A bag for all reasons
m a L a L
“Thank you Lisa for bringing such lovely style to our bag making world!” – Amy Butler
12 all-new bags and purses to sew for every occasion
Con C onten tents ts Introduction
4
Projects
Basic Equipment
6
The Geek-Chic iPad Case
40
The Sewing Machine
8
The Compact Groceries Tote
48
Using Patterns
10
The Access-All-A Access-All-Areas reas Pouch
56
Modifying Patterns
11
The Toddler-Friendly Backpack
62
Understanding Patterns
12
Fabric Types
14
The ‘Too Cool for School’ Satchel
70
Fabric Preparation and Cutting
16
The Pleated Purse-Frame Purse
78
The All-Sorted Laundry Bag
86
The Fashionista Baby Bag
92
The Double-Pannier Bicycle Bag
112
Getting Started
Techniques Flush Zip Pocket
18
Top Edge Zip
22
Slimline Concealed Top Edge Zip
24
The 3-in-1 Convertible Backpack
122
Magnetic Snaps
27
The Terrific Tri-Fold Wallet
136
Open-End Straps
28
The Train-Style Vanity Case
144
Closed-End Straps
29
Adjustable Straps
30
Bound Edges
32
Piped Edges
34
Inserting Linings: Pull Through and Turn Out Method
36
Suppliers
154
Resources
155
Pattern Legend
156
About the the Author Author / Acknowledgem Acknowledgements ents 158 Index
159
Introduction
“
12 styl sty lhly eful bags design designed ed for real-l real-life ife situati situatio… o… a pr pry bagg nice, but ba but a pr y and practic pract ical al bag bag PE PERFE RFECT! CT! When anyone asks me what I love most about sewing I tell tell them, ‘I love how sewing never gets boring!’ As far as I – and millions of other sewists – are concerned, sewing is one of the coolest, most satisfying and useful pastimes out there. If you are just about to embark on your sewing career, welcome to the club: be prepared to become very addicted, very quickly, quickly, for a very long time! We W e sewists are a resourceful resourceful bunch – we have to be. For a start, most of us don’t have unlimited amounts of fabric and time o n our hands. I am such a craft fiend that I HAVE to do some sewing every week (unless I’m on holiday) or I get jittery! This is why I try to get the most out of my limited crafting time and I like to do this by sewing items that will be used time and time again. But an item’s usefulness is only half the story. For me, the best designs are fab to look at and just as fab to use. Bags are the ultimate useful accessory – we all need them, we all use them and we all like them to look great too. With this in mind, mind, I have designed designed 12 fully featured featured bags for this book that I hope you’ll agree look stylish and professional. But more importantly, these bags are all designed to be totally practical and enjoyable to use in real-life situations. It goes without saying: the more useful something something is, the more often you’re going to use it, right? right? And time is too precious to to spend hours making something only for it to end up forlorn at the back
”
While the more fully featured bags are are aimed at the intrepid intrepid bag maker,, I’ve also included some great projects, which are perfect maker for the excited sewing newbie. As readers of my blog and my first book, The Bag Making Bible , will already know, I tend to shy away from easy quick-fix projects because I love making bags that will get people wondering if my new bag is store-bought: ‘Really? You made it? No way!’ And this is why I like to include practical features like oodles of pockets, hardware and exciting shapes. Don’t worry if these features seem out of reach – they’re not, they’re right inside this book and yours for the making! You’ll also find loads of my reinforcing, stitching and ‘make your life easier’ tips and tricks within these pages. As usual, I’ve tried to write simple-to-follow simple-to-follow instructions and to to include plenty of helpful helpful photos – so we can have more crafting fun and less frustration! For this book I wanted to create bags that will hopefully make you think: ‘Wow! That’s cool, I can really see myself/my friend/my son loving this and using this.’ With each project you try, I hope you’ll feel rewarded rewarded with a bag that is a joy to to wear, wear, to use and/or to give. After all, the warm happy feeling you get when you see your loved-ones loved-ones enjoying using your your handcrafted bag can’t can’t be beaten! So, when your mum-to-be friend is in need of a superpractical baby bag, or you want a stylish way to carry groceries on your bike, or you fancy a wedding clutch that looks a million dollars, reach for this book and we’ll have fun making your own unique and stylishly useful bag – that suits your needs and suits the way that you live. Love bags: make bags! Hugs,
L a x
Visit me at my bag-making blog and say hello: http://u-handbag.typepad.com/
Fabric Types Fabric falls into two main categories: dress (or fashion) weight and upholstery/curtain (or ( or home dec) fabric fabric.. As bag makers, we can use both types – dress-weight fabric is generally better suited to bag linings and upholstery fabric is better for f or bag exteriors, However, that is only a loose rule and there are interfacing tricks that you can apply to your fabrics to override that rule. rule. Here are some fabric f abric suggestions that work a treat for bag making. making.
