U-handblog

FREE bag purse pattern: The Graceful Kelly Bag

This is great!  I haven't been able to do a freebie sewing pattern in such a long time - been too busy with the 'b' word.  When the 'B' word is finished things will go back (more) to normal.  I'll resume blogging and magazine writing and stuff.  I've missed doing that so much, I do hope when the time comes you'll still be out there to read my gear!

So, this bag is totally inspired by the purse frame itself.  As soon as I saw the frame I was thinking of film starlets, Grace Kelly, Doris Day, and the lovely women of Mad Men.  This beaut of a bag more or less designed it's own sweet self (I wish all my designs came that easy!)

You'll find the hardware and interfacings needed for this bag in my shop.  Click on the links inside the PDF pattern to find the neccesssary supplies.

 

 

DOWNLOAD THE FREE BAG PATTERN HERE

The file is on the large size (cos I took loads of instruction pics) so you might not want to download at work (and get yourself trouble with the boss!).

 

Please pop your U-Handbag tute/kit/pattern bag pics in here - I love checking 'em out :)

 

 

Yummy boat shaped bag with soft gathering all held in place by our Grace Kelly Purse Frame.  This bag really does look shop bought, so I've been told (by a fair few).  I'm thinking, if this tres' lady-like bag can bring some prim and proper order to my grungy work boots than all the better!

 

This bag is very roomy.  You can easily get a book, water, purse, phone, small brolly, war paint, compact camera and more inside. Yet when full the bag doesn't look unwieldy.  I think it's because it refuses to look anything less than...um..graceful.

 

Side view:  the gusset (still hate that word) adds loads of space to the bag and gives it a nice rounded profile.  Those of you who like to go off-road can easily add contrast piping to the seams - ohh tasty!

Inside there is a elasticated top edge pocket which will keep your valuables/scratchables safe and easy for you access.  Neat eh?  Don't worry, instructions are included to make the whole shebang.

 

I hope you have fun with the pattern.  I'm really looking fowrd to seeing pics of 'em.  OX.

 

FREE bag purse pattern - 'For Pleat's Sake' Tote

Hello!  I hope you all had a wunnerful weekend.  I had an incredible weekend (more about it in my next post) and then I got knocked over sideways by food poisoning.  Hey ho.

Here it finally is, the pleaty bag tute that I promised you just before we moved house (wow did that all really happen?  It seems like an age ago!)  See me modeling this bag here.

 

**NB: the pattern is a simple landscape rectangle - measurements are in the tutorial**

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PDF TUTORIAL HERE.

 

Please pop your U-Handbag tute/kit/pattern bags in here - I love checking 'em out :)

 

Click on the pics to enlarge.

Dya like my birdy hook?  Exterior fabric is this cute robot linen and the handles are these red leather elbow/shoulder length straps.

 

Side view. Jaunty fresh & preppy.  Best of all no one will have one like yours :)

 

The pleats look great and they add heaps of volume to the bag (so you can add heaps o' shoppin').

 

To see pics of another Pleats Sake Tote that I made, look here.

I do hope you enjoy the tute folks!

 

Coming next: Sneaky Peek inside my book (The Bag Making Bible).  I'll post some pics on the blog, but I'll post even more in my Facebook (just because it's soooo much faster than uploading to the blog). So please join my FB if you wanna see more - I thaangg you!

☜ Click to see my U-Handbag Facebook page.

 

For Pleats Sake

I verilly love this pleaty bag.  I made it during a triple bill episode of Wife Swap  - crappy weekend telly at it's absolute finest, love it!   This is a simple to put together bag, but I think the pleats and the smart leather handles make this simple tote look quite refined. 

I'm keeping the prototype to use as my posh-er groceries bag.  It's so roomy and it's perfect for carting around one's higher-end groceries purveyed from one's local food hall, artisan baker and 'new world' deli, daahhlink.   ...I wish...

Whatcha think?   If enough of you request it in the comments I'll fix up a freebie tute to make this bag for yer!

**UPDATE*** Oookaaaayyy!  I hear ya loud and clear.  Thank for your lovley comments. Please give me couple of weeks (or so - like I am moving house V sooon) to fix up the tute.  :)

Click on the pics to enlarge.

  The pattern is just a simple rectangle.   The clamshell curvy top edge is formed of 6 evenly spaced pleats. The pleats are also topstitched with contrast green to match the green stitching on the handles.

  The straps are these leather bag handles which I have stitched on using contrast green embroidery silk (which looks dead cool close-up).  The leather handles make the bag look like a "yum, where did you buy that?"  kind of bag.  The bag wouldn't look the same (or as posh) with fabric straps.

  Close up of the 'business end'.

