Sewing Bags – The Finished Garment

Roll the Dice: Lined Drawstring Bags

My kids have gotten into Dungeons & Dragons, so I made them tiny bags to hold their dice.

The pattern is the Lined Drawstring Bag from Jeni Baker Patterns. It comes in eight sizes and this is the smallest. My finished bags are about 4.5″ by 3.25″ by 1.5″(or 11.5 cm by 8 cm by 4 cm).

They really are tiny – just the right size for a handful of dice.

These were really fast to sew up. The pattern is very clear and this would be a great pattern for a beginner. The pattern maker has also done a sewalong with this pattern and there is an expansion pack.

The larger sizes would make a good replacement for wrapping paper, but here the bag is the gift. These were Christmas gifts, but I have a bit of a blogging backlog, so I’m just posting to these photos now.

The fabric is all from my scrap bin. You can use any quilting cotton, and buy fat quarters of course. But this is also a great stash-busting project if you do any quilting.

Each bag uses three different fabrics, so there is a lot of room for making these really unique. Each bag I made matches the personality and preferences of each of my four kids.

The only change I made was to use cording instead of sewing ties for the bags. That made the project a little quicker and I like the look. The cording was leftover from making gym bags.

Summary

Pattern Review: Lined Drawstring Bag from Jeni Baker Patterns.
Fabric: Quilting cotton (from my stash).
Sizes: Available in eight sizes. This is the “Tiny” size.
Cost: Pattern: $9. Fabric: 0$.
Sewing Level: Easy.
Modifications: I used cord instead of fabric ties.
Results: Great!

Guest Sewist: In The Bag

The latest project from my junior apprentice, Kid No. 1, is a bag.

This is Burda 8235, Bag & Case, View A, which has languished in my pattern stash for so long I can’t remember when I got it. It’s part of the Burda Young series and great for beginners.

We made it a bit more complicated. For the exterior, we used a two-colour combo in twill.

Then, instead of a fabric strap, we used webbing, a rectangular ring and adjustable slider. This looks great, but honestly, I think it’s just easier and quicker to make the bag this way.

This bag is lined, and we used quilting cotton with a fun crab pattern. So cute! The pattern is Water Babies Crab Stripe by Sugarly Designs.

We also added pockets to the interior using some of the extra twill. One side has two larger pockets you can use for a phone, and the other side has smaller ones that are better for pens and smaller items.

The bag is just large enough to hold a standard notebook (US letter sized/A4).

For the front, we added two magnetic purse snaps following the directions in the excellent video, How To Install Magnetic Snaps, by Janelle MacKay of emmalinebags.com.

The bag pattern doesn’t call for interfacing, but the twill is pretty hefty and the bag design is not that structured. Still, we added some to both panels where the snaps are located, for long-term durability.

Everything got two rows of topstitching. For the record, Kid No 1 did all the stitching. I mostly helped getting the modifications organized.

This bag looks great and is super practical. I have some nice complex bags patterns, but this was fast and the results were great.

As a bonus, Kid No. 1 made a pin cushion using the Hedgie Pin Cushion pattern from Sam Hunter and Janome. This is a free pattern and it makes a cute mouse, or a hedgehog, depending on how many pins you have. lol.

Summary

Pattern Review: Burda 8235, Bag & Case, View A. Hedgie Pin Cushion from Sam Hunter and Janome (free).
Fabric: Twill in two colours and quilting cotton (Water Babies Crab Stripe by Sugarly Designs) all from The Fabric Club.
Size: N/A
Cost: Pattern: ??? Materials: About $30.
Sewing Level: Beginner. Very Easy.
Modifications: Added bag magnets, pockets, and used webbing with a rectangular ring and adjustable slider for the strap.
Results: Great!

Bungalow Bag

I have a great diaper bag. The only problem with it is that it is full of diapers. And crayons. And a couple of snacks. And hand sanitizer. And a baby sling.

But lately, with my youngest now two years old, I have begun to imagine a magical, mythical future where my bag has things like lipstick (I think I still have some somewhere), money (I wish I still had some) and empty space (I want some!).

Two Zip Hipster bag sewing pattern by Dog Under My Desk, sewn by The Finished Garment. — Check out that pattern matching.

Do I decided to sew an anti-diaper bag. It will not be waterproof to keep the messes in. It will not be black so that I can ask my husband to carry it for me. It will not attach conveniently to my stroller. It will be small and pretty and not have room to carry a menagerie of toy animals.

I used the Two Zip Hipster by Dog Under My Desk. It’s a great pattern that makes a real, professionally finished bag.

I would rate the pattern as intermediate to advanced. Nothing is particularly difficult, but it’s a very detailed pattern. This pattern uses 11 pattern pieces for the exterior, 7 for the lining, 15 of interfacing, plus hardware. There are 15 pages of really great instructions.

