For
her tote, this is the piece of cotton Alexis chose-
It
really is pretty – I have the same thing in a gorgeous turquoise blue I thought
she may like, but like I always do, she went purple. The fabric has no designer markings, but I
got it at Hancock Fabrics and it comes in a couple of different colors.
For
the lining, she had first found a piece of a mottled gray in my stash, but I
didn’t have enough of it. When I asked
her to find something else, she asked if she couldn’t have something silky like
the original purse has in it. I took her
to my two full IKEA bags of non-quilting fabrics, and she finally decided she
liked this for the contrast it is going to provide-
It
does feel a lot like the original bag lining.
Personally, I love it and think the colors go great together.
To
put the outside together, I pretty much followed the same plan as I did with
the muslin test. I did cut the outside material longer, since
I had to account for that fold over to the inside down to the lining. Also, since I have to put interfacing on the
pieces, when I sewed the mock seam for the bottom front and back, I cut along
the fold so I could press the seam open – I didn’t want to put the interfacing
on first and then sew that tiny seam through it. I figured by pressing it open, I could put
the interfacing over it.
So
with interfacing applied, I sewed the bottom seam. And even though straight lines are not
something I do well, I top stitched all three seams for the bottom, hoping they
would offer some further stability. I
used a zipper foot to try to keep the stitch lines straight.
Here
is a close up of two of the bottom seams top stitched from the right side-
I
want to mention the thread I am using. I
have tried so many threads, including that fancy Italian stuff that is so
expensive. I never really liked anything I used until I discovered Essential™Threads from the Connecting Threads website.
(Not
the same color used on project.)
It
is awesome – it goes through my machine beautifully. The color I used was a little more red than I
would have liked, but it was the closest I had on hand. 1200 yards and only $2.19 each when bought in
a set of 10 or $2.49 when purchased separately.
Well worth it - I highly recommend it – and this is not a paid
endorsement! As soon as I get a job and
have money, I want it in all the colors! I am going to use all the leftover junk thread I have, including the Italian stuff, just for overcasting fabric before I wash it from now on!
So
I held off cutting the side pieces until I knew for sure how the front and back pieces would come out and I was
pleasantly surprised to find the bottom came out exactly at 5 ½” like the
original! (Sometimes, miracles do
happen!) The sides of the front and back
came out at 13 ½” which I think is good – should leave me just enough for the
inside fold over. I cut two sides at 6 ½”
x 14” – and figured I would just trim them at the top to match the front and back when it was together.
After
I put the interfacing on the sides and was getting ready to sew the sides on, I
remembered I wanted to put a pocket on one side – big enough for a cell
phone. So I had to stop and figure the measurements
for that. The sides are cut at 6 ½“ but
I didn’t want the pocket to be that exactly – I didn’t want it to fit
completely flat against the side and be hard to use. So I cut it at 7” wide, and 12” long, so I
could fold it in half. I put interfacing
on only half of it and folded it over.
Then I went to pin it on, and realized that I would have a half inch
hang over on the bottom, so I had to taper cut it on each side, a ¼” at
the bottom up to the corner at the top.
Thankfully, it looked like it was going to work.
I
was so relieved when the pocket did work out!
Here is how Side 1 looks-
Since
that pocket worked, I went to Alexis to ask if she wanted a pocket on the other
side as well. She said yes, if I didn’t
mind doing it, so a second pocket it is.
So
here is the finished body-
I
put something in the pockets so you can see how they will actually hold
something. It is taller than it will be
when completed- I left plenty of fabric around the top for folding over.
And
I think that is it for today. I’m beat
and have schoolwork needing some attention- hope I can think straight. Tomorrow will be the lining!
I love the colors. Nice job!
ReplyDeletethanks!
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