Bag Finish

I've been working on this bag since Monday, and today I finished it:

Open:

The insides of the pockets:

I really like the finished product, but making this bag was quite a challenging experience. Read on if you are interested, skip the rest of this otherwise!

A friend recently made the "Sew Together Bag", which is not what this is, but which inspired me to make this. There is also the "Bionic Gear Bag", which is not quite what this is. There are other similar bags, such as the German "Zippy Bag", the "Quilters Organizer Bag", a Russian version I don't know the name of because I can't read Russian, and probably more I haven't found.

As I looked at the various options I came across the "Sew Like a Puppet" website. The owner of that website was involved in a legal action against the designer of the Bionic Gear Bag. She has written a book about it, "Sewing Wars", which I haven't read so can't comment on. The blog section of her website is a little over the top, but she has several patterns for sale, including one called "Bionic Gear Bag for Puppets". It was only $5 so I decided to give it a try. (That turned out to be US dollars, unfortunately, even though I believe the seller is in Australia.)

I have made a few bags before, mostly from patterns designed by Nicole Mallalieu of "You Sew Girl". Nikki's patterns are well-written and well designed. Her instructions include photos and diagrams, and are logically set out and easy to follow. She always gets people of varying levels of skill to test her patterns, which is where things like missing steps or unclear instructions get picked up and fixed before publication. This pattern has none of those qualities.

The actual pattern was confusing. Here's a sample of my confusion:

"2 INCHES" printed in a random place on the pattern piece, with my tape measure showing that none of these lines are 2" apart, so I have no idea what that measurement refers to. There's a missing dotted line that I have added in, and an extra one I have scribbled out.

There are no diagrams in the instructions, which is a shame because some steps really need more than just words. There are some photos on the last page, but they are not labelled and have no explanation so are not really a lot of help.

The cutting instructions didn't seem to work with the sizes of the sections on the pattern piece.

Almost every piece listed actually needed to be a different size than given, although for a couple of those it was because I wanted to change the distance between two of the pockets. One major part of the bag is not listed, so some guess-work was involved.  You can see some of my scribbles as I tried to work it out, but I have notes written all over this page.

A couple of times I questioned whether this is even meant to be a real pattern, and if I had fallen for some sort of joke in buying it. I was tempted to abandon this pattern and buy a different one, but then I came across the Inch-Art site, where Nina has written a tutorial with lots of photos for the original bionic gear bag. With her photos plus my own pattern-drafting skills and bag-making experience, I persevered.

The first section involves making all the internal zip pockets. Here I will say that the method in the pattern I bought seems a better way to do it. The pockets are formed one by one:

So in this photo the first two zip pockets are complete, and I am working on the third one. I used longer zips than necessary because a) this is all from stash, and b) it is actually easier to use longer zips and cut them down later. I discovered with my first zip that the Janome zipper foot is no good for this type of work, so I ripped that one out, then sewed all the zips with my trusty Elna Lotus. I should have known, because Nikki of "You Sew Girl" wrote about this problem 7 years ago.

Next the side pieces. One:

 Then two:

At this point I read in the instructions that the very front and back pieces should be 3" longer than the side pieces. Mine weren't! (In fact the back wasn't even long enough to reach to top of the sides.) I should have read right through the instructions before making my calculations about how big these pieces needed to be. As it turns out 3" is more than you need, but I had to add some to the front and the back before completing the side seams:

You can see the seam across the back, below the height of the side piece, and the one at the front just in front of the triangle shape. Fortunately I had made the quilted outer section much longer than the pattern specified, or I would have been re-making that.

The sides got their binding, then it was time for the long zip that holds the whole thing together.

This is where a diagram would be helpful. The written instructions for lining up the bag, the zip and the binding were not good enough. I couldn't see how the instructions would give me the correct result, because the layers seemed to be in the wrong order. But then I may have been misinterpreting them; a clear diagram would clear up the confusion. The Inch_Art tutorial's written layering order also confused me, and she used a navy zip and binding so the details were lost in her photos. I played around with the pieces, and read both sets of instructions, and couldn't see how it would work. Fortunately there is a video series by Birdcage and Thread for the "Sew Together Bag", and the 7th video shows how to do this zip. They cleverly basted the zip in place then dealt with the binding later. That was a much better process!