   Inside pleat action.  The pleats not only shape the bag, but they reinforce the bag top as well.  The bag bottom is flat - tho you can't see that in the pic.

Golly I actually look kinda tall in this pic.  Hurrah, bonus!  This bag is roomy and can easily hold milk, bread, newspaper, parma ham, dried porcini, French Pave loaf, dried Udon noodles, asparagus bundle, a pat of Brittany salt crystal butter, a block of Manchego cheese, Kikkoman soya sauce, jars of harrisa, olive tapenade and marinated anchovies, a bunch of dried French lavender and...hahahaha!

If enough of you request it in the comments, I'll fix up a freebie tute to make this bag for you :)

**UPDATE*** Oookaaaayyy!  I hear ya loud and clear.  Thank for your lovley comments. Please give me couple of weeks (or so - like I am moving house V sooon) to fix up the tute.  :)

Right I'm off to make myself a cuppa and to write the first newsletter I've written in flipping ages - I'm going to put front & back cover pics of my booky: 'The Bag Making Bible' inside the letter...

FREE bag purse pattern - The Love Basket

So the fabric is my fave-st from Amy Butler's Love range and the bag is a basket shape.  So I HAD to call the bag 'The Love Basket'.  

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DOWNLOAD THE FREE PDF PATTERN BOOKLET HERE

Please pop your U-Handbag tute/kit/pattern bags in here - I check out this lovely group twice a week, every week :)

Click on the pics to enlarge.
    

If this bag tute looks familiar it's probably because it's based on the first ever bag tutorial I ever wrote. My pattern writing skills have moved on some since then.  Reading through the original pattern is a bit like reading thru my teen diary - a bit cute and a bit misguided!  This bag is an enduring favourite of mine and of yours.  The original has been downloaded close to 16,800 times - thanks! 

In time for summer I have fully updated and improved this tutorial to make it a better bag, and the tutorial easier to use.  Yes there are lots of steps, but none of them are particularly tricky or exotic. You can have this bag made in 2 evenings/afternoons tops.   Loads of my lovely customers have attempted this as a first bag project and were real happy with the results.

The bag is a simple boxy rectangle shape and this makes it a perfect showcase for your more showy, large-scale pattern repeat fabrics.  Seriously, how yum would you look if you were to team this bag with cute red wedges/ballet pumps and jeans?   You just know it's going to turn heads  :)

The bag is firm and crisp to the touch and it can happily stand up by itself  The secret is the Ultra Firm Fusible interfacing - it works a charm for rigid bags and clutches. And importantly all creases and scrunches (made during bag construction) iron out completely.

The bag has a flat bottom and protective bag feet.

The fastening on this bag is improved from the original. This time round we have a much neater inner magnetic snap tab closure.

  Inside view.  Lots of room for your essentials, plus a paper back, water, snacks and a brolly for sudden showers.

You will need:

•    A pair of 7” x 5” (18cm x 13cm) Bamboo Bag Handles with hooks.
•    1/2yrd (50cm) Iron-on medium fusible interfacing
•    1yrd (1m) Ultra Firm fusible interfacing
•    1/2yrd (50cm) Heavy sew-in interlining
•    1 set of magnetic snaps 1 6/8” (19mm)
•    1 set of protective bag feet 6/8” (16mm)
•    1 Medium Grid Bag Bottom
•    1/2 yrd (50cm) lining fabric (I’ve used quilt weight cotton) and matching thread
•    1/2 yrd (50cm) exterior fabric (I’ve used quilt weight cotton) and matching thread
•    Disappearing fabric marker or chalk
•    Pins
• •    A walking foot is also handy to help cope with the layers
  

    I  thought you might like to see the machine I sewed this bag on.  It's Janome's brand spanking new Horizon.  Sadly she's not mine. I'm borrowing her to road test her, but if you don't hear from me for a while it's because I've done a swifty runner with the machine.  Heh!  I'll do blog review soon.

See that lovely basket of flowers?  They're from my Mum & Dad for my 37th birthday which was on the 11th.  Now its nearly a week later I've come to terms with being 37 and I'm finally ready to share that fact with you.  OX!

 

Why should you get a walking foot / dual feed for your sewing machine

...so there you are making yourself a nice bag or quilt or sewing a pretty ruffle onto a cute top.  You've cut all the fabric/interfacing/ruffle pieces perfectly, you've matched all edges and you've taken care to pin the heck out of them togther.  So it would be fair to assume that all of the layers will stitch together real nice and even. Right?   Wrong! 

  Ruffles that look delectable (even tho I say so myself) and are a breeze to sew thanks to a particular magic foot.

