My last Bigger Box of Fabulous should have contained webbing suitable to make sturdy handles for the bag pattern. Unfortunately I was unable to find anything suitable so I suggested to my subscribers that they could use some of the fabric in the box and the thinner webbing I had managed to obtain. I decided to make a video of the process, which you can find below. It's not the best video 😁 my skills are not brilliant and I don't really like talking on them! But if you can excuse my video inadequacies then it may help a bit! I have also included a few photos of the process under the video.
Monday, 2 August 2021
How to sew a bag strap with cotton fabric and webbing
Saturday, 10 April 2021
All-In-One Box Pouch
Have you been able to get any sewing in recently? Each month I try to make up either the project card from Hazel A Patterns, which is featured in the Little Box of Fabulous, or the pattern which goes into the Bigger Box of Fabulous.
Last month I was able to make the All-In-One Box Pouch from Aneela Hoey which had been in the Bigger Box of Fabulous for March.
Happy sewing!
Vicky
Monday, 15 March 2021
Auditioning Fabrics and Learning EQ8
Monday, 8 March 2021
New program to learn!
The past 18 months have been a huge learning curve for me as I started my fabric business in 2019. Setting up and designing my own website, starting business Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages, learning EVERYTHING to do with Google analytics, My Business and Google ads, with loads of help from Hazel A Patterns (check out her new website!!), this blog and working on a business plan, it's been a lot, but extremely enjoyable and rewarding!
Sunday, 7 March 2021
My Hexi-Caddy
Thursday, 4 February 2021
Hazel A Patterns takes over the blog!
Today Hazel from Hazel A Patterns is taking over the blog to talk about her latest pattern for Sew Fabulous Fabrics.
Use code STRIPEYTOTE to receive 20% off the PDF in my Payhip store.
My patterns are usually for smaller items, but in my everyday life I love sewing garments, and I love sewing bags. I don’t make a lot of bags, as they usually use a lot of hardware and internal structure, but I have been thinking for a while about how I could create a bag pattern that would use minimal extras, and that additionally could be made using the fabric supplied in Vicky’s Little Box of Fabulous. Welcome to the Soft Stripey Bucket Tote!
The second challenge was the structure of the bag. I wanted this pattern to be something that wouldn’t need a lot of additional materials, but that could be made with quilt-weight cotton. The solution is one I resort to a lot – fusible interfacing! I buy mine 5 metres at a time, as I love how it really changes the handle of lighter weight fabrics. I use a soft medium weight for most of my projects, heavier than I would use for dressmaking, but still with a nice drape. I also used one of my other favourite products to create the shape at the top of this bag: Decovil Light. Just a narrow piece at the top of the bag is enough to create the curved shape, and has the added bonus of making the top less likely to flop over when you are filling the bag one-handed in the supermarket!
Finally, I just
wanted to chat about the handles. This pattern uses a heavy webbing, which is
naturally really strong, especially when stitched and top-stitched. The method
I have used to create the handles makes the webbing curve outwards slightly. I
really like this as it tilts the handle so that it sits facing forwards, making
it sit nicely over a thick coat or jumper. I thought it would be nice to show an
alternative method of positioning the webbing to make straighter handles, so
here we go!
Follow this version of Step 2:
Working with the wrong sides out, find the centre top edges of each outer and mark. Your straps will be 5 ½” apart, so measure out 2 ¾” either side of your centre mark, and mark again. Take your first strap and position it to the left of the left-hand mark, with the raw edge approximately ½” below the top of the Decovil. Mark a line on the webbing that matches the shape of the decovil underneath it. Repeat with the right-hand side of the strap. Now turn your outer over so that you are working on the right side of your outer.