After I'd basted the zip to the bag, I stitched the binding to the whole length of the zip with my Elna Lotus:

Because I wanted to be sure I was sewing straight, I unconventionally sewed with the zip facing down so I could see the lines woven into the tape. That's the back of the zip facing up. When I got to the bag and couldn't see the zipper tape, it didn't matter as I could just follow the line of basting stitches.

I didn't photograph the next step, but after pressing the binding back, I used Vliesofix T6 tape to fuse the binding to the back of the zipper and the bag, before stitching it in place from the front. (You can cut 6mm wide strips of regular Vliesofix/Bondaweb/WonderUnder if you don't have the tape.) That's another trick I learnt from Nikki, and it really helps keep everything under control so you can get a neat finish:

On top of the bag I hand-stitched the binding to lie flat against the bag, rather than stick up as it has a tendency to do with this type of bag:

The final step is to attach a tab to each end of the zip, and stitch it to the base of the bag. The measurements for this tab given in the actual instructions are different to the measurements in the cutting list. I used a combination of the instructions version and my own common sense to get a neat tab. I hand-stitched it to the bag, realising too late that it would have been much more sensible to make these tabs earlier in the process, and stitch them into place with the side binding. They could have sat there ready for me to attach the zip/handle to them as the last step. Next time!

Here's the tab, hand-stitched to the bag, machined to the zip:

And that's it!

As I said earlier, I love the bag. But I couldn't recommend this pattern unless you have experience making both bags and patterns, and are prepared to do a lot of thinking for yourself.

Numbers

Today's new rose is Mr. Lincoln:

It is really a dark red, but the early-morning sunshine is making it look a bit pinker here. Only four rose bushes left to have their first flowers.

Is the the world's shortest sunflower?

That's a 15cm ruler, so you can see that the flower head is less than 20cm from the ground and about 10cm across. I don't know what variety it is, but what was meant to be a tall row of sunflowers along the back of a flower bed is actually a series of tiny sunflowers hiding behind everything else!

Two people have been busy today. The fishpond is almost its full height:

One more course of bricks like this to go. Then solid bricks will go across the top to finish it off. The photo is a bit dark because there is a tarp over the top to provide shade for the worker.

And I finished this:

I never found my box of bag-making supplies, so there is no magnetic catch, and no key-leash inside. If I'd found that box I might have made the strap length adjustable, but instead I just had to pick a length based on the recipient being about the same height as me. I also skipped the O-rings on the strap to speed up the process, but there are three pockets inside. The end result is very cute, and I think the intended recipient will love it.

Five more sewing days till Christmas!

Regretting This

In Spotlight the other day I found on clearance this "Easy to make" fabric panel,

 which is meant to make a small backpack:

It probably is easy to make if you follow the instructions. But as I started looking at the pieces, I realised that I would get  much better finish by using a lot more interfacing than the pattern called for. And then I thought I could use the pieces to make a shoulder bag instead. So after half a day yesterday, and a couple more hours today, I have this:

It's very cute, but it is still a long way from being a bag. The head is a flap, and that is completely made. But I've decided to make the bag shallower, and add facings, and re-purpose various other sections to make a gusset for it and a shoulder strap with O-rings. Plus use extra fabric to add pockets to the lining. And I know I've got some magnetic catches somewhere, but where? So I could have another whole day of work before it is complete. For one present, when I have so many others to do. And all the while I'm worrying that I will stuff something up and have wasted the whole effort! What was I thinking?

Lahti Flight Bag

When I posted a photo of Nikki's advance copy of "The Better Bag Maker" on Saturday, I had no idea that soon I would be holding my very own copy:

Nikki sent me it as thanks for testing one of the patterns in the book. I made my test bag last April, and Nikki had spent about a year designing and sewing and writing before the pattern testing phase. Since then there's been editing, and photo shoots, and to-ing and fro-ing about the final format. So the book represents a couple of years of work for Nikki. I hope it does well when it is released next month!

