Free arm sewing- easy way to finishing bags

Are you new to bag making? I thought to share with you a little trick that makes the finishing of a bag easier. Sometimes we assume that an information is well known by anyone, but I found myself that this is not true!

So this little trick is about free-arm sewing and how to use it when stitching bags.

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Can you remove the bed of your sewing machine? In this way, the sewing machine is converted from flat-bed sewing mode to free-arm sewing mode. It’s a big help when you have to stitch tubular items, like the hem of sleeves or pants.

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Or  when you have to attach the lining to a bag! You have a tube that you wrap around the free arm.

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See below how easy it is to move the piece under the foot (do not sew over pins – remove them just before you reach them with the needle).

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I do the same free-arm stitching for the final topstitching around the top edge of a bag.

I do this for all the bags, no matter the size; while the big bags could be stitched the regular way, for small bags, the free arm is an invaluable help.

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Sorry, I forgot to take the picture before topstitching.

But what if the piece is too small and can’t be wrapped around the free arm?

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You have to stitch it this way: I hope the picture is clear – you will sew along the inside of the piece.

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I became more aware of this trick while sewing these mini bags.
I hope this helps some of you and makes your sewing easier and fun.

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More about sewing mini bags in a couple of days.

This tutorial is included in the SEW BETTER BAGS ebook.
If you want to learn more about sewing quality bags, download the free ebook below.

 

Have a productive sewing week!

geta

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4 Comments

  1. Such a lovely rainbow of bags! I really must try making a bag one of these days. I also wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award, which you can accept or not as you wish))

  2. I just bought the pattern for all bags and want to say thank-you for sending the download files so swiftly. They are soo cute – I’ll start right away, since the heat is slowly drifting off in Germany. Kind regards Geta,
    Marion

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