How to sew a bag strap with cotton fabric and webbing

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.

How to make a bag handle

Instructions to make a bag strap:

Cut your cotton fabric 2" wide by desired length of strap including seam allowance. Cut the webbing 2" shorter than the fabric. Interface the fabric if you want a sturdier handle, I did this for mine.

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and wrong sides together, either finger press or press with an iron to form a crease. Unfold and fold each edge into the middle. This will make the strap 1" wide when finished.

Keeping the strap folded so it is 1" wide sew the webbing to the right side of the fabric ( not the folded in side) at one end using a 1/4" seam, then repeat the other side. Once you have turned the strap around the right way so the webbing is now flush to the underside of the strap, you will notice that the fabric overlaps at the back by approx 1/2" on each end. Top stitch the webbing to the strap using a longer stitch length than normal, I used a 3.5. As there is not so much bulk at the ends you will find it easier to sew.

Ta dah! Your strap is now finished and ready to adorn any of your handmade bags!

Happy sewing!

  

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.

This is a really neat size which would be ideal to take to workshops and classes, when we're able to! For my project I used fabrics from Art Gallery, Dashwood and Lewis and Irene, they are all available on my website.

I love the frogs peeping out in the lining, ready to hop out!

The zipped pouch attached to the front has two separate zipped compartments with clear vinyl so you can see the contents.

The pattern is available to purchase in my shop.

Happy sewing!

Vicky

Auditioning Fabrics and Learning EQ8

This is the first post about my experience using Electric Quilt 8 to design a block of the month (BOM) quilt. There is so much to this program it's going to take a long time for me to get used to it, but sometimes you just have to go in head first!

I won't bore you with all the details but this first block I had designed in PreQuilt but the program has limitations especially as I want it to be a Foundation Paper Pieced (FPP) block. When I had finished designing the basic shape I realised that it wasn't centered in the 12" block I wanted it to fit in! But that's ok, as at this stage I'm playing with the design to see what works. I then had to decide which lines became extension lines to the edge of the block which is what makes it a FPP pattern.

Looking at the design again I think I could limit the amount of background pieces, once I make a start hopefully it will become clear!

I then put some colour into the block and kept the background white. The program has a huge library of plain and printed designs in every colour imaginable and an extensive collection of fabric swatches from some of the leading cotton manufacturers.

There is also the ability to import images of the fabrics you are planning to use in your quilt to see how the finished project would look. This is next on my 'to do' list as I really would like to see if the fabrics I've chosen will work. Unfortunately I haven't any white/cream for the background so I will be trying a coloured print instead. Below is my fabric pull but it could all change once I see them in the block!

Next time we'll have a look at the block with my chosen fabrics and whether I've made any changes.

Happy sewing!

Vicky

 

New program to learn!

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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!

So this leads me to the subject of this post. I've recently been considering expanding my products in my online shop to offer a Block of The Month quilt program. But first I need to design the quilt! 

I've recently learnt Foundation Paper Piecing which I absolutely love! This was my first attempt.

Some of the piecing isn't that accurate, but hey starting a new hobby is always a learning curve! After extensive searching on the web I found two sites which I thought I could start with to learn the process of designing, Prequilt and Quilt Assistant. I'm particularly interested in using FPP, applique and hand embroidery in my design. Not too much to consider!

These are 4 blocks I designed in Prequilt to see what it does and doesn't do. 

I enjoyed creating them but you can't transfer them into FPP patterns using this program so I found Quilt Assistant to help me do that. It's a very old program from 2009 but it's free and a fabulous way to start out.

The block below is the first block above with suggested FPP order which I numbered. You can print each section out which I did but a lot of the points weren't accurate, but it was great to see it in print.

So where am I at now?! I loved designing this so much that I've just invested in Electric Quilt 8 to enable me to design! I will be documenting my learning process on my blog, so if you want to see how I get on then sign up for my blog alerts.

Happy sewing!