How many times have you sewn layers togther to find that the top layer of your sewing has crept forward so the top layer has become longer than the bottom layer/s  What in the jiggery-pokery is going on?!?  Did you know that when sewing layers together your sewing machine feeds the top layer of your sewing through ever so slightly faster the bottom layers?  This effect is not so noticeable when sewing 2 fine-med weight fabric layers together, but there are instances (see below) when this is noticeable - and a right pain!  And no, squillions of pins will not prevent this sewing machine witchcraft from happening.  Well it's not witchcraft really, It's just the presser feet doing their job.  The presser feet need to press down on the fabric in order for the feed dogs to be able to grab the fabric, but then pressing down also has the effect of pressing forward (as the machine sews).  This often results in forward creep-age.

When can you get top layer creep-age?

• When you are making bags because as we all know bag making is layer-tastic. It often requires sewing with several fabric and interfacing layers.
• Sewing quilts - see above
• Sewing with slippery silk and satin fabric
• Sewing with fabrics that have a pile/nap such as velvet or thick cord.
• Even sewing with thicker fabrics can suffer from creep-age.
• Sewing pockets, tabs, flaps etc. onto your projects can be prone to creep-age.
• Embellishment/trimming sewing such as: binding, pleats, gathers, ruffles, sewing on thick appliqués, patches - you get idea.  The pressure of the presser foot has a habit of pushing these embellishments towards you as you sew so the result can be uneven and embellishment shifted away from where you intended - grrr!
• Basically the higher/taller the object/s are from the base layer of the thing you are going to sew,  the higher the creep-age potential.

OK, are we seeing the creep-age potential of sewing with pleats (for example)?  Yeah, especially after I've interfaced the above fabric with fusible fleece.  But it was no problemo - thanks to dual feed (see below).

OK so the answer to our creep-age prayers is a walking foot, but how does it work?

It's simple really.  Without going too deep into it, it works with the feed dogs of your machine to feed the top layer of your work through the machine at the same time/speed/rate as the bottom layer.  So even if you are sewing with several layers (and those layers are all pinned together) it doesn't matter what's going on inside the sandwich because the 2 pieces of bread are going though at the same speed - geddit?  The walking foot literally walks the fabric through the machine - it's very cool seeing it in action.  Actually, when you get used to sewing with a walking foot you can quite happily use it for most of utility sewing - I do.  It works just fine when sewing 2 pieces of cotton togther as it does when sewing nightmare thicko layers together. 

Woo, I'm sold. I gotta get me one!

As far as I can tell walking feet come in 2 (different looking) flavours.  The 1st flavour is what I use and it is an attachment/mech called DUAL FEED that came with my Janome machine (other machines have dual feed attachments too, check with the dealer).  

   On my machine I have to fit the dual feed foot to the machine and there is also a secondary foot which pulls down from the machine arm (you can see me pulling the secondary foot down in the pic) and it tucks in just under the dual feed foot - it's simple and convenient.

With secondary foot engaged underneath the dual feed foot.  The dual feed works a treat and I use it most of the time.  I only really take it off to sew stuff like zips. 

The other flavour is a separate walking foot which looks like this:

  I've not used a separate walking foot before, but I know they do the same thing as a dual feed.  BE SURE to get the right walking foot for your model/make of machine.

So if you were wondering if walking feet/dual feed are worth getting your mitts on - I'd say "What, aint'cha got one yet?"   :)

Do any of you dig your walking feet as much as I do? What do you sew with yours?

How to Attach Leather Straps to Your Handmade Bags

Big heaps of thanks to Julie for taking the time to write this super useful - and thrifty - post on how get some leather bag strap action on your bags!  Julie loves sewing and writing about crafts. You can find more how-to articles by Julie at at Serious Sewing and How to History.

If you fancy buying ready made leather bag straps & handles you can always check ours out :)

Guest post by Julie Anne Eason 

Leather adds a touch of elegance and class to any handmade bag, and one of the easiest ways to add leather to your creations is with the handles or straps. They're soft, sturdy and best of all, don't usually need to be hemmed or finished in any way. Most people don't hang out with the local leatherworker, so it can sometimes seem intimidating to think about adding this versatile element to your bags. But the techniques aren't difficult. And if you're worried about where you might find the materials, I'm going to show you how to find fabulous leather straps --Cheap!

First, let's take a field trip

When I first decided I wanted to try working with leather, I had no idea where to get my hands on some. This was way before the Internet, and craft stores hadn't yet started carrying leather supplies. These days you can easily order leather online, but it can be expensive and you'll still need special tools to work it. Don't despair, intrepid bag-maker. A fine array of leather straps, buckles and brass findings is available, if you know where to look. All you have to do is start thinking "recycle." Or "upcycle" is the trendy term these days. The best source for handbag straps is old leather belts, shoes and scraps salvaged from worn out purses and even leather coats.