On the "You Sew Girl" blog on Monday Nikki talked about the book and showed pictures of some of the projects. She added the good news that the publisher has given the OK for pattern testers to show what they made. So here's my carry-on luggage!

Each project is named after a world city, and this is the "Lahti Flight Bag". I have to admit I had to look that up; I had never heard of Finland's ninth-largest city. Have you? Maybe someone at the publisher is from there?

I used some African fabric (printed in Zimbabwe) for my version:

Each side of my bag has two external pockets like this. In the book Nikki presents various techniques that you can add to any of the projects. Someone else making this bag might use a different selection of pocket types and placement. Inside I chose to add three open pockets and a zipped one along each side :

If you look closely you can see the openings of the three interior pockets here - look for where the fabric pattern changes below the zip. So all together my bag has 4 external and 8 internal pockets.

The base is reinforced, and has purse feet to stand on:

There is an adjustable shoulder strap as well as the grab handles:

Sorry, that photo is on its side, but it is the end of the bag where the shoulder strap is attached.

I haven't flown anywhere with my bag yet, but it has been to a few workshops and quilt-ins with me already. All those pockets come in very handy when I have lots of bits and pieces to carry.

Finally here's the picture I couldn't show you when I was heading home after "Quilt at the Winter School" last July.

My Zips

In the "Zips for Bags" workshop yesterday I made three of Nikki's six zip techniques. The idea was to take her standard "Large Tote and Satchel" pattern and customise it, but once you have learnt a technique you could use it in any project. Today I assembled the bag using the zipped sections I made in the workshop.

Here's a zipped gusset added to the top of the bag:

Inside there's an exposed zip on a pocket just the right size to hold a mobile phone securely:

And on the outside there's a "simple" exposed zip pocket across the full width of the bag:

I used polypropylene webbing for the strap, and attached it to the outside of the bag. This was inspired by one of Nikki's class samples. I was aiming for a "not girly" look for this bag. Did I succeed?

Zips Workshop

I did an all-day workshop with Nicole Mallalieu on "Zips for Bags", and didn't take any pictures of the bag-making activity! You will just have to believe me that there were about 10 of us having a ball, each trying out several of the 6 different variations Nikki presented.

However, I did think to photograph this:

An advance copy of Nikki's new book, which is going to be released very soon. When it is, I can show you the bag that is attached to this strap I made last year to test one of the patterns.

Heading Home

All packed up and ready to go:

The scribbling on the bag at the left is because I can't show you details of that bag yet. It is a pattern in Nicole Mallalieu's second book, which will be published next year. Once it is, I will post some proper photos of the bag.

Zip-Away Pigs

Another day, another bag finished.

This time it is a zip-away shopping bag, made from this pattern.

It's the third time I've made this pattern. I find mine very handy to have in my handbag. This one was made at the request of my mother; not for her, but for her to give as a gift to someone who likes pigs. Not quite sure how that works when all the materials and labour were supplied by me, but I guess mothers are allowed to make that sort of request!

Finishing Touch

My bag project is all done, but as it is a pattern which hasn't been published yet, I can't show you the whole thing. So here's the last little bit:

An adjustable strap. I haven't made one of these before.  Next time I might try and position the slider so that the join in the metal is facing down rather than up, but apart from that I am pretty happy with the whole thing.  I'll look forward to being able to show it off properly some time in the future.

Wild

Part of what I've been working on this week:

The wild fabric is from Zimbabwe, although I bought it in an op-shop in Bendigo. The bright red straps glow against it, although the camera flash has flattened out the contrast.

Bag Finish

Maybe a bit hard to see in the picture, but today I finished this bag:

The pattern is Nicole Mallalieu's City Bag. I've wanted to try this pattern for a while, but rather than use the "good" fabric, I used this fake suede to test out how the pattern went together. Now I've made it I'm not sure if it can take all the stuff I normally carry around with me. It's empty in the photo, but once I add in my umbrella, purse, keys, camera etc,  it loses its shape because the weight pulls the sides in. Either I need more stabiliser, or less stuff, or a less structured bag design...\

Added later: After using the bag for a day, and filling it with all the things I carry around which I forgot about yesterday (two glasses cases, Kobo e-reader, and more), the bag held its shape well. So no need for less stuff after all!

