Sewing Project - Large Tote Bag - Stars and Planets

My sister and I had a conversation the other day about projects which we could make to give back. 

I still have quite a few microfiber fabric which can be used for another project.  Originally, they were collected to make Re-Useable shopping bags.

Those were donated and have not sold really well.  I think presentation is the problem. I am moving on.

Morning Star is an organization which supports women in crisis.

There is no dignity in carrying all you own in a plastic garbage bag so large bags can be used to give these women some self worth.

I chose the Stars and Planets pillowcase which is made of deluxe microfiber fabric. 

I paired it with some cotton fabric in deep navy small pattern which was donated to me when a quilter in our group retired and de-stashed her supplies.

I decided to put a piece of navy on the bottom since the fabric is white the bottom of the bag will likely get dirty fast and being a dark color will help.

I layered the cotton over the microfiber which will add strength.

I wanted the bottom to be boxed. I created the corners at 5 inches across then folded the  triangles onto the bottom of the bag and sewed them down.  That will add layers on the bottom and help to add structure to the bottom corners.

I chose a navy thread so it does not show on the cotton fabric.  It is more evident on the microfiber pieces.

I created the zipper insert the same what I made it for my own tote bag.  I used the method explained in this video Tutorial by Crafty Gemini.

This produces a completely finished edges with no open fabric ends.  Tabs are added to the 2 ends of the zipper so it is easy to pull open and shut.

I hemmed the top edge of the bag after I cut off about 10 inches off the top of the pillow case once I had undone the seam that created the top hem.  I used that fabric to make the handles. Microfiber more durable than cotton being handled all the time.  Handles are 1.25 inches wide finished with the seam place in the back center. They are 53 inches long. I tied the bottom of the handles in the cotton bottom for sturdiness. They were sewn 7 inches from the sides. 

 

It is important to have reinforce the stress points to ensure there is some strength is distributed to take the wear and tear.

The zipper insert is the same width as the opening of the bag. It is about 6 inches deep which is slightly more than the bottom but we have to account for the seam to put it in.

Now it is just a matter of pinning it very carefully and sewing the insert into the top of the bag.

I chose this decorative stitch on my sewing machine which produces this wavy seam which adds a bit of pretty to the bag.

Once the zipper insert is sewn in the zipper end tabs can easily be accessed when opening or tucked in when on your shoulder. 

It does allow an addition amount of space for hold stuff when the bag is full.

With the zipper insert the same width it makes the bag well sealed to ensure there are no holes where one could lose items from inside the bag.

The color of the zipper provides some contrast in the dark fabric so it is easy to see.  The tabs also help the find the zipper slider.

I will be making a few more of these to be donated in early December.

Sewing Project - ReUsable Bags - Pillowcases

I bought a couple more of those $1 pillowcases the other day at the thrift store.

I liked the pattern on this one with the warm green and the brown polka dots.

I found a roll of fabric tape at the ReUse Ctr last time I was there and it seems it was bias tape.  Well imagine my luck. It was brown which is what I needed for this bag. It does need to be ironed and folded but I guess that is the cost of getting it.  I understand there is a thing a ma jig that will fold it for you as you iron along.

This was a standard pillowcase with no header band. Polyester fabric.

Measurements: 25 inches T overall, 19 inches W and the bag is 18 inches deep.

Brown bias tape, brown button and black elastic.

Nice to have a bit of variety in the colors and patterns.

This bag was made with a King size pillowcase of good quality micro fiber.  I did cut off a decent amount (about 8 inches) off the top to keep the fold bottom. Nice weight to the fabric in this bag. 

It was a nice purply blue so I paired it with a leaf green bias tape.

Measurements: 25 inches T overall, 20 inches W and the bag is 18 inches deep.

I found a nice button to match the blue color. 

This fabric came from a pillow sham type piece. I like the pattern so I bought it.  It was polyester though so static was quite a problem.

I had to sew all the seams on this one and I got the sides seams wrong.  To make enclosed seams you have to make your first seam right sides out which is counter intuitive. Well, I was saved by the serger!  Yeh Yeh!  I just serged the seams on the inside of the bag just like they would have been inside a pillow case. 