Belts scavenged from charity shops

Your first stop should be your own closet. Then check yard sales, flea markets, charity shops and the like. You're looking for lengths of leather, metal rings, interesting buckles and findings. Sometimes you can score a lifetime supply of these treasures for next to nothing. The best part about recycling leather like this is you don't have to do anything to cut or shape the strap. It's all ready to be attached to your bag. Don't worry if the piece you find is too short or too long, we can fix that. So, go scavenge the neighborhood and don't forget to ask your friends and family if they have any unwanted items in their closets. Free supplies! 

Next, let's look at how leather straps are attached to most bags

Start paying attention to how straps are attached to fine leather bags in your local shops. When you look closely, they are almost always done in two parts. There's a short piece attached to the bag with a metal ring of some sort. Then the strap itself is attached to the ring. You rarely see the strap attached directly to the bag. I'm not sure if there's a reason for this, other than that it's pretty. And it allows you to adjust the strap on your shoulder or in your hand without putting added stress on the bag itself. The ring doesn't have to be round; it can be any closed shape. (it could be an open hook shape, too. But be aware the strap may come unhooked from time to time.) Be creative with your "rings." You can use old costume jewellery, toys or shoe decorations. Some of my favorite pieces come from the hardware store or antique shops.

Now let's learn the basic leather skills for attaching the straps

So, you've got a strap or two you like. And you've got some interesting findings. How do you get them on your bag? Well, you have a couple of options.

Machine sew it: If you happen to have an industrial sewing machine for leather, you can just sew right through almost anything. Just sew a double line of stitches and you're done. Some high-end home machines like the Bernina 950 will tolerate lightweight or garment leathers. But don't risk damaging your machine on heavier straps.

Hand sew it: Hand stitching leather, especially thick leather, requires heavy weight thread (preferably waxed linen), special needles and you may need a metal awl to pre-punch the holes before you push the needle through. There is a special locking stitch you'll want to use when sewing your straps. This stitch uses one thread and two needles, one on each end of the thread. You'll be forming a knot in the middle of the leather, so if for some reason the thread breaks with wear, the whole seam won't come undone. You can stitch a couple of straight lines across the strap to hold it in place, or work some decorative stitching like a box or an "X". There's a great leather hand stitching video here.

Rivet it: I love rivets. They're decorative, functional, cheap and easy to use. You'll want to get a bag of "jiffy rivets" or "two piece rivets" from you local craft store. If you have a cobbler in town, they may be able to sell you a box. Or you can order them online. They come in two pieces--a shank and a cap. Here's how they work:

On this computer bag, I used rivets to secure all the strap parts to the bag. Much faster than sewing, and shiny, too!

You cut a small hole through all the layers you want to rivet together (make sure it's smaller than the rivet itself, or it will pull out.) Then push the shank through the hole from the back and gently press the cap on top. Place the rivet on a hard surface and hit the cap end a couple of times with a hammer until it is seated firmly. An anvil or piece of metal is ideal, but you can also use a piece of scrap wood. Sometimes the rivets will come with a small "anvil" and "rivet set." These tools keep the domed caps of the rivets nice and round, even after pounding on them with a hammer. But I like the way they look when they're smashed flat, too. So, don't worry about it too much if you only have access to rivets and a hammer. If you don't have a leather punch on hand for cutting holes, you can use a paper punch for thin leather or sometimes a nail will work. Just hammer the nail into the leather (with a piece of scrap wood behind it), then pull the nail out. Here's a video on how to set a double cap rivet.

Finally, let's fit all the pieces together

You can certainly decide to stitch or rivet the strap directly to the bag. But as I mentioned before, most handles are done in two parts connected by a ring. There's a short tab piece, which you attach to the bag, and the strap itself. You'll want to connect the shorter tab piece first. Sew or rivet a tab of leather through the ring. Then either attach it to the outside of the bag, or cut a slit in your bag and slide the tab to the inside and attach it there. Be mindful of what you plan to carry in the bag. If you're going to be toting anything heavy like books or a computer, you'll want to reinforce the tabs or your fabric will sag and the straps could pull out. Also, if you're using a loose weave fabric, you'll want to reinforce as well. Just cut a tab of thin leather or canvas and use it like a washer to keep the strap fastened securely. With the tab secured to your bag, all you have to do is attach the main body of the strap to the ring. Put one end of the strap through the ring and then fold it back on itself and secure by sewing or riveting. Then repeat on the other side.

The handles here are sewn to the ring, and the tab piece is riveted to the bag.

