A couple of bags

I made this bag for my Mum for Mother's Day.  It was a little bit late.  I bought the main fabric months ago, from Spotlight, because it looked like a print that she would like.  Then with all the Covid isolation goings on, I completely forgot about it.  Then when I remembered, it was taking weeks and weeks for parcels to be delivered, so I didn't even bother.  

Mother's Day came and went, and then I was asked to sew a tote bag as part of a present for a friend, which I did.  I had forgotten how satisfying bag making can be.  Choosing the fabric, scrabbling through the stash for supplies and hardware, getting just the pockets you need, sewing cotton that behaves well and not having to worry about fit issues!  I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I finished my friend's bag, I started on this one for my Mum.

The bag pattern is based on the gingham tote in "handmade style" by Anna Graham of Noodlehead.  I left off the exterior pockets and changed the interior ones.  I also altered the pattern to have the black base.

The main fabric is from the popular Jocelyn Proust range at Spotlight.  I interfaced the bag with "By Annie Soft and Stable".  I bought this interfacing several years ago, but this is the first time that I have used it.  The bag holds its shape well and the interfacing is light for the amount of bulk it adds.  I usually prefer canvas type fabrics for bags so that I don't need to interface them, but I was won over by this print.  It is a quilting cotton, and I have since learned that Spotlight carries a Jocelyn Proust range in the upholstery section, which would probably work better.  

The yellow fabric is a gorgeous remnant leftover from sewing this skirt eight years ago.  I have been saving the scraps for something special. I made the strap adjustable, but I only had one D ring in the right size, so the strap is attached directly to the bag on the other side.  

My stash of zips is getting quite low, so I was quite pleased that I found this orange zip of a suitable length.

I have been using this next bag as my daily bag for a few months now.

It might be hard to recognise, but the main bag pattern pieces are from the Sydney Cross-body bag by Swoon patterns.  I have greatly simplified the bag, leaving off the zips and once again changing the pockets to suit.  You can see this pattern made up fully in this post.  

The main fabric is a beautiful outdoor canvas.  I bought a remnant piece from Otilly & Lewis and have been hoarding for years.  It is firm enough that no interfacing was needed.

The lining is a quilting cotton leftover from making my quilt.  The pockets are scraps left from refashioning a silk Tommy Bahamas shirt that my husband didn't like into a tank top for my daughter (I don't think I ever blogged this project).  If you look on the left side of the bag in the below photo, you can see that I made a side pocket for my glasses, which makes it much quicker to find them in my bag.

I got to use the silk on the inside of the interior zip pocket as well.  Only I can see this silk, but I love the print, so it makes me happy whenever I open the pocket.

This bag sat unfinished for months, because I could not decide on a fabric for the strap.  Nothing in my stash seemed suitable, or quite the right shade.  Eventually I had the idea to embroider a scrap leftover from $2/m textured white fabric that I had used to muslin a coat.  I rarely have the patience to use the embroidery stitches on my machine.  I'm really happy I did because I love the result. 

Another 241 Tote

The 241 Tote from Noodlehead is one of the few patterns that I have made over and over, often as a gift.  It is a handy size and those side pockets are great if you want to find your keys quickly.  I like to use denim and stiffer cottons so that I don't need to bother with interfacing. 

I made the one above for a friend just before a trip away, and realised that  it matched my travel wardrobe quite nicely.  I asked if she would mind if I "borrowed" it for a week before I sent it.  Obviously I haven't quite mastered selfless sewing.

I didn't have enough fabric to cut the main panel in one piece, so I used that opportunity to create an extra pocket in the front.  The main fabric is a cotton + steel canvas (I bought mine at Calico & Ivy), the side pockets are the last scraps of pink denim from last year's jeans and the grey tencel for the sides and straps was left over from some trousers.  I didn't photograph the inside, but it is a mix of black / white linen check and an apricot / white cotton check.  All lovely fabrics, which makes the sewing a beautiful tactile experience. 

Niizo Simple Day Casual Backpack

I had a lovely day today sewing up this backpack from Niizo, which I purchased as a kit.  

Front View.  I did learn some new techniques to sew on those leather accents.

Nifty pocket accessed through a side zip.