I also think that to do a really good job, you need a quarter-inch presser foot, a stitch-in-the-ditch foot and a good quilting ruler. These are all basic quilting tools, but not necessarily what an apparel sewist might have on hand. Everything needs to be done in a very precise manner to get good results, and these tools help a lot.

I used fabric from the Bungalow collection by Joel Dewberry. I love the colours – so vibrant! So hard to find thread to match. And the birds are really cute. Yes, I put a bird on it!

This is not a quick project, but the results are so, so great. I will definitely be making another (probably without birds).

Project Summary

Pattern Review: Two Zip Hipster by Dog Under My Desk.
Fabric: Swallow Study in Lavender, Empress in Grassland, and Stripes in Lavender from the Bungalow collection by Joel Dewberry for Free Spirit, courtesy Warp & Weft (now closed).
Finished size: 11” tall, 9” wide, 1.5” deep.
Cost: Pattern: 12$.
Project Sewing Level: Intermediate to advanced.
Modifications: None.
Results: Great.

Forest Birds – A Wildwood Blog Hop

The air is crisp and the leaves are falling. So it’s the perfect time for a fall blog hop.

Fabric from the Wildwood collection, sewing by The Finished Garment. — Ready for the world.

The Warp & Weft Sewing Society have all pitched in to showcase the latest fabric collection by Canadian surface designer Elizabeth Owen. The collection is called Wildwood, and it’s a really quite pretty. The inspiration for the collection was the wild woods of story books, so I was excited to see what would be in my Warp & Weft delivery.

I decided to start with the story of Hansel and Gretel for inspiration, and so I made an outfit for my own “Gretel”, Kid No 1.

I made a simple panel skirt in Essex linen. The pattern is from Collection privée filles & garçons by Atsuko Maruyama and Noriko Onoda (a French translation of the Japanese pattern book シンプル＆デサイン　おんなの子服　おとこの子服 ). The book contains 27 patterns available in sizes 90-140 cm. I made the “#12 Jupe à panneaux” (panel skirt) in size 120. Then I used the Wildwood print to make a matching blouse, McCall’s 6388, using some blue solid for contrast.

And of course Gretel needs a bag to carry her breadcrumbs, so I added a small satchel, the “#7 Sac tube” (tube bag), also from Collection privée filles & garçons. The bag is made in linen and lined with the Wildwood print.

A simple bag from a Japanese pattern book, sewn by The Finished Garment — I love the simplicity of the bag.

Bird ornaments, from Last Minute Patchwork Gifts, sewn by The Finished Garment — Look what I found!

That meant that only one thing was missing – birds! I couldn’t count on the local wildlife to pop in for my photo shoot, so I made three little birds using the pattern from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts, and the leftover scraps from the other pieces.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to visit the other amazing sewists on our blog hop!

Warp & Weft Wildwood Blog Hop

September 26 – Carla from My 1/2 Dozen Daily
September 27 – Cynthia from Cynthiaf
September 28 – Lysa from Lysa Flower
September 29 – Cathy from Blueberry Patch
September 30 – Esmari from Warp & Weft
October 1 – Me!
October 2 – Heidi from Elegance & Elephants
October 3 – Sherri from Thread Riding Hood

Summary

Patterns:

Blouse: McCall’s 6388 available in sizes 2-8, but now out-of-print. I made the size 6.
Skirt and bag: From Collection privée filles & garçons by Atsuko Maruyama and Noriko Onoda (a French translation of the Japanese pattern book シンプル＆デサイン　おんなの子服　おとこの子服 ). The book contains 27 patterns available in sizes 90-140 cm. I made the “#12 Jupe à panneaux” (panel skirt) in size 120, and the “#7 Sac tube” (tube bag).
Bird ornament: From Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

Fabric:

Full Bloom in Indigo from the Wildwood collection by Elizabeth Olwen for Cloud9 Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.
Essex linen in Natural by Robert Kaufman Fabrics, also courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.

Sewing Level: Confident beginner.
Modifications: I shortened the skirt, by 2″.
Results: Great!

Back to School Stashbusting

I have two kids in school this year and both needed new pencil cases. I had great success with the Perfect Zip Bag pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson!, so I decided to use it again. Why mess with a good thing?

Perfect Zip Bag sewing pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson!, as sewn by The Finished Garment. — This bag was made using the Seven Seas collection by Cloud 9.

The first bag was made using leftover scraps from the Seven Seas gym bag I made last year. Now it’s a matching set! Kid No 2 helped pick out exactly which creatures needed to show on the outside.