This is where you can get creative with embellishments or lengthen/shortening the strap. If your leather piece is too small, you can add extra rings or embellishments in between the leather and the tab. You can also attach the strap to a snap-type swivel hook. Then it's a simple matter of snapping the hook to the ring. The hook itself takes up room and lengthens the strap. That's all there is to it! Beware, though, scavenging for straps and findings can get addictive. You may find yourself unable to pass by another thrift store or yard sale again.

FREE bag purse pattern - Big n' Beautiful Betty

Coo blimey!   Who will side with who in the UK General 2010 election.  My packed suitcase is packed and ready in the hallway just in case.  And yep I did vote.  Whilst they squabble amongst themselves how about making this large and lovely purse?

 

**UPDATE** the orginal purse frame for this bag has been re-designed - so this pattern has been updated accordingly (as have the instructions). Have fun!

 

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PDF PATTERN HERE.  Instructions are below on this post.

Please pop your U-Handbag tute/kit/pattern bags in here - I love checking 'em out :)

Click on the pics to enlarge.

  To me this  Summery version oozes Madmen chic.  I love love love the fashion and furniture from that show.  Thus I named this bag 'Betty' (in homage to Don Draper's poor wife).  When it gets cooler try swapping the summery fabric for (you guessed it) wool fabric topped off with a cheeky little satin frill.

Fabrics are from Amy Butler's Love range.  Nom-nom!

This purse frame is oversized which means you can use it to make a good sized bag.  And will the glue take the weight of this big bag?  Yep it will - I loaded this bag with a kilo bag of sugar and a tin of baked beans then swung it round and round (like crazy woman) in my garden. Pleased to report that groceries and bag remained intact :)

Of course, the frill is totally optional, but it's sooo cute - and tad quirky no?

Inside my version I have added a good sized lined pocket with a mag snap closure.

Me wearing the bag for scale.  Unfortunately I don't own any swingy or Jackie O' 1950's style clothes, so I apologise for my scruffy jeans and messed up elbow (result of a numpty moped accident in Spain).

Right.  How here's to make this pretty-ness.  I have cut and pasted images from previous purse tutorials that I've already done because those images work with this tute.  Give her a whirl, Betty's pretty simple to put together.

 

Here's how I put Betty together

**A PDF of these instructions (with working web links) is available here**

You will need:

• 1 x Silver Oversized purse frame with loops
• 2 x 1/2in (13mm) Bolt Snaps
• 1 x small mag snap (optional)
• 1 yrd (1m) purse making cord - see step 11
• 1/2 yard (1/2m) of fabric for the exterior 
• 1/2 yard (1/2m) of fabric for the lining
• 1/2 yard (1/2m) of Vilene Woven fusible interfacing/stabilizer (use woven, it's stronger and this bigger bag needs the strength). 
• 1/2 yard (1/2m) of Vilene Thermolam Compressed Fleece (stabilser)
• V. strong fabric glue
• A walking foot is also dead handy if you are going to sew a frill

**All seam allowances are 3/8in (1cm) unless stated otherwise**

1.  Make up your purse pattern - Download the FREE Betty purse pattern here. Print the pattern, cut out the two pieces and stick 'em together (as instructed on the pattern).
 

2.  Cut your fabric pieces - Cut out the fabrics, fusible interfacing and fleece pieces as directed on the pattern. Iron the woven interfacing pattern pieces to the wrong side of your exterior pattern pieces. Transfer all markings with chalk or a disappearing marker.   Also cut:

• For the strap cut 1 strip exterior fabric 27in x 3 1/8in (68 1/2cm x 8cm)
• If you are making a top frill cut 2 strips of lining fabric: 33in x2 3/8in (84cm x 6cm).
• If you are making an inner pocket cut 2 pieces lining fabric: 8 1/2in x 6in (22cm x 15cm).

3.  Make up frill (if using, if not proceed to step 5) -  Iron both frill strips. Take one of the strips and fold in half by bringing the long edges RST.  Match edges and stitch both short edges of the strip together with a 1/4in (1/2cm) seam allowance. Turn the frill RSO and iron.  Now set your machine to the longest stitch length and the loosest tension. Leaving long thread tails at both ends, stitch along the raw top edge of the frill with a 3/8in (1cm) seam allowance. Repeat step with the other frill strip. Return the machine stitch length and tension to their normal settings.   

4.  Gather the frill and fit and baste it to your exterior fabric -  Take the frill and pull on the bottom thread (the bobbin thread) to gather up the frill.  Gather up the frill until it is the right length to fit in between the 2 frill markings on the top edge of the exterior pattern pieces.  If you have a walking foot fit it to your machine and stitch the frills to secure them in place - stitch just above the gathering stitches.  Remove the loose gathering stitches.