Ready to Shop

Got back to my sewing machine this afternoon and finished my test shopping bag. Then I rushed it outside to try and get a photo while there was still a little bit of light:

I hadn't even finished off the ends from the last bit of stitching. Because the light was so dim, the colour looks a lot less intense than it is in real life.

The green is more like the tab you can see in this photo, or the picture I posted two days ago. This one was taken with the flash once I had tidied up those hanging threads, and rolled the bag up into its handy built-in zip-up pouch.

Now I just need to do some shopping to really test it!

Pattern Testing

I'm testing Nikki from You SEW Girl's latest pattern. This is how far I got today:

 Doesn't look much like a shopping bag yet, does it? But it will! I'm up to attaching the zip, which is definitely a challenge, as Nikki says in the post I linked to. The biggest challenge for me is keeping my fingers out of the way of the iron while fusing bits and pieces into place. Unfortunately I had to stop before I finished it today because of fading light, so you'll have to come back later in the week to see the finished shopping bag.

Bag Designs

For the last five weeks I've been going to classes on Thursday nights to learn about pattern-making for bags. Tonight was the last night, sadly. It's been a lot of fun, and I've learnt a lot.

This is my collection of little bag toiles of patterns I drafted during the course. They'd all need a bit of work before they could be real, usable bags, but turning the flat patterns into 3-dimensional constructions gave me a much better idea of what I was doing.

Expensive Embellishment

Remember the plain denim bag I thought needed some embellishment?

I made yo-yos out of the lining fabric and appliquéd them, then thought I'd use buttons to cover the centre holes.

First I searched through my button jar, but really I have few green buttons. The only ones I had three of were the very dull square ones you might be able to see at the bottom of this shot.  I contemplated using the golden-brown ones that I have a tube-full of, but I wasn't quite happy with them.  So I bought a button-covering kit, (the red and yellow bits in the centre of the picture) to make matching buttons.  The kit was supposed to make 8 buttons, but so far I have destroyed 4 of them without making one usable button.  Results - a few mangled pieces of aluminium (two visible in photo), one "almost" button, quite a bit of frustration.  Today I went shopping to find 3 green shank buttons.  Good idea, but none available!  How can that be?  Anyway, I bought the smiley yellow flowers.  Total cost so far - nearly $9 for three buttons that aren't really what I wanted!  (Edit: - Plus the cost of the yo-yo maker.  I had forgotten about that!)

Who knows, maybe I'll just end up removing all traces of embellishment.

Mum's Bag

Today I finished the construction of Mum's denim bag, but I think it needs some embellishment.  Despite the different colour denims, it looks rather plain to me.  It's a bit like the classic Project Runway dilemma: should you give the judges what they asked for and risk producing something less than wonderful, or create something you like and have the judges hate it?

The pattern is the Panel Bag by Nicole Mallalieu, with a slight variation to the pleats.  Nikki's design is not to blame for the blandness of this bag!

Another Panel Bag

On Saturday Mum admired my Panel Bag, and said she'd like one made of denim. Today I started working on it, using fabric from several pairs of jeans her grandson either wore out or grew out of.

Today is Mum's birthday, so her present will be a little late, but it's taking shape.

Bag Complete

Today I finished the bag I've been making.  The pattern is the Panel Bag by Nicole Mallalieu.

One advantage of making your own is that you can customise it to suit yourself. For example, as well as lots of pockets inside, this bag features something I wish all my bags had:

A special little clip for my keys.  No more hunting for them somewhere underneath everything else!

Becoming a Bag

It was a day for staying inside and sewing. The bag began to take shape. Or it was, until I ran out of thread.

Sewing For Me

Started making myself a bag today.

The brown stuff is the outside, and lighter fabric is the lining.  Both are remnants from other projects, but I do need to purchase a little hardware and some interfacing to complete the bag.