The second bag was made with leftover fabric from my latest pyjama sewing project, and from a quilt I made ages ago. Kid No 1 picked all the fabrics. Even the interlining is from scraps from another project.

All scrapbusting, all the time!

This project was part of the Sewcialist Scraptember Sew Along and the Stashbusting Sew Along Kid Challenge.

Summary

Pattern Review: Perfect Zip Bag pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson!
Fabric:

Laddies and Poppets, Sea Critters, and The Fleet in Grey from the Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.
Rainbow in Purple, from the Angry Birds collection and licensed to David Textiles by Rovio Entertainment, LTD.
Ta Dot in Mustard, from Michael Miller fabrics.
Flannel scraps for the interlining.

Size: Large (View A), with inner pocket and wrist strap.
Cost: 0$
Sewing Level: Beginner.
Modifications: None.
Results: Great. I would strongly recommend this pattern and would make it again.

Just to be clear: The Angry Birds name is trademarked by Rovio Entertainment, LTD and used by the fabric manufacturer under licence. The bags shown here are not official licensed products and are not available for sale. But you can always buy some fabric and make your own!

Ocean Waves Zip Bag

This is something I made a while ago, but never blogged. This is a gift I made for my mother, a little zip bag. It’s actually part of a set I made. There is also a coin purse and a larger tote. But I was sewing these up the week before Christmas and had no time for a photo session.

I used the Perfect Zip Bag pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson! It’s great pattern that I’ve used before with great results. I colour-blocked this version, using black chambray and a Japanese-inspired print that I picked up as a fat quarter at a nearby quilt shop.

Perfect Zip Bag sewing pattern by Oh, Fransson!, as sewn by The Finished Garment. — This is the Perfect Zip Bag sewing pattern by Oh, Fransson!

Summary

Pattern Review: Perfect Zip Bag pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson!

Fabric: Black chambray, unknown wave print. The lining is Argyle in Steel from the Remix Collection by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman. The interlining is canvas.

Size: Small (View A)

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: I colour-blocked the exterior.

Results: Great. I would strongly recommend this pattern and would make it again.

Princess Leia Takes Gym Class

Well, if one kid was going to have a new gym bag for back-to-school, I certainly couldn’t let the other kid feel left out. And since there was plenty of fabric left over from her pencil case, I decided that a Star-Wars themed gym bag would be a good plan.

The Jeni Gym Bag sewing pattern by I'm A GingerMonkey, sewn by The Finished Garment — The Jeni Gym Bag sewing pattern by I’m A GingerMonkey, sewn by The Finished Garment

This is a super easy pattern (and free!). It’s also very quick to sew.

I wanted to use bright colours, but I also wanted it to be practical. I think the purple should wear well.

My daughter helped pick all the fabric. And I think she did a great job.

Again, the only (barely) hard part was putting in the grommets. I did a practice run first, but these were no problem at all.

Summary

Pattern Review: Jeni Gym Bag tutorial by Katy Jones of I’m A Ginger Monkey.

Fabric:

Character Names in Multi from the Star Wars II collection by Lucasfilm Ltd. and TM for Camelot Cottons.
Kona solid (could this be Plum?) by Robert Kaufman.
Ovals in Lime from the Remix collection by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman.

Sizes: One size fits most. The finished bag is 14″ x 17″.

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: None.

Results: Great.

Just to be clear: The Star Wars name is trademarked by Lucasfilm Ltd. and used by the fabric manufacturer under licence. The gym bag shown here is not an official licensed product and is not available for sale. But you can always buy some fabric and make your own!

Seven Seas Gym Bag

This year I did quite a bit of back-to-school sewing. With two kids in school there is just so much to buy, so it’s nice to be able to make something as well.

The Fabric

I started off with six fat quarters from the Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles. The prints I chose are Laddies Poppets, Sea Critters, and The Fleet in Grey. These are just so darn cute! When my little boy saw them he was over the moon. These are really fun prints and the fabric is organic, which is always nice.

Laddies Poppets, Sea Critters, and The Fleet in Gray from the Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles. — The Before shot: Laddies Poppets, Sea Critters, and The Fleet in Grey from the Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.

The Pattern

I used the Jeni Gym Bag tutorial by Katy Jones of I’m A GingerMonkey.

This is a free online tutorial (with a super convenient PDF download). The directions are very clear and easy to follow.

The tutorial makes a lined drawstring bag that is kid-sized. It’s a little big on my 5-year-old but not so big it looks silly. Just big enough that it will last a while though.

I used white cording for the drawstring, but you could also use ribbon, homemade bias binding stitched closed, etc.

There is plenty of room inside for sneakers and a change of clothes.