Now place the gathered frill onto the top edge of your exterior pieces (in between the 2 frill markings). Match the raw top edge of the frill to the top edge of exterior pattern piece.   Pin togther at regular and frequent intervals just like I have (on another frilly project below).  Using the walking foot baste the frill to the exterior piece with a 1/4in (1/2cm) seam allowance.  If you don't have a walking foot, decrease the foot pressure, take your time, and replace the frills with your fingers as you sew (cos the machine will have a tendency to push the frills forward).  Repeat step with the other frill strip.

 

Pin the frill to the TOP edge of the bag exterior piece and it will look something like the 'pin em up action' in the pic above.

5.   Sew  exterior purse  Create a sandwich with the exterior fabric pieces RST in the middle and the fleece pieces on the outside.  Match all edges and pin everything together.  Starting from one of the hinge markings, sew the sides and bottom of the exterior finishing at the other hinge markings as shown by the wonky arrow in the photo.

 

Yes I know the picture is wrong for this bag, (so ignore the blue measurements in the photo) the principle is excata-mundo the same.  Pin and stitch around the sides and bottom (in between the hinge markings) just like in the pic above.  

6.  Create a flat bottom for your purse - Take one of the corners of your exterior bag and match the side seam with the bottom seam line.  Flatten to form a  triangle.  Measure 2in (5cm) across the tip of the triangle mark the line with pen/chalk and pin.  Stitch along the marked line and trim the excess fabric 3/8in (1cm) from the seam.  Repeat for the other bottom corner of the exterior.  Iron the seam open and turn exterior bag right side out.

Flatten triangle and make your line 2in  (5cm) across from the tip of triangle. Check the marked line is at right angles to centre line of the triangle.

Trim off excess fabric, and there you go; one flat bottom!

7.  Sew inner pocket if using (if not using proceed to step 8) - Make a mark for the snap on one of the pocket fabric pieces in the centre 1in (2 1/2cm) down from the top edge. Iron a 1in (3/8cm) square of fusible interfacing behind the marking.  Use a stitch ripper make two small slits (for the prongs) into the marking you have just made.  Take one of the non-magnetic snap half and push the prongs through the right side the pocket piece.  Slip a metal washer over the prongs at the back and then press the prongs down away from each other.  If you want to see mag snap pics check out step 5 of this tute.

Bring both pocket pieces RST, match all edges, pin and stitch all around sides and bottom, but leave a 4in (10cm) gap in the bottom edge for turning out. Turn pocket RSO, push raw edges of the gap into the pocket and iron.

On one of the bag lining fabric pieces make a marking in the centre 2 3/4in (7cm) down from the top edge for the magnetic half of the snap.  Insert the snap as before.  Place the lining pocket onto bag lining piece (so that magnetic snap halves click together).  Check that the pocket is straight (and not wonky) on the lining, pin and stitch all around the sides and bottom of the pocket - stitching the gap in the pocket shut as you sew.

8.  Stitch the bag lining -  Sew the lining bag in the same way as steps 5 & 6 except there is no fleece to work with.

 9.  Bring the exterior bag and the lining bag together - Place the purse lining WSO into the exterior purse (RSO).  The wrong sides of the lining and the exterior should now be touching each other. Carefully match all seams and raw edges of the lining purse to the exterior purse and pin at the top edge.

Stitch the exterior and lining together neatly all around the top of the purse no more than 1/8 (3mm) from the edge. Be especially neat at the side seams as these will show on the finished purse.  If necessary tidy up the top edge by trimming off any stray uneven fabric or interfacing.

 

 

10.  Now for the glue - Apply glue to the channel of one of the sides of the frame.  Work with one side of the purse at time.  Start at the hinge and work your way to the other hinge.  Be quite generous with the glue (but not enough to cause an oozing mess!)  Apply glue to the side and top edge of your purse, again be generous - if you are a bit clumsy you might want to mask the bit of the purse that will not be inserted into the frame with some tape.  It doesn't matter if glue oozes onto the frame but it is a pain if it gets all over the fabric.  Allow the glue to become touch dry (wait at least 5 mins).

Be quite generous with the glue.  This glue btw is the business, it's got more grip than a pot of lobsters!

11.  Insert your purse into the frame - Start by inserting the sides of your purse into the frame (hinge end first) then work your way up to the top corners.  Use a pointy object to poke and stuff the fabric evenly into the frame - small sewing scissors are perfect for this job.  After you have inserted the sides of the purse into the frame, start inserting the top edge of the purse into the frame.  You'll see that the top edge of the purse is a little wider than the top edge of the frame - this is intentional because we want the top edge to be a little gathered. Continue to stuff the fabric into the top edge of the frame and space the gathers out evenly.   Turn the purse over to check that the lining side is also inserted evenly into the frame.  Leave to dry for 15min before tackling the other side of the frame and purse in the same way. 