The kit includes canvas fabric for the outer, nylon for the lining and all the hardware and pre-punched leather accents.  All the components are great quality.  The only bit I changed out was the contrast lining for the top flap.  This contrast was from a tiny remnant I picked up years ago that has been patiently waiting for the right project to come along.

Inside view; one deep pocket and one smaller patch pocket.

Back view, showing back pocket.

The pattern includes some lovely details, such as these triangular tabs where the strap attaches to the bag.  

The final result is very professional looking.  The only bit I had trouble with was attaching the bottom of the bag, as there were multiple layers, including a layer of foam, and I did not manipulate the corners through all those layers as well as I would have liked.

In the interest of blogging completeness. I think the singlet I am wearing is an unblogged project.  It is Jalie 2565 made up in a snuggly bamboo / cotton / spandex  rib knit from Imagine Gnats.  I made 2 of these, with my usual alterations, only the rib binding pulled the armholes in tighter than usual, so the first one is sitting in the sewing room waiting to be unpicked and re-bound (ugh).  I cut the armholes lower on the second one and it is super comfy. 

Swoon Pattern Sydney Crossbody Bag

Travel always necessitates sewing!  For a family trip overseas earlier this year, I decided that I needed a new day bag.  After much consideration, I chose the Sydney Crossbody Bag from Swoon Sewing Patterns.

The features I was looking for in a bag pattern were
- big enough to hold a jacket / cardigan and a water bottle
- zip closure to minimise losing stuff and to minimise pick-pocket access
- a few pockets to secure items, and at least 1 zippered internal pocket, but not so many pockets that it takes you ages of hunting to find where you stashed your whatsit.
- cross body style.

Some of the changes I made to the pattern were

• I didn't use leather as the accent on the front, because my leather was so hard to stitch through
• I used press studs instead of magnetic clasps on the front pockets
• I used a press stud instead of stitches in the middle of the back pocket, so that the pocket was large enough to hold a magazine if the press stud was opened
• It is hard to see in the photos, but I used leather accents to attach the D-buckles for the straps.  I finished the edges of the leather with leather edge finisher.  This was my first time using edge finisher.  I attached the leather accents to the bag with rivets.
• I cut down the size of the lining pieces.  I often wonder why so many bag patterns have the lining pieces the same size as the outside.  This always results in extra folds of lining on the inside.  I know the difference in size depends on fabric choice, but they could have a go.  From memory, I took off 1/2 inch from all sides of the lining for the main panels, side panels and base.
• I didn't interface as many pieces as the pattern suggested, because I think my fabric was sturdier than their suggestions.
• My memory is hazy, but I think I changed the method of construction for the front zippered pocket so that there was no seam in the lining pieces.  

It is worth noting that this bag takes a lot of fabric.  The main bag is lined, the back pocket is lined, the front zippered pocket is lined, the front patch pockets are lined and there is an internal lined zippered pocket.  I used a gorgeous Nani Iro cotton canvas for the main of the bag.  I originally bought the fabric for a dress after I saw someone else wearing a dress from this fabric, but really, I think it is a bit heavy for a dress.  I used a mid weight twill for the main lining pieces, but after I realised how heavy all the layers of fabric and lining were going to be, I switched to a cotton lawn for some of the pocket internals.  I actually used a few different fabrics for the lining as I didn't have enough of any one fabric.  The strap is from almost the last of some ikea canvas I bought years ago.

The bag was a huge success.  The front zippered pocket was good for holding passports for everyone.  Now that I am home, I use that pocket for my phone and keys.  

The front patch pocket was easily accessible to those constantly asking for my lip balm.  Now that I am home, I have filled one of those pockets with all those extra cards from my wallet.  I could easily leave these pockets off a future version of the bag.

Unlike a backpack, I didn't have to constantly take my bag on and off as we got on and off buses etc.

I still haven't downloaded all my holiday snaps, but I have found one of it in action.

I have kept using the bag as my main handbag since returning home.  You may have seen it in a few of my recent posts.

Yellow leather hobo bag

 

This is my entry for the pattern review handbag contest.  I will just copy and paste my review entry here, as another week begins and I am not quite ready for it...things to do people!