Vicky

My Hexi-Caddy

It's been a while since I shared a Lookbook from Art Gallery Fabrics. This showcases one of their recent new ranges, Little Forester Fusion, which you can find in my shop here. These were in the Little Box of Fabulous in February. I have five designs from the range and I love them all! 😊

The project card which was in last month's Little Box of Fabulous was for a Hexi-Caddy designed by Hazel A Patterns, and here is mine!

I used fabrics from my stash, and I absolutely love it! The design is very clever with a star shape forming when you pull the cords to close it. With the pockets around the outside there is plenty of storage. If you lined it with waterproof fabric it would make a lovely wash bag or fill it with lovely smellies for a fabulous Mother's Day present! If you would like to make one for yourself then you can download it here, with 20% off until Friday 12th March, use the code HEXICADDY at checkout.

Happy sewing!

Vicky

 

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 first challenge in designing this pattern was how to get a big bag out of just fat quarters. Stripes are the obvious answer, and also mean that this bag can be used as a stash buster too. My first prototype even uses co-ordinating fat quarters for the lining! (I have a lot of gorgeous fat quarters, but not many half metres). Top-stitching strengthens the seams too, as does the extra stitching on the bottom hem of the lining.

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.

Reverse your webbing so that the raw edges are above the top of the Decovil (you should be able to feel it through the fabric), and match your drawn lines to the top of the Decovil. The webbing will now be at an angle, sloping inwards. Pin it below the Decovil, to keep it in position. 

Repeat for the other outer, then stitch in place at ¹/₈” above the Decovil.

Happy sewing! Check out my Instagram for extra photos and videos 😊

Review of the Sandhill Sling Bag from Noodlehead

Noodlehead recently released two new bag patterns one being the Sandhill Sling Bag. As I am a bag maker and was on the look out for a new bag to make for myself I thought this would be a great pattern to go into the Bigger Box of Fabulous for January. 

The fabric suggestion is for canvas but I had recently received a delivery of an imitation leather from Modelo Fabrics in a pearlised grey. It has a woven back and is gloriously soft with a dimpled effect, and really easy to sew.

The pattern suggests using a cotton webbing for the strap but also gives cutting instructions for a fabric strap which I decided to do. I used the imitation leather with gun metal hardware along with gunmetal zips and tear drop zip pulls.

I decided to iron on some medium weight interfacing to the back of the fabric to give it a bit more stability, because it has a woven back this is easy to apply. If you wanted to give the bag a bit more structure you could apply a thin foam, or interface the lining fabric as well. There is a slip pocket inside but you could easily change it to a zipped pocket.

I would suggest using stitch length no. 3 for sewing the imitation leather and 3.5 for topstitching. I found it ok to sew with a normal sewing foot but if you are worried about it sticking when topstitching you could use a walking foot or a non-stick foot. You could use a Leather needle 90/14 for sewing but I used a Universal needle which was fine.

This is the box which went out to subscribers for January's Bigger Box of Fabulous. Along with the imitation leather there were two pieces of fabric from a new range for Art Gallery Fabrics, Aquarelle designed by Katerina Roccella, which you can find listed in my shop. Two zips, one with two zipper pulls for the opening of the bag and one for the front pocket, Scanfil All Purpose sewing thread, a bag slider, d-ring and swivel clip all in gun metal.

Check out the video for a closer look at what was inside the box!

Happy sewing!

 

December's Bigger Box of Fabulous

In December's Bigger Box of Fabulous the pattern was for a Make and Go Pouch designed by Aneela Hoey. This is a fabulous pattern to keep smaller 'on the go' projects in. There are 3 zipped pockets, 2 of which have clear vinyl so you can easily see what is inside. Attached to the inside is a very useful pin cushion and needle pages. The pattern is now in my shop to purchase.

I used Cloud 9 fabric, Natural Beauty from my stash for my make.

So, what was in December's Bigger Box? Each box contained 4 half metres from the Lewis and Irene Jardin de Lis range of cotton fabrics, 3 zips, a piece of felt for the needle pages, stuffing for the pin cushion, clear vinyl, fusible fleece for the interlining of the project and Scanfil All Purpose sewing thread.

