Project by Stephanie Marsh
You will need:
0.5m Outer Fabric (blue)
0.5m lining fabric (white)
0.25m strap fabric (grey)
1 fat quarter for bag top (black)
0.5m for external pocket, handle and tabs (yellow)
4 x 17mm D rings
2 x 25mm lobster clasps
1 x 38mm rectangle metal ring
1 x 38mm tri glide 3 slide buckle
25cm zip (I used a 5mm continuous zip with a size 5 slider)
1m medium weight iron on interfacing
In-R-Form single sided fusible foam stabiliser
thread
1 large button
Instructions:
1. Cut the following:
Blue
2 of 30w x 36h cm (bag outer) – cut out 4cm square from each of the bottom corners (only the bottom corners)
White
2 of 30w x 46h cm (bag lining) – cut squares out of bas as in bag outer
1 of 30w x 40 cm (inside pocket)
Black
2 of 30w x 13h cm (outer bag top)
Yellow
1 of 30w x 33 cm (external pocket lining) 1 of 30w x 7 cm (internal pocket band)
2 of 21w x 8 cm (handle panel)
4 of 9 x 7cm (D-ring tabs)
1 of 18 x 7.5cm (handle)
1 of 5.5 x 9cm (oblong ring tab)
2 of 6 x 9cm (fastening tab)
Grey
3 strips of the width x 7.6cm (strap)
2. Take the In-R-Form single sided fusible foam stabiliser and cut 2 of the outer bag pieces and fuse to the back of the relevant pieces. Cut interfacing for all the other pieces (only 1 of the handle panel pieces) and fuse to them.
3. Take the internal pocket band and sew it to either end (the 30cm) of the internal pocket piece. Press the seam allowance open, turn right sides out and press so that the band and pocket are folded in half, with the raw edges matching.
4. Take one of the pocket linings and place the pocket piece (above) on the right side, approx. 7cm from the bottom. Stitch the bottom in place. Tack the sides to the sides.
5. Take the D-Ring tabs and the handle and press in half, wrong sides together, lengthways, then open our and press long edges raw edges to the centre, then press in half again. Stitch long edge. Put the D-rigns onto the smaller tabs, put to one side.
6. Take the oblong ring tab and press the long raw edges to the centre, stitch in place. Put the metal oblong ring onto the tab.
7. Take one of handle panel pieces and position 2 of the D-ring tabs with rings, handle and oblong ring tab as below. Tack in place.
8. Take the other handle panel piece and place it right sides together with the other piece. Stitch all around the raw edges. Cut a slit in the interfaced piece only and turn right sides out, press well.
9. Place the 2 fastening tab pieces right sides together and stick along the long side, the short side then the second long side. Trim corners and turn right sides out. Press and top stitch.
10. On the wrong side of the external pocket lining mark an oblong for the zip opening. To do this fold the piece in half (top to bottom) finger press to give a slight crease. Measure down 1 cm from this line, this will be the top of the oblong, then measure 1.3cm down from that this will be the bottom of the oblong, then centrally measure 18cm – see below.
11. With right sides together place the pocket lining on the outer bag piece. Stitch on this line. Mark as the picture below the cutting line.
12. Cut along the marked line. Push through the slit and press well onto the wrong side.
13. Take the zip and place on the back of the bag, I like to secure this in place with narrow double sided tape.
14. Stitch in place around all sides. Fold the pocket lining over so the bottom raw edges match, stitch together right sides together. Tack sides to sides of bag.
15. Stitch bag tops to relevant main bag pieces. Press seam allowances open.
16. Stitch the handle panel onto the back of the main bag near the top of the main piece. Tack the fastening tab in place.
17. On the back stitch the 2 other 2 D-ring tabs with ring to the bottom of the main piece, approx. 2cm in and above the cur out squares from the bottom. To do this stitch thought 1 layer of the strap near the top end with a straight stitch, thread the D-ring on, then fold over the other end, using a narrow zig-zag stitch in place just slightly above the first row of stitching.
18. On both the inner and outer bags stitch together bottom seams. Press seams open. Top stitch either side of the bottom of the outer bag.
19. Stitch the side seams together, catching in the relevant pocket pieces.
20. With right sides together make the “sugar bag bottom” by matching the side seam with the base seam on either side. Stitch along 1.5cm away from raw edges. Do this on all 4 corners (2 outer and 2 lining).
21. With the outer bag right sides in, the lining right sides out place the lining inside the bag, right sides together, matching top edges and side seams. Stitch all around. Pull lining out of the bag, so that the wrong sides are facing out – see below. Note: where the inside pocket will be, I find it best to have at the back of the bag, therefore when putting together match the pocket lining piece with the back of the outer bag.
22. Unpick some of the stitches from the bottom seam of the lining, enough to feed the whole bag through, roughly about 10cm.
23. Press well, topstitch around the top pf the bag.
24. Ladder stitch the bottom of the lining closed.
25. Make a button hole on the fastening tab to accommodate the button. Some machines have automatic buttonhole stitches or by using a zig-zag stitch. Stitch the button in place on the bag.
26. To make the strap stitch together the 3 strips on the short edges, press the seams open. Now press in half lengthways, open our, press long edge raw edges to the middle, the press in half lengthways, along the first pressed seam. Topstitch this edge closed.
27. Take the tri glide buckle and stitch to one end of the strap – see below.
28. Take one of the lobster claps and thread the strap through the ring.
29. Take the other lobster clasp and stitch to one end of the strap – see below.
30. The lobster clasps can be attached to the D-rings on the top pf the bag to make a cross body bag or attach one to one at the bottom, thread the other through the oblong metal ring then clip to the other D-ring on the bottom. The length of the strap can be adjusted by feeding it through the tri glide buckle.
To see more from Stephanie, visit her on Instagram @stephanie_j_marsh
Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Company 2021