Cotton/quilt fabric – this type of fabric is used both in the lining and the exterior of bags. Cotton is available in many different weights, but for bag making try to use mid-weight cotton and up. Quilting fabric is usually made from cotton and comes in a fantastic array of colourful, beautiful and fun prints. You can use cotton for almost any type of bag.
Laminated cloth/oilcloth – usually used for the exterior of bags, this vinyl-coated fabric comes in fantastic prints and has a tough waterproof surface, making it perfect for swim bags, travel bags and wash bags. Working and stitching with laminated cloth is a bit different to working with woven fabrics, see tip and Working with laminated cotton overleaf.
Linen – this versatile, hardwearing and natural fabric is available in both dress and home dec weight. The linen that bag makers like to use is the natural biscuit-colo biscuit-coloured ured home dec weight fabric. The colour of the undyed cloth with its attractive irregular weave makes it a great foil for embroidery and/or patterned fabrics.
Oilcloth know-how . . If you plan to sew with laminated cloth regularly, it woh investing investi ng in a non-stick sewing machine ft.
The beauty of nylon … I prefer nylon zs becae you can safely cut them and sew through them without huing your scsors or sewing machine.
2
Stitch the zip pull ends together – together – take a handsewing needle and hand stitch the zip pull ends together. See Fig b. b.
3
Mark and make a hole for the zip – zip – take your zip and measure the length of the zip teeth (not the length of the zip itself). Now draw a rectangle as wide as your zip teeth by 1cm ( 3 ⁄ 8in) high onto the WS centre of one of the pocket fabric pieces. This rectangle will be the hole for your zip and it needs to be drawn at least 5cm (2in) down from the top edge of your pocket fabric. Finally Finally,, in the middle of the rectangle draw a centre line with a V-shap V-shape e at both ends. See Fig c1–c2. c1–c2.
b Fig b Hand b Hand stitch the zip pull ends together for a professional-looking zip – you don’t have to be very neat as these hand stitches won’t be on show.
c2 Fig c1–c2 To c1–c2 To gauge the width of the rectangle, measure the length of the zip teeth (not the whole zip). The rectangular hole needs to be drawn at least 5cm (2in) down from the top edge of the pocket fabric.
Bound Edges Binding an edge has the effect of adding an attractive fabric border to the edge. This makes it a good way of adding a flash of colour and strengthening the edge. Try binding the top edges of pockets, the top edge of your bag or your bag flaps.
Need to know
You will need • 1 strip of folded and pressed bias binding. To gauge the height and length of your binding see Need to know
• To gauge the height of the binding tape, decide on t he height of the finished bound edge, multiply that by four and add 3mm (1 ∕ 8in). If you want your finished bound edges to be 1cm ( 3 ∕ 8in) tall, your binding will need to be 4.3cm (15 ∕ 8in). • To gauge the length of the binding, measure around all ar ound the edge of the item and add 8cm (31 ∕ 8in) for folding in. • All seam allowances are 5mm (3 ∕ 16 16in) unless stated otherwise. • If trimming pocket tops, make up your pocket and add the binding BEFORE stitching the pocket to your bag. Fold in both short edges of the binding at either end so as to conceal the raw edges. • If trimming bag flaps, make up your flap and apply the binding BEFORE stitching the flap to your bag.
1
Fold and press the binding – take the pre-folded binding tape and press an off-centre crease along the length of the binding. See Fig a.
Fig a Fold the binding lengthways so that the bottom
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The Geek-Chic iPad Case Here’s a case that’s looks more like a smart handbag than a tablet cosy, so you can carry your iPad in ultimate style style.. The case is really easy to put together – what makes it look so professional (dare I say designer?) are the leather straps and metal hardware.. There’s hardware There’s nothing plain and boring about this case!
Front view Swish straps and
Side view The case has a neat
Inside view A well-cushioned
shiny metalware transform a simple fabric envelop into a very chic case.
and slim profile so your iPad will be nice and snug inside.
inner compartment and two handy front pockets for all your essentials.