Pattern Description: Leather Hobo Bag

Pattern Design:I drafted this pattern myself. The dimensions were taken from an Oroton bag that I have. It is basically 2 squares, with corners cut out of the bottom to give the bottom of the bag a box shape. A single strap is used to carry the bag on your shoulder. A magnetic snap is used as the bag closure. My Oroton bag has a leather facing on the upper edge of the bag, which I did not copy because I was worried about sewing through all those layers of leather (it would be 4 layers for top-stitching the upper edge of the bag).

Pockets:the best part about sewing your own bag is customizing the pockets. For a long time now, I have been sewing bags with two internal pockets - one zipped, where I keep my phone, and one without a zipper, to slip my keys quickly into and to find them quickly again. I have tried adding key hooks and more elaborate pockets, but found that I didn't use them. Before I sewed this bag, I tipped out everything that was in my current bag to help me decide what pockets I needed. This time I added an extra zippered pocket, low down and out of the way, to stash things that always stay in my bag and don't need to be accessed very often (eg medications). I also added a pen pocket and a glasses pocket. I'm not sure how well the glasses pocket will work. I made it in a softer quilting cotton, so that it squashes out of the way when not being used.

Fabric Used: The main fabric is leather purchased from The Fabric Store. It is thicker than any leather that I have sewn before, at a thickness of ~ 3 mm. It was labelled as Tory Burch.

The lining is a cotton canvas.

Hardware Used:

The hardware is from http://www.adelaideleather.com.au.
On the straps, I used D rings and bag snaphooks. They are lovely heavyweight fittings that feel like they will last really well.

I used double capped rivets to finish the straps and to secure the straps to the bags. I have a snap press, but did not have time to order dies and rivets from the supplier I have used in the past (I only have dies and parts for one sided snaps, and bags generally use double capped rivets). I set these rivets with a hand setting rivet tool, and it did not work out anywhere near as well as using a snap press. The caps do not always line up on each side.

Information on techniques used:
I used a leather needle.
I used extra strong Gutermann polyester thread.
I set my sewing machine to its slowest setting (which really tested my patience!)
I used a drill press to drill holes in my leather for the rivets.
As well as back-stitching at the ends of my seams, I also tied off my threads.

What could have been done better?
I wasn't sure what to do with my leather seam allowances. The leather was quite stiff and thick, and they didn't squash open and flat very easily. I read pros and cons for gluing the seal allowances down, but in the end, I just trimmed them to 1/4" and left them. 

At the top edge of the bag, it was difficult to fold the lining to the inside of the bag because of the leather seam allowance. I tried hammering the seam allowance turned in and flat, but it did not help much. I also have a few skipped stitches in the top-stitching around this upper edge as my machine struggled to stitch the outer leather to its folded seam allowance.

As mentioned above, the rivets could be better.

Would you sew a leather bag again?I'm not sure. Although my design was simple, the actual construction was hard work because of the thickness of the leather. I have a new appreciation for good quality leather bags! 

This was also quite an expensive make. The leather was on sale for $60 (and I have enough left over to make a smaller bag).

The hardware, including shipping, came to $50. Of course, I have plenty of rivets and some other bits and pieces for later bags, but this is what I outlayed at this time.

The cotton lining was from stash, so I don't remember what it cost. Fabric plus shipping was probably $20. The thread was probably about $8.

Zips were part of a larger order, because I can't get these sorts of zips locally. My total order came to $45, including shipping. Of course, I got lots more zippers, but I would not have placed the order if I wasn't sewing this bag. Say $10 for this bag.

The pattern was free 

So it cost about $150 to make. I have all the supplies, including hardware, to make another smaller leather bag for free, and plenty of rivets etc in stash for other projects.

So not cheap. Cheaper than buying the equivalent bag, but my finishes are not as nice as a purchased bag.

Are you happy with the bag? I am really happy with the bag. The rivets could be better, but I'm sure I will forget about those once I start using the bag all the time. I love the pop of colour from wearing the bag, and it is a nice roomy size.

Noodlehead Gatherer Crossbody Bag

The last of my Sudoku Wardrobe entries...

This pattern is a free download - The Noodlehead Gatherer Crossbody Bag.

I made it using leftover Kokka 3 min. corduroy, and a Michael Miller quilting cotton.  A scrap of leather was used for the closure.  I used a fusible fleece interfacing from Spotlight, but I wasn't overly happy with it. 

It is a handy little bag, just to carry the essentials.

