Just Sew It

My Uptown bag is now completeo!

I attached the lining but before I did that I made a zippered pocket and attached it to the lining. Great for hiding things that you don’t want to fall out.

I still have not attached the tabs because I’m not sure what I want to do with them. I’m not keen on the velcro for closure. I think I’ll put a magnetic snap or something. Next time I head to the fabric store I’ll deal with it.

Overall, I like this handbag and will make it again.

I opened my mailbox today and my copy of Burda’s World of Fashion April 2005 issue was inside!

This issue contains the infamous Burda twist top and I can’t wait to sew it up. I have some cute stretch jersey just waiting for me to cut and sew it up. It looks like a flattering top and I haven’t seen one PR member who did not look good in their twist top so I’m giving it a shot.

I also purchased this Giant Non-stick teflon sheet from Bo-nash. I’ll be using this sheet for fusing applique together. This sheet is supposed to prevent any sticking. The net is a wonderful resource for products!

On another note, here is a pic of my furry buddy, Rocky.

Another pic of both my cats. These two are not pals. They tolerate each other but don’t like each other. I was shocked to see these two sleeping so close together.

The following are instructions on how to do fusible applique from a fellow PR member who kindly posted an answer to my question on the message board. Thanks to Irene Q.

Fusible applique is easy enough that you may not need a book! Here’s how I made this quilt.

- Get a roll of steam-a-seam II, preferably the Lite version. This is fusible web with paper on both sides. It also comes in sheets, but for this design I could only squeeze 2 birds on each sheet so the roll was more economical. I think I bought it by the yard from Hancock’s of Paducah.

- Draw/trace your design on the fusible web, in mirror image. Just draw it on one side of the paper. Cut roughly around the design, remove the paper on the other side, and stick it onto the back side of your fabric. You can fuse this one side now if you want, but I didn’t bother. Cut out the applique carefully along the lines.

- Peel off the remaining piece of paper and place the applique on the backing fabric. The Steam-a-Seam II is slightly sticky so you can rearrange the various pieces until you’re satisfied with the design. Now, fuse it all in place.

- Sew around each piece. You can use a satin stitch, but I just used a narrow, short zigzag on some and a feather stitch on others. Depends on how “hard” or “soft” you want the edge to be. Once everything is fused, you really don’t have to worry about any puckering or shifting while you sew down the edges.

My appliques were only a single layer. If your pieces overlap you’ll want to make sure to cut away most of what is underneath or it’ll get too bulky. And you’ll want to spend some time practicing the technique before starting your actual project.

I chose this method because I found that tracing the outlines on the paper was much easier than trying to draw on the fabric, which seems to be necessary for lots of other applique (and curved piecing) techniques. I can never see the lines! Plus, you don’t have to turn under any edges. The only drawback is that it’s a little stiff. I used the “regular” weight Steam-a-Seam II – the Lite version should be better.

Okay, now it’s time to attach the handles. I put the handle down a 1/2″ and stitched it to the side panel:

Now do the same for the other side of the handle. Careful not to twist the handle.

The instructions ask for one piece of Timtex for the bottom panel. I added two pieces of Timtex and one piece of heavy interfacing (in the middle) for added strength. I put my t.v.’s remote control to test and the bag held up well to that. I don’t put too much in my bag so hopefully it will hold true. Only time will tell.

Next I sewed the bottom panel on to the interfacing. As I explained in my prevous post, put the fabric to the feed dogs and the interfacing to the presser foot. When I sewed it this way, there was no need for pinning.

Next, fold the bottom panel in half lengthwise and press. The instructions tell you to lightly press but I felt that a strong crease is better. Why? because usually anything lightly creased usually disappears. That crease is important in a later step.

After you put the crease in the bottom panel, it is time to attach the exterior panels to the bottom. Put right sides together and sew together leaving 1/2″ on both ends. Clip to the stitching on the outside panel ONLY. Don’t clip on the bottom panel. This will be help with the corners when turning the bag right side out. Make sense?? Hmmmm. I should have taken a picture of that step. I’ll get better with my explainations as I do more.

Next the sides of the outside panels must be sewn together. Put right sides together on the sides of the outside panels.

This next step is when the crease comes into play. MATCH the crease to one of the side seams with RIGHT side together. In this step, I sewed the bottom completely together. I unfortunately did not take a picture of this.

Then I did the same steps for the lining.

I sewed the lining in but did not do a very good job and well… took the lining out. That’s okay because I later decided to add a pocket on the side. i’m going to try to add a zipper for the inside pocket too. I like to hide tampons and there is nothing more embarrasing than a tampon falling out of your bag in public.

That will be in my next and final post of Amy Butler’s Madison Uptown bag.

Having a hard time seeing the thread when ripping out a seam? Rub coloured tailor’s chalk up and down the seam.