Features you’ you’ll love
Rivets hold the leather strs in place and lk so professional
Designed to be protective it pry – specialt inteacing wi take gd care of your gadget g adget
Lks jt sma a man’s version – jt sw the fabri to suit and t lengthening the handlele to an over-the-body hand over -the-body length
The handle cls on and off so you can wear the ce a bag or a clutch desired
The Toddler-Friendly Backpack This adorable little backpack is designed specially for the little ones in your life. It looks as cool as a grown up’s bag (because a babyish bag simply won’t do!), but is supremely child friendly friendly.. The closures are all Velcro Velcro and when the bag gets covered in ice cream/mud/paint you can pop it in the washing machine.
Front view A large front pocket
Side view Velcro fastenings mean
Back view Adjustable straps
and two side pockets will keep their little treasures organized.
little hands can open the bag easily without wrestling with zips.
mean the bag fits a range of ages and won’t be outgrown too quickly.
Features you’ you’ll love Quick to semble, no inteacing, interlining or lining nded. Handy for when you’ve got a few few of these these bags to make for siblings! Unex design – adt it for a boy by changing the feature fabric
Made from sturdy home dec fabric, yet yet it light inin weight
Ey-to-open closures – so no he nded from the grown-s Ey to kp clean – the bag can be eily tued iide out (to ety out ckie cmbs) and machine whable
Get steamy … When ironing the extra-stiff inteacing into the pocket, e plenty of steam to eure a strong bond betwn the inteacing in teacing and and the fabric fabri c . d2 Fig d2 Push the seams of the gap into the hole, fold them down and ensure the folded edges line up with the rest of the top edge of the pocket before ironing.
9
Interface the pocket with extra-stiff interfacing – roll up the extra-stiff pocket interfacing (from the sides) and insert it through the gap in the top edge of the pocket. Unroll the interfacing inside the pocket layers. Look into the gap and line up the (top and bottom edge) centre markings of the pocket fabric and the extra-stiff interfacing. See Fig e. When you have lined up the markings, hold the interfacing firmly in place with your fingers and iron the interfacing to the pocket layers, ironing on both sides of the pocket. Topstitch the top edge of the pocket (stitching the gap shut as you sew) with a 5mm (3 ⁄ 16 16in) seam allowance. Begin and end your topstitches 5mm (3 ⁄ 16 16in) in from the side edges.
Push out the corners. Push the seams of the gap into the hole as in Step 8. Iron the pocket gusset and topstitch both short edges with a 5mm ( 3 ⁄ 16 16in) seam allowance. Begin and end your topstitches 5mm (3 ⁄ 16 16in) in from the side edges.
11
Assemble the front pocket – find and mark the centre bottom edge of the pocket, repeat with the long edge of the pocket gusset. Matching the centre marks and edges of both pieces, bring the pocket and the pocket gusset pieces lining sides together. Use sewing clips to clip the two pieces together all around the bottom and side edges of the pocket. Stitch the gusset to the pocket with a 5mm (3 ⁄ 16 16in) seam allowance. Stitch on the gusset side. Stitch the gap (in the gusset) shut in this step or in Step 13 (either way makes no difference). As you stitch around the curved corners, periodically stop to check that the gusset corner fabric is not bunching up underneath your needle and smooth out if necessary. With the WS of the pocket facing up, fold the pocket gusset in half by matching the long edges of the gusset with the edges of the pocket. Iron the fold. See Fig f .
e Fig e Lining up the centre marks is a little fiddly, but it is important to get the interfacing positioned in the centre of the pocket (because it will make stitching the bag parts together much easier) so take your time.
10
Stitch the front pocket gusset – bring the front pocket gusset fabric pieces RST, pin and stitch all around leaving a 12.5cm (5in) gap in one of the long edges for turning out. Clip the corners,
f Fig f Neatly folding the pocket gusset in half will help you
Assembling the bag bag
8
Stitch the lining and the exterior together – stitch the lining to the exterior using the pull through and turn out method (see Inserting Linings: Pull Through and Turn Out Method, Steps 4–6 in the Techniques Techniqu es section). In Step 5 of this method, you will need to stitch around the top edge with a 2cm (¾in) seam allowanc a llowance. e. Topstitch around aro und the top 3 edge of the bag 1cm ( ⁄ 8in) from the edge. Topstitch again, this time 5mm ( 3 ⁄ 16 16in) from the edge.
9
Thread the ties into the tie casings – use a bodkin (or a safety pin) to thread one of the ties through one of the tie casings. You need to thread the tie all around the bag (so you will be threading the tie through both of the casings). Knot the ends together. Take Take the other tie and repeat, beginning at the opposite side to the side you threaded the first tie at. All done! Pop your new pretty laundry bag onto the back of the bedroom door. Who says laundry storage has to look boring?