This was a lovely box to put together as the fabrics were so pretty with the metallic elements on each design.

Subscriptions for January's Boxes of Fabulous are now open!

Happy sewing!

Vicky

December's Little Box of Fabulous

Well doesn't time fly! I hadn't realised that my last blog post was in October! So to make up for it there will be two in quick succession!

December's Boxes of Fabulous have hopefully been received by my subscribers so here is a view of the Little Box of Fabulous. The project card designed by Hazel A Patterns is for a Wide-Mouth Zipper Pouch, very useful to use as a wash bag or a project bag, finished size 14"x6"x3".

The fabrics in Decembers box were from Lewis and Irene, Jardin de Lis. This is their first Art Nouveau inspired collection and each fabric has gold metallic elements. These are now listed on my website.

Included in December's Little Box of Fabulous were 3 Fat Quarters from the Jardin de Lis range and a half metre, a piece of fusible fleece, zipping, Scanfil All Purpose sewing thread and a pack of Sewist Stickers from Pink Coat Club.

This was a gorgeous box to put together and the fabrics are beautifully detailed as we expect from Lewis and Irene! 

Subscriptions for January's Boxes of Fabulous are now open.

Happy sewing!

Vicky

Fabric Review by Hazel A Patterns

Hazel from Hazel A Patterns is taking over the blog today.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a major love affair going on with linen! As soon as it gets warm, I ditch the denim, and get straight into my linen mix trousers, dresses, tops… get the picture? In general, most of Vicky’s fabric is quilting cotton, but she ordered a range from Dashwood earlier this year which is 55% cotton and 45% linen. She offered me a length to sew a garment of my choice, and I decided to make an Allegro skirt, from Love Notions patterns, in Midnight Garden Swirls.

The first thing I do with new fabrics is wash them, and I also tumble-dried this fabric. It kept its shape perfectly, and came out so soft! (I am sure you are not supposed to tumble dry this fabric, but I decided to do it anyway to make future washing more straightforward). I didn’t need to iron it either, another bonus.

The pattern is a casual skirt, with an elasticated waist and a drawstring tie to finish. I had already made a muslin of the Allegro trousers from the same pattern, so I knew I could make a straight size 14. Love Notions patterns are print at home, but don’t need to be trimmed before sticking together, so it took very little time to organise myself, ready for sewing! It does make a nice change, as with smaller projects I seem to spend more time cutting out and applying interfacing than I do at the machine. I spent a bit of extra time fussy cutting the pockets, but from start to finish, including overlocking, was one afternoon. In terms of fit, the pattern has the added bonus of a raised back waist, so that when I wear the skirt the hem is level, an adjustment I would usually have to do myself.

Beautiful pattern matching on the pocket!

I made the skirt at the beginning of September, and have worn it many times since, and washed it 3 times. It is a lovely fabric to wear, soft and cool, and I look forward to using more in the future.

Fabric used: 1 ½m of 54” wide fabric

Pattern: Love Notions Allegro skirt

Notions: ½” twill tape for tie, 1 ½” knit elastic, scrap of interfacing, and I also chose to use two metal eyelets on the waistband

Cost to make: Approx. £26 

Links:

Fabric - Dashwood Studio - Midnight Garden Swirls

Pattern - lovenotions.com/product/allegro

Happy sewing!

Vicky

Boxes of Fabulous - September

October is here and it's time to give you a closer look at the gorgeous fabrics, patterns and accessories which featured in September's Boxes of Fabulous. As all of the fabrics are brand new ranges each month, so are pre-ordered, usually months before, I then choose the bag pattern for the Bigger Box which will look great made from that month's fabrics.

Bigger Box of Fabulous

As well as the fabrics from the Flowerette range by Art Gallery Fabrics, also included was a piece of navy blue leatherette for the contrast, a zip for the interior pocket, Scanfil All Purpose sewing thread, a tuck lock, bag slider, rectangular ring and a piece of foam stabiliser. The bag pattern in the box was The Squiffy Sling by MrsH.