The back is black and had been a fold closure so I had to sew those 2 piece together to get a full back for the bag. 

This bag is quite squat so it is wider than the others I made.  It ended up wider because of the serging of the seams instead of enclosing them. 

Measurements: 25 inches T overall, 23 inches W and 17.5 inches deep for the bag itself.

I paired it with black bias tape, black elastic and a purple button.  I needed a bit more bias tape because of the extra width but I had enough in the 3 yard package.

I love the zebra print on this bag. 

It takes a bit of extra attention when folding at it is that bit wider.

I am bored with  making these so I am taking a break and moving onto other sewing projects.

Lessons Learned:

- Microfiber is very nice for these bags but I have not found any that was patterned.  

- Bias Tape to buy new would make this project not cost effective for selling.

- Polyester fabric was mostly patterned but very easy to ravel. 

- Pillowcases are by far make these a breeze to make because the side and bottom are already done. If you can get them for a good price it is the way to go.

- If you don't have a collection of buttons choose clear button which will go with any color and pattern.

- I am really happy with how the grey thread seems to work well with the colors and patterns.

- The pattern from Fabric Patch worked really well. 

Sewing Project - Patterned Polyester - Large Bag

When I was out shopping with my sister on the weekend I found this lone pillowcase and these nice colors - Turquoise, lime green and grey and a beautiful pinwheel pattern. It was an impulsive decision to purchase it.  Big spender at .50 cents.

This pillow case is made of polyester and is not microfiber.  It is quite thin.  It did not have a wide band at the top like most pillowcases do so that gave me more fabric to work with. 

It was constructed differently as well in that it was folded on one side so there were seams on one side and the bottom.  I like to have a fold at the bottom which I think is stronger.

I reinforced the seams with another of my own. I decided to add a boxed bottom since I had lots of fabric to work with. This also allowed for more reinforcement to the bottom of the bag.

I chose some turquoise bias tape, a turquoise button and black elastic for this bag.

Still working with the medium grey thread which was great.  I have gone through one bobbin and I have a cone of thread so I am good to go for a while yet.

I did have to cut off some of the length at the top otherwise the bag would have been to tall and skinny.

Finished it measures 24" tall x 19.5" wide.  The bag part is 16.5 inches deep. 

I was toying with making a bag to store it since I had cut off some fabric but stuck to the tried and true method.

Despite being bigger I think it makes an overall smaller package when rolled up. 

So a bigger bag in a smaller package and it's pretty may be winner.

The package of bias tape for this bag was prices a $1.50 so an older one for sure.

The fabric as very much inclined to fray so that was a bit of a challenge. Also, it was much more susceptible to a hot iron so I have to be very careful to keep the temperature down.

Getting the cut edges encased quickly was quite important.  

Update: I am keeping this one for my own ReUsable Bag.  I love the pattern, the colors and I brought 14 books home in it the other day so it is strong as well. 

Sewing Project - Shorter Bags

I got a California King Pillowcase in my $1 bin sale at the thrift store the other day.  These are much longer than the standard pillowcase hence more fabric.

The length of the fabric when the band is removed and then folded in half was 40 inches rather than my regular 44 inches for my standard bag.  But I get 2 bags for the price of one.

I used a bias binding left over from a quilt I made a long time ago.  There was only enough for the neck of the bag. I had been thinking of rolled hems for these bags and had done some practicing with my rolled hem foot for the sewing machine. 

I decided to try it on this bag because I really did not have any other bias tape that would match.  It went pretty well.  I have the top and side seam that I have to put through the roller so that was challenging.  Just keeping the fabric pulled to the left all the time to have enough fabric to roll is also needs constant attention.  But going slow and being careful it works quite well.  I will get better at it as I go along. 

I chose a burgundyish button and a black elastic which I cut to 6" because this bag was going to be a smaller roll than my previous ones.

The button is a good color match.  Great to keep with the grey thread.

Total height of the bag is 20" the height of the bag itself is 13" and the width is 19.5 inches.

The side edges had to be straightened and trimmed so that did take a bit off the width. There a fold in the bottom for strength.  The seams are all enclosed so there are no raw edges on the inside of the bag.

