daydreaming about what I want Emmaline to be someday and about everything I have to do to get it there, and I think it's time for Emmaline to start moving towards my end goal. There will be some changes. Not a sudden, big change, not a fast change, just little, slow changes made with "baby steps" that will eventually add up to something pretty massive! Oh, and one gigantic step around the globe...