Let everything dry for about 30 mins and then pick off any stray glue from the frame. 

Sides go into the frame first.

Poke the fabric right into the frame with tips of scissors - work your way around the frame evenly. If you have sewn a frill take extra care to wodge and stuff the top frilled edge of the purse into the frame.  It might be slightly more awkward to have the frill to contend with, but the frill actually makes for a stronger purse - so the frill is worth the (slightly) extra hassle :)

Flip your purse over and check that the lining side is even as well.

As this bag is big, I highly recommend using purse making cord to reinforce the bond between the frame and the purse.  Stuff the cord into the lining side of the frame using the pointy tool as before.

• If you added a frill to the purse use this cord.
• If you didn't add a frill use this cord.

12.  Make the strap - take the strap fabric and make the strap in exactly the same way as step 3 in this tute (except there is no fleece to work with).  Thread one of the strap ends thru the ring of the bolt snap and stitch the end down (stitch forward and reverse a couple of time for strength).  Repeat with the other strap end and bolt snap. Clip the strap onto your bag and skip off to the shops with a spring in your step. You're looking great, Honey!

Free U-Handbag Bag Pattern: The Everyday Glam Bag

Ta dah!  Just finished a rather pretty and rather useful freebie-licious bag pattern.  I've laid out the free pattern using the same tidy format as my pay for PDF sewing patterns.  I really hope you like it :)

So, this is NOT yer 'average round handled knitting bag' jobbie.  It's still almost as quick and easy to make as yer 'average round handled knitting bag' jobbie, but inside there are big pockets, the pattern can be adapted to make a portrait or a landscape version (in other words, tall or wide version) and will you check the 'I'm a girl and proud of it' pretty dangly trim swinging at the bottom? 

Make yourself a bag that has a touch of glam for everyday or get yourself out of a tight present giving spot for someone's birthday.  It'll take no more than an afternoon or an evening to whip up.

THE LINK TO THE PATTERN LINK IS AT BOTTOM OF THIS POST.
PS: the main pattern is a super easy rectangle - yay!

If you're wondering where to find:

• Bobble trim = try a search in google/ebay/etc. for 'bobble trim, bobble fringe or pom pom trim'.
• Beaded trim = found quite a few sellers on ebay for this stuff.  Also try curtain shops. John Lewis (in the UK).

I took her shopping yesterday lots of ladies were checking her out - not that that matters to me (heh!)  Inside you'll find 2 big pockets.  The 8" Bamboo Round Handles used in this pattern are wide enough to slip over my shoulder.

 

Yum yum!

Yes ladies with the all new iDangle™ your bag will glint in the sun and you'll be the envy of all the other girls :)

One final gratuitous shot of the iDangle™ trim.

** IF YOU'D LIKE THIS FREE EVERYDAY GLAM BAG TUTORIAL CLICK HERE**

I'd love to know what you think of it :)

Note: to view the PDF tutorial, you will need the Adobe Viewer program.  Get the latest version of the viewer absolutely free by clicking on the button below:

I hope you have fun using my tutorials, if you do we'd soooo love to see pics of your baggy handiwork in the "Bags & purses made from U-Handblog tutorials' Flickr group.  I check it out regular!

My Fave Bag Making Tools - Photography

Thanks for being interested in the gadgets and wing-dings that I like to use in my bag making endeavours.  Rather than replying to your emails about my recommendations I'll post them on here instead - should have done it ages ago!

So today it's what tools I use for photography.  I don't claim to be very good at photography, but I do have a sexy camera (that I'm still having fun learning how to use) and knowledge of Photoshop is sooooo useful.  Anyways, here's my photography kit list:

1. My camera is a Nikon D80. If you have a compact digi camera (like I did recently) set the camera to a high ISO (look it up in your manual).  This will help your pics look a lot brighter (in terms of light).
2. The lens I always use for product shots is a fixed 50mm.  This wonderful lens is very crisp and lets in heaps of light.
3. The sun.  Nothing beats the sun when is comes to lighting.  Taking shots in the gloom makes pics look muddy and I don't know how to fix this in Photoshop without the result looking fake. 
4. I like to take product shots on a white background because I think this makes the items the main focus of attention.  I use a huge white propleyne sheet as a fore and background.
5. A tripod or some books or a shoe box or any ledge to steady your camera.  Even breathing can de-stabilise your camera.
6. Blue tack, pins and padding.  Use these items to pin up, stand up and pad out (if necessary) your items.
7. Image well (for mac)  - so handy for quick re-sizing of images.
8. Flickr because it's the daddy of online photo storage) and Photobucket because you can link to your images as standalones.
9. Photoshop CS3 - really helps with the crappy UK sunlight (or lack of it).  Get yourself a free 30 day trial of Photoshop CS4.
10. Please check out a post I wrote on How to take and edit professional looking photos of the craft products. For some reason most of the pics have disappeared from that post.  If enough of you folks want, I will re-write that tutorial with pics (please comment on this post).