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This large bag gives you plenty of room to experiment with your larger, showier patterns
The Bicycle Double-Pannier Bag Accessorize your beloved two-wheeler in style with this roomy set of panniers. The new laminated cottons are just perfect for this project. Go to town with jewel-bright colours and big, bold patterns for panniers that are sure to bring cheer to your bike (and a smile to anyone who sees them). I’ll race you to the shops!
Front view Roomy box-shape
Pocket open Simple but secure
Side/back view These traditional
panniers waiting waiting to be filled filled with groceries, gym gear and so on.
flap-and-buckle fastenings make flap-and-buckle the panniers super-practical.
postman-style bicycle bicycle panniers panniers will look great on any bike!
Features you’ll love Laminated cloth on the iide and outside of th bag makes for a coletely waterprf design
Ey-fix Velcro lps make the bag sile to aach to most types of bicycle paier rack – the paier ao sile to remove should you want to take it with you
Spacio paiers wi eily store a whole w hole day’s woh of gear
About the Author Author Lisa Lam is a London College of Fashion graduate who is founder of U-Handbag.com – an online store specializing in bag-making supplies. This is her second book. Her first book, The Bag Making Bible is is an international bestseller, selling
over 60,000 copies worldwide to date (when she was told that she had to sit down). At work (if you could call it that) she is also a sewing pattern and bag designer and her work regularly features in craft magazines. Lisa lives by the sea in Brighton with husband Alan, their little girl and friendly dog Beans. Lisa’s second home is the crafting community on the web (or crafti-verse) from which she writes her craft blog, chats with fellow bag makers on Facebook and is constantly amazed by the talent and wit of her fellow crafters.
Acknowledgementss Acknowledgement Biggest thanks go my customers and readers – many of you whom I’ve ‘known’ from the the beginning. Thank you so much much for your company over the years. Your open warmth and encouragement is constant source of inspiration (and a great comfort during times book writing wasn’t so forthcoming)! Thanks go to all readers who gave me their precious feedback during the design process for this book’s projects. Thanks go to Amy and David Butler for being such an amazing pair of designers and for being two beautiful people (in every sense of the word). Thanks go to Christine Doyle, Nancy Soriano and Barbara Slavin for looking after me and showing me a good time in the USA. Thanks also go the team at David & Charles: Ali Myer for her enthusiasm and talking me round, Charly Bailey, I love how you’ve made this book look, James Brooks, for jumping though the many hoops, Katy Denny my patient editor for being my craft book and mum-to-be confidante, Ame Verso for being my ‘allseeing ninja’ project editor. Thanks to the generous Rosanne Derrett for proofreading alongside us. Thanks to my agent Jane Graham Maw for taking care of the ‘formal stuff’. Thanks to (brilliantly fussy) Jack Kirby of Bangwallop Photography Photography for taking the fab instruction shots, you’re great to work with. Thanks also go to art director Michelle Thompson, photo stylist Jodi Kahn and photographer Scott Jones for taking the ace styled shots of the bags in New York; you’ve really brought them to life! And lastly, big thanks to Coats for providing me with the absolutely yummy fabric, zips and threads used throughout this book.
CRAFT
From the author of the bestselling The Bag Making Bible (over 70,000 copies sold) comes comes an outstanding collection
of 12 inspiring bags for you to make at home. ✧ 12
bags and purses for every occasion
✧ Full-size ✧ Fully
pull-out patterns to use right away
photographed step-by-step instructions
“T his inf o or r mat io n-r ic h b o oo k o k w ill ele y o o ur sew in v at e g k no w w h o w w w t ec hniq ue it h v er sat ile s and ins pir ing sug f o o r ge g st io ns r mak ing t hese b ag s y o o ur o w wn .” Amy But l er , f ab r ri c desig n er “A must h av e f o or r b eg inne r s and ex per ienc ed b ag -m ak er s alik e.” Anna S t ta ssen, U K H andm K ade
Other titles from Lisa Lam
“Lisa is t h e fir st lad y o f f handmad e b ag pat t t e r ns.” P er r r i Lew is, c r r af t t jo jo ur nalist and aut ho r r “I t t is an ex c ellent r e c so ur c c e f o o r b ag and p r all y o o ur ur se mak ing needs . ” K at hr een Ric k k et so n: w hipup.n et and au t ho r r ISBN-13: 978-1-4463-0185-2 ISBN-10: 1-4463-0185-0 Lisa Lam is the founder and owner of u-handbag, the dedicated online store and blog for bag makers.
UK £17.99 US $27.99 (Can $29.50) W8876