Bucket Bag

I remember one of my sisters being so excited with a bucket bag she bought back in the eighties.  It makes me chuckle to see them back in fashion now.  When I studied on-line images for bucket bags, I saw that I lot of them had rectangular bases.  Circles always require accurate sewing, so I thought it would be easier to make a bucket bag with a rectangular base.

Fabric

• outer - laminated cotton (Orla Kiely from The Fabric Store)
• lining - cotton canvas
• handle: webbing. I would like a better quality webbing, but this is all I could find locally, and I could not find a strap adjuster. If I find any on my travels, it will be easy enough to change out the handle
• draw cord - leather strip, purchased as a bunck of leather scraps
• drawcord "toggle" - leather
• leather scraps used to attach the handles

If you would like to make a similar bag to this, these are the dimensions of my self-drafted pattern pieces.

I used 1 cm seam allowances.

• main panel: 78.5 cm x 33 cm

• base (outer and lining): 27 cm x 17 cm, corners rounded

• lining: 2 panels 40.3 cm x 32 cm (a little shorter than the outer)

• internal zippered pocket - to fit the zip I had on hand

• 2nd internal pocket: 40.3 cm (width of lining panel) x 19 cm

Other bags of 2015

It turns out I made quite a few bags in 2015...I hadn't made any for a few years and my existing hand made beauties were getting a little shabby.


First up, a bag from Vogue 7701 (published 2003), which I bought years ago, back when everybody was sewing the Hotpattern's Nairobi Bag, inspired by the YSL Mombassa bag.    I made it up in a mid-weight, non-stretch denim.

You can see that this pattern has similar seaming .

I thought that rope handles would complement the denim nicely.  I knotted the rope around the D-rings.

The ends of the rope were sewn into a leather patch.

The top of the bag is zipped.

The bag is lined with silk from a very vintage dress I picked up in the days when I used to op shop.  I suspect it was a 1940's dress and large sections were unable to be salvaged.  The internal pocket is only a patch pocket.  I prefer zippered pockets.

This is the bag being worn, so you can get an idea of the scale.

I actually don't like using this bag much....access in through the top zip is a little cumbersome for me, and I always seem to be in a hurry to find my keys etc.  My daughter has claimed the bag as her own though, which I am pleased about...good that the sewing effort is useful to somebody!

Clutch

I started this clutch about 2 years ago, and even though it is a really simple design (just a zippered pouch, after all), I stalled and then it became a UFO.  I dusted it off and finished it last year, but have not used it.  Clutches look very chic in other people's arms, but I mostly have more stuff to lug about, if I am going anywhere at all.

The bottom half is a fairly hefty leather.  The top half is canvas supported by a plastic-y, fairly hefty interfacing.  The whole thing is about A4 size.

I do like the fabrics and colours, and hopefully will work it into a regular rotation in my wardrobe this year.


Next up, a very simple beach bag.  No pattern used.  No lining.  Big enough to lug lots of towels to and from the beach.  The fabric is leftover  outdoor fabric that I used for director's chairs a few years back.

There is no lining.  I finished the raw edges with Hug Snug Seam Binding.

A zippered pouch pocket was sewn into the folded over edge at the top of the bag and hangs into the bag.  Good for securing keys and phone.  I thought about having another pocket at the base of the bag to hold sunscreen, but actually ran out of fabric.

It is a really big bag, as you can see in the photo below.

I finished the year with a couple more Noodlehead bags.

This is the 241 Tote.  It is a great pattern for combining fabrics and a great little scrap buster.  The bag did not end up as large as I had envisioned.  The side pockets are awesome!  They stick out, which would not be good if you were worried about pickpockets, but they are perfect if you are constantly reaching for your keys whilst trying to carry lots of other things / do lots of other things at the same time.  Because the pockets stick out a bit, you don't even need to look, just snake your hand down there and pull the keys out.

On the inside, I put in a pocket that was held in place by the seams, rather than use the patch pocket piece given with the pattern.

Lastly, a bag from Anna's book, Handmade Style.  This is the zip-top tote, only it is hard to recognise, because it really needs a stiff interfacing to give it structure, and I didn't have any on hand. It was still a useful bag to have on our holidays.

These should last me a while, so probably no more nag making for me this year.