In case you have webbing that is not proper for your project but you still want to use it for straps, here is another way to make beautiful two-color straps for bags. You have to cover the webbing with the desired cotton fabric. Here is what you need, for 1'' wide straps with 1/4'' wide black accent strips along the edges: webbing - measure its width (mine is 1'' wide); use synthetic … [Read more...]
Webbing straps for bags- a few tips
When sewing SHOULDER bags, when I have to make the straps, I pay attention to these aspects: the width of the strap and the material it is made of. Width of strap The width of the strap is a matter of preference, but what I know for sure is that a too narrow strap will hurt your shoulder and a too wide strap is even more uncomfortable- the bag will fall from your shoulder. So if you have a … [Read more...]
Tips for sewing zipper pouches
If you struggle to sew zippers, here are a few tips that will make your next zipper pouch experience fun. Tips for sewing zipper pouches - TIP #1 There is one thing that will help you successfully sew zippers. And that thing is the double sided adhesive tape. This glue tape has a paper backing and it comes in many widths. 1/4” is a very common size used for sewing bags and pouches but wider … [Read more...]
Heart pouch tutorial
If you need to sew a really quick project to share with your loved ones, how about this one? A pouch made out of faux leather/vinyl (I used oilcloth), with an applique heart, but not the regular heart. Let's add a puffy effect to it. You need a 8'' x 12'' piece of vinyl. On the back of this piece, draw a rectangle 1/2'' x 6''. Draw it centered as shown below. With a rotary cutter and … [Read more...]
Game changing habit
One thing that has a tremendous impact on the look of a sewing project is the interfacing. But even if you choose and work with the best interfacing for a certain project, there is one more thing that you can do to increase the success of your project. Do you guess what is it? It is all about avoiding bulky seam allowances- this means you have to cut the interfacing smaller than the fabric (or … [Read more...]
Tips for sewing bags
Is the technique used to sew my latest pouch and bag patterns complicated? If you are asking this question, here is the answer, from a message received from one of my customers: What a well-written pattern! You made the rather complex instructions clear and easy to follow and understand. Beautiful work - Karen! I think anyone, even a beginner, can sew anything, as long as she/he is good at … [Read more...]
How to reinforce the bottom of a bag
Have you seen my latest pouch and bag patterns? In spite of the sophisticated look, these are not hard to sew patterns and actually, there are not too many steps involved! The bag pattern includes instructions on how to add a stiff bottom insert to the bag- very easy... You can reinforce the bottom of a bag in other ways as well, here is what else I made for this pattern- I did all the … [Read more...]
How to use interfacing scraps
It does not matter if you stitch big items like bags or small things like pouches, if you sew a lot, you end up with a lot of interfacing scraps that are too small to be useful and too big to throw them to the trash. For these bags made with my latest patterns I used Decovil light interfacing and my pile of scraps is growing by the day. What to do with them? You might like: Batting, … [Read more...]
How to remove plastic snaps
Lately I use a lot the plastic snaps for closing my pouches and sometimes I make mistakes (usually, pieces of the snap installed on the wrong side of the piece or snaps that do not close easily, due to an imperfect installation). So those snaps must be removed; there are removal dies that fit the plies used for inserting the snaps, but I don't have these dies. So I had to find something else to do … [Read more...]
Tip for inserting snaps
Have you seen my latest pouch patterns? Many of them require two snaps for closure... I used to hate this step of installing two snaps. Measure once, measure twice and still many times I end up with snaps inserted in the wrong place. Even if it is only an 1/8'' error, you bet it is visible and ruins your work... There is an easy way to prevent this and to transform this step in the finishing … [Read more...]
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