Little Box of Fabulous

For September's Little Box of Fabulous, Hazel from Hazel A Patterns designed an organiser which fits on the back of your chair, where you can keep to hand the sewing equipment you use the most, so very useful! 

Hazel designed this project specifically for September's fabrics, Cotton Couture by QT Fabrics as they are sewing themed! The project card is available to download from my Etsy store, here. 

Inside the box was a seam ripper, two rolls of washi tape which Hazel finds really useful to mark sewing lines on her fabric, Scanfil All Purpose sewing thread and a piece of foam stabiliser.

Want to try one of the boxes?

Subscribe Here

Happy sewing!

Happy

Keep-It-Close Organiser by Hazel A Patterns

September's Little Box of Fabulous featured a new project card designed by Hazel from Hazel A Patterns. With a new season upon us, it's time to get organised in the sewing room, or in my case, sewing space!

With this in mind here is the Keep-It-Close Organiser! This is designed to hook over the back of your chair to keep all those important pieces of sewing paraphernalia all together in one place! 😃 

I used fabrics from the Cotton Couture range by QT Fabrics, which you can find on the website here. It's a quick and easy make and doesn't need very much fabric and would make an ideal gift for a sewists birthday or as a Christmas present!

The project card is available to download in my Etsy shop, which you will find here.

Happy sewing!

The Squiffy Sling from Mrsh

Back to some bag making for me! The bag pattern which went into September's Bigger Box of Fabulous was for The Squiffy Sling designed by Mrsh, which is available to buy on my website! My subscribers to this box received fabrics from a new range by Art Gallery Fabrics, Flowerette by AGF Studio. For my bag make I chose to use the whales themed fabric from Dashwood Studio's range, Into the Blue. This is a fun range of fabrics featuring turtles, seaweed, tiny seahorses and jellyfish and goes really well with the Dashwood Twist in Viridian I used for the lining.

The Bigger Box for September also contained some very soft faux leather in navy for the overlay. I have a machine foot for sewing vinyl but it's not the best so I used the walking foot which came with my machine for the topstitching, sew much better! There is loads of info on the internet about sewing with faux leather, and if you've not sewn with it before then sew some samples first with different feet. Tip: lengthen your stitch when sewing faux leather into a seam, this will help to stop the stitches showing too much on the outside.

I made the small size and found that I needed more interfacing than the pattern stated, you will need 90cm not 1/2 yard. There is an errata on Mrsh's website about this error.

If you haven't any double sided tape to use on the top of the overlay to turn the edges over then you could use fabric glue which is what I did.

This pattern is a great starter pattern as there aren't many pieces. What I found unusual was the bag flap came as one piece with the full body of the bag! I've never come across that design before but it works very well. 

You may have noticed that the design of fabric I used for the outside of the bag was a one way design. Because whales and dolphins swim around in all directions I wasn't too worried about how the flap would look! 😉😉 Tip: check if the fabric is a one way design before cutting out the pattern, this could affect how the flap looks from the front of the bag, i.e upside down, or not!

The lock which was in the box was a Prym Tuck Lock. These are very easy to install but if you are unsure then I have found a video for you to refer to. 👇

Happy sewing!

Double-Flap Tablet Clutch

If you're anything like me you can never find your headphones, charger and power pack to your tablet when you're travelling! I'm going on holiday soon and Hazel's project which featured in July's Little Box of Fabulous came just at the right time! It's a lovely make, a quick sew and showcases your favourite fabrics.

Here is the Double-Flap Tablet Clutch! 

I will be using mine for my tablet, but as the name suggests it would make a lovely clutch bag for an evening out and features echo quilting on the front pocket. For added detail you could use a metallic thread or variegated thread for the quilting, which would make it really special.

Showcasing the outside pocket.

The fabrics are from my stash, I've had them for so long I have no idea where they came from!

This would make a fabulous Christmas gift, you can purchase and download the pattern on Etsy.

Happy sewing!