 

BEFORE - This was taken on a sunny-ish day.  The camera lens really does make a difference. My lens lets in a lot of light so that means I have hardly any touching up work to do in Photoshop.  See how the white background looks grey?  Methinks it all needs brightening up...

AFTER Photoshop.  I have lightened up the white balance and added just a touch of yellow for a little bit of warmth.

Tomorrow:  My Fave Bag Making Tools - Sewing Machines Etc.

Tutorial - How to use Purse Tongue Locks / Clasps

Well I dunno...what would you call them?

Thank heaps for your kind comment about the Quick & Crafty purses; I couldn't reply to them because I have deadlines coming out of my ears, sorry!

**If you want to see the bag in this tute completed click here.**

Purse tongue locks are the sprung locks that you often find on those lovely leather document cases or satchels.  They look so nice (and super-duper professional) on bags and clutches and as a design feature they really do add interest to your bags. I have just managed to get my mitts on some pretty looking and professional quality Silver Purse Tongue Locks for my shop so I thought this was a good time to post a tutorial on how to apply them to your bags and purses.  They are simple to use and they give brilliant results.

Tongue locks work best when your bags are made from several layers (e.g. your chosen fabric and a combo of interlinings), this is because tongue locks have a little weight to them and your purse needs to be able to support the weight without sagging.

Here's what each lock set includes: Tongue plate with screws (which goes on the purse flap) and receiving plate with washers (reverse side shown - which goes on the bag body). Burt's Bees is just there for scale - LOVE Burt's Bees.

1.   Make a mark for where you are going to apply the tongue plate - The tongue plate goes on your bag flap so you will need to make up your bag flap first.  I am using one tongue lock on my purse so I want to position my lock in the bottom centre of my bag flap.

Make a wee little mark for the tongue plate.

2.  Apply the Tongue Plate to your bag flap - See how the tongue plate has a groove on the top and screws on the back? Yep, we are going to stuff the bottom edge of our bag flap (at the mark we have just made) right into that groove, as deep as it will go and then we are going to screw it in.  

Real groovy - the groove that sits atop of the tongue plate.

Reverse view of the flap and tongue plate.  Wodge the bottom edge of your bag flap into the groove as far as it will go.  Take a small screwdriver and screw the plate into the bag flap.  There's no need to make any holes; the screws will bite into the fabric to make the plate nice and secure.

3.  Mark the Receiving Plate position onto your bag/purse/clutch body - I like to do this step after I have made the flap (with the tongue plate attached) and I have made the bag exterior.   This way I can baste the flap onto the bag exterior and experiment with where the tongue plate will fall on the bag body - I prefer to do this step towards the end of the bag construction because try as I might to measure these things, they usually don't work and I then end up turning the air rather blue.  I am going to show you the "do it at the towards the end method'.

Don't worry what I have just said will hopefully make sense in a minute after you have seen the pics for this step.   So, finish making your bag exterior (don't worry about the bag lining, it's not needed in this tutorial).  Pin or baste your bag flap (with tongue plate attached) in position on your bag exterior; slip the receiving plate onto the tongue plate and note where the prongs of the receiving plate flap falls onto the bag exterior front.

Here I have basted my bag flap onto my bag exterior and I have have also slipped the receiving plate onto the tongue plate.  See those prongs?  They are going to act as markers...

...here I am flashing my engagement ring (at your request, I might add, heh!) and pulling the bag flap down onto the bag to see where the lock falls onto the bag.  I am also pressing the whole tongue lock onto the bag exterior so I can later mark the prong indents with pen...

...like so.

4.  Get some reinforcements in for the Receiving Plate and apply - because this part of the lock will need to withstand a bit wear it's a good idea to strengthen the the bag before applying the receiving plate.  Use some layers of interfacing, wadding or whatever to strengthen the bag exterior area. Gently push the prongs through the marks (made in the previous step) and slip your reinforcements over the prongs before pushing the prongs down with your fingers (or a pair of pliers).

I have chosen to reinforce with some Thermolam and some Bag Bottom.

To save your nails you can use pliers to firmly press the prongs inwards, or you can use fingers.  Now you can sew you bag lining to the bag exterior and complete your smarty pants new bag!

Ta Dah!  One Tongue lock successfully added to your bag :)

**If you want to see the bag in this tute completed click here.**