The toughest part of the pattern was installing grommets (which really were not that hard to install). Much easier than eyelets, if you’ve ever had to use those, because the grommets are so much larger and more stable when you whack them with a hammer. You do need a special grommet tool though.

My son really likes the sea creatures and the colours. It’s really hard to find fabric for boys that isn’t too babyish, or too serious, or too dark. These prints are bright and fun and and the bag was a big hit.

I’m really happy with this bag. It’s just so much cuter than anything I could buy in the store. And it was super quick to make. In case, ahem, you have to make one the day before school starts because your summer was just too crazy (just saying).

Summary

Pattern Review: Jeni Gym Bag tutorial by Katy Jones of I’m A GingerMonkey.

Fabric: Laddies Poppets, Sea Critters, and The Fleet in Grey from the Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.

Sizes: One size fits most. The finished bag is 14″ x 17″.

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: None.

Results: Great.

Once the rightful owner was conveniently out of the way, there was some unauthorized testing. (And no, I do not normally allow my infant children to play with drawstring bags for obvious reasons).

Princess Leia Goes Back to School

All my kids love Star Wars, but especially my daughter. One day she came home telling me that the boys at school let her play Star Wars with them, but they said she could “only be the princess”. Hmmmm. I was not impressed.

Of course I had to explain that Princess Leia is not “just” a princess. She is a leader in the rebellion (which means she gets to tell everyone else what to do), an important diplomat and politician, a spy, and a princess with magic powers. Most of the other characters don’t even have real jobs, unless you count smuggler and rebel as jobs. Princess Leia is pretty kickass, if you ask me.

So when I let my daughter pick her own fabric for a back-to-school pencil case, Star Wars it was!

Of course the problem with Star Wars isn’t just the kids at school, it’s also whichever marketing executive is in charge of licensing their merchandise, and who isn’t taking girls into consideration.

The Fabric

The fabric I used is Star Wars Character Names in Multi from the Star Wars II collection by Lucasfilm Ltd. and TM for Camelot Cottons. It’s official licensed fabric and has the names of eight characters on it. How many are women? Just one. (Though I suppose the ewok could go either way.) I picked this up at my local chain store, but you can get it online and there are a few different prints.

At least Princess Leia was on the fabric. This summer we visited the Star Wars Identities exhibit at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. It was lots of fun. If you get a chance you should definitely go. And of course there were tons of toys for sale, since Star Wars and merchandising go hand in hand – but no female characters. There was only a bobblehead Princess Leia, (which broke on the car ride home) but that was it. Playskool makes a cute set of figurines that were for sale and that are way more age appropriate, but they make no women Star Wars characters at all.

It’s definitely something my daughter notices. She likes Cars (the movie), Planes, Star Wars, but when we go to the toy store there’s nothing for her, despite the fact that all those movies have smart, interesting female characters. But then those characters aren’t made into toys, and if they are, they are extremely hard to find. I suppose some marketing exec would argue that the female characters don’t sell, but that is especially true when you don’t make any.

So I was pretty exited to be able to make my own gear for her that was clearly for girls, and had her favourite character on it.

I used bright green fabric for the lining and solid purple to match the print for the exterior. Kid No 1 helped choose the colours. I wanted it to be clearly made for a girl, but not too girly. You really shouldn’t have to choose between solid pink 24/7 and “no girls allowed”.

The Pattern

I used the Perfect Zip Bag pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson! I’ve made this pattern before, but I haven’t blogged it. The pattern can be used to make three different styles of bag, all fully lined, in a variety of sizes and with different straps and zipper pulls. I made view A in the larger size with a wrist strap and inside pocket.

It’s a great pattern. It’s extremely well thought out and the instructions are exceptionally clear and well written. And it makes a really professional bag that looks finished on the inside and outside.

I know there are lots of free tutorials for zip bags online, but this pattern is definitely worth buying.

There is also an online tutorial on how to make the zip bags using quilted patchwork panels. I’ve used that technique for a larger bag using the Perfect Quilted Totes pattern (also not blogged) and the results were really nice.

I used flannel for interlining. I used canvas last time, which makes a crisper, stiffer bag, but for a child I thought a softer bag would be better.

Summary

Pattern Review: Perfect Zip Bag pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson!

Fabric:

Character Names in Multi from the Star Wars II collection by Lucasfilm Ltd. and TM for Camelot Cottons.
Kona solid (could this be Plum?) by Robert Kaufman.
Ovals in Lime from the Remix collection by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman.

Size: Large (View A)

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: None.

Results: Great. I would strongly recommend this pattern and would make it again.

Just to be clear: The Star Wars name is trademarked by Lucasfilm Ltd. and used by the fabric manufacturer under licence. The zip bag shown here is not an official licensed product and is not available for sale. But you can always buy some fabric and make your own!