A Pretty Talent Blog: Handbags and Wallets Part 8

Saturday 2 May 2015

Handbags and Wallets Part 8

In yesterday's blog we started a variation on the round vanity bag we did before. We will continue on this bag today and finish it in the next blog. The pattern can be downloaded from APrettyTalent.com by clicking here.

Construction – the outside pockets

Lay the fabric and the lining for the pocket face to face and pin in place. Sew with 1 cm seam allowance all along the top of the long edge.

Fold the seam open. Stay-stitch the seam to the fabric. That means that you stitch right next to the seam stitching , catching the seam allowance in the process and sewing it to the fabric. When you turn the seam over, you will find that it barely needs ironing but will ‘want’ to lie flat. Iron it flat anyway.

Sew approximately 1,5 cm from the top, through the fabric and lining, to form a ‘tube’ that we will pull an elastic through a little later on.

Find and mark the centre of the side panel at the bottom and top (just below the zipper). Place pins as markers.

Mark the seam allowance with pins, on both sides.

Find the centre between the seam allowance pin and the centre pin. Do this on both sides.

Find the centres between each of the pins already pinned.

I pinned the lining with the fabric since it made it easier to work accurately. Now the measuring was done and it was time to unpin the lining, making sure my pins kept their marks on the fabric.

I folded the lining away and over the top of the bag, pinning it there so it would not get caught in the sewing at the bottom.

I then proceeded to measure and mark the pocket in the same manner as the side panel. This time the gaps would be bigger, since the pockets consisted of a longer panel. I marked the seam allowance and the centre. I marked the centres on both sides between the seam allowance and the centre. I then marked the centres between each of the marked sections.

I then pinned the sides of the pocket to the sides of the side.

Then I lined up the pins with each other and pinned the pocket to the side. This caused the pocket to make loops as I pinned it.

I caught each loop together at the bottom with a pin.

I then pushed the loop flat, allowing equal amounts of fabric both sides of the centre of the pleat. I pinned the pleat in place. I repeated this with all of the loops, turning them into pleats.

I then gave the pleats a stay stitch so that I could get rid of some of the pins. Take note, I still need the original marker pins in place and can only remove the pins that kept the pleats in place.

I then measured a narrow piece of elastic to the same length as the side panel.

I’m sure everyone has a tip for pulling elastic through, but I use an old leather worker’s tool I inherited from my grandmother. These are still available on the market if you search for them.

I pulled the elastic through the ‘tunnel’ I had sewn for it.

I made little stay-stitches on the sides of the tunnel, making sure I fixed the elastic in place securely.

I then pulled and pushed and maneuvered the fabric until I had equal fabric distribution (or at least seemingly equal distribution). I then used the marker pins to guide me and cut straight up from the bottom to the elastic, forming little pockets from the one large pocket. This was also when I removed the last of the pins at the bottom of the bag and any others that were still marking the top for me.

Construction - closing the panels

Fold the panel to form a circle with the right sides facing. Pin the ends of the fabric together, right sides facing. Make sure to fold the lining away so it doesn’t get caught in the stitching.