I decided to redo the hems on the handles of this bag because too many places along the hem it had not rolled over properly.  

I am not sure if it is practice but I will try some more hems on scraps and see how it goes.

I was to visit my sister on Saturday and she gave me some bias tape that would so the 2 handles.

So now the bag will be acceptable for donation.

This is the second short bag made with the California King pillowcase.

I chose Hunter green bias tape this time.  I have some very old packages with prices like 95 cents but this one is quite new at $2.45.  Currently, they are $3.30 each which does one bag with a bit leftover.  That is quite a bit for each bag. I would like to find something more neutral and less costly.

It is easy to mark the center of the bag to align the elastic and the button.

Fold the bag in half and just press the center with the iron.  It can easily be ironed out when you are finished.

The button came from my sisters as well.  Again, going with neutral would help with things a bit.  She gave a couple of clear buttons that come off duvet covers. They will work with any color bag.

The narrow elastic is 6" long and I did remember to sew it in when I put the bias tape this time instead of doing it afterwards.  Good Job!

Sewing Project - Pillowcase Re-Usable Bag

The bias tape on the center is a nice lavenderish color and the twill tape I used was a good color match but narrower than the bias tape. The button was a great match as well.  I used grey thread on this bag.

I made another reusable bag.  This time with a different starting point.When I was at the thrift store the other day they had pillowcases in a bin for $1 each. Some I got for $.50 each. I chose a few microfiber ones and brought them home.  I liked this one because of the pattern in the fabric. 

The advantage is that the side seams and the folded bottom are already done for you. The side seams were nicely serged so totally ready to go. I just checked to make sure they were still intact. I cut the band at the top of pillowcase off. I placed the cutting pattern near the top edge where I had cut opposite the folded bottom edge.  I did add an inch because now I will have to stitch the seam at the top of my handles.  Again, I created finished seams. I chose a camouflage twill tape for the center of the bag and chocolate brown twill tape around the sides of the handles.  

This makes a bigger bag because the width of the pillowcase is wider than the ones I made earlier. The overall height of the bag from top of handles to bottom is 23.5".  The width is 20.5 inches and the measurement from the bottom of the handles to the bottom of bag is 16 inches.

I added a beige button with some narrow black elastic to keep it rolled up. 

As you can see it folded up it is still quite big but it will hold more stuff.

It takes all kinds to make the world go round so I am happy with the result because it is less work and time. 

The microfiber fabric in this pillowcase is pure luxurious feeling. Because I am using opened packages of bias tape sometimes I miscalculate if I have enough.  On this one I thought I did not have enough wide stuff so I put narrow twill tape on the outside of the handles and later realized I would have had enough.  Not undoing the seams.

I used a white elastic from a face mask but I am not sure how long it will last.  The elastic is quite soft and may need to be shorten over time. Glad I did not buy any of this elastic.

I offset the button and elastic because the bag was wider than the previous ones.  It needs more folds to get it narrow enough to be held in place by the elastic. It means though that it will hold more stuff.

The seams again on this one are at the top of the handles and are completely finished with no raw edges showing.

The fold on the bottom means you will not have seams wearing out on the bottom.Really like this one. 

Measurements: Total height is 24" T x bag is 16" T x 21" W

This microfiber fabric is thinner than the previous one.  A bit of a darker grey. This was by Utopia Bedding.  It was nice to keep the thread the same for this bag.

I chose this jade green color of bias tape but it was very narrow.  I had to iron it in half before I sewed it in.   I had to be very careful that I caught both sides the margin for error was very small. 

I will be glad to use up the stash of bias tape but the irregularity of the stuff I have creates challenges.  

Having tape in the neutral color would be helpful but it likely would make for a more boring bag. Would that be a bad thing?  It is really a utilitarian object.  Pretty is nice.

I think this button was a decent match to the bias tape and the black narrow elastic was better than white.

Again this one is quite big and needs extra folds to get it into a decent size for the elastic.

Measurement from top of handles to bottom is 24 inches, the bag itself is 15.5" tall and the bag is 20 inches wide.

With the less sewing because of the sides and bottoms already done these went pretty fast to make.  To donate, less time is better.