The Bag to End All Bagmaking (So I Vowed)

Some time ago I promised to write about a handbag I made in July. I'm finally ready to do it. I'm not sure what it is about my procrastination in blogging. I do my best writing with a really clear head, which I don't always have. So I put it off. Going forward, I'm going to try to blog during the process of making things, so things are fresher and quicker in getting onto the page. But I'm usually sewing full-tilt when I'm making something, so my head won't be clear... I don't know what the answer is. Any recommendations or thoughts from you readers are welcome!

Anyway, here it is, The Bag to End All Bag Making:

I started out with the desire to make a sturdy canvas bag to schelp all of my stuff to work - normal handbag items plus lunch and a water bottle. The natural colored canvas I painted with a wash didn't thrill me, but the pieces of linen I had painted with silk screen images did. So I switched to black duck, and was going to make "windows" in it and stitch the linen pieces in behind. Ever try to make a clean, flat window in duck? Not a chance. That's when Marcy Tilton's Vogue 8173 popped out of my pattern cabinet.

(Yes, I own a retro Butterick cabinet, gifted from an acquaintance who purchased it from a store that went out of business decades ago. It holds my pattern stash and much, much more.) But I digress.

The pattern is out of print, and I purchased it years ago because it incorporated silk screening. In fact, it's one of the patterns that nudged me into learning to paint fabric. I had never made it, and I had all of these images painted onto colorful fabric, and I had some gray silk dupioni and gray silk organza, and steam a seam lite, and batting, and Craf-Tex, and hardware, so I dove into the project. And it consumed me. For days. Weeks. For, maybe, 60 to 80 hours. Waaaaay too much time. But it was only time, and I was having fun, so it was all good.

Why did it take so much time? Cutting was partly to blame. I was very careful to cut the dupioni on grain, so I didn't double layer it. The various interfacings were stiff and bulky, so I cut them in one layer. All together, from the outside to the lining, there are 9 layers.

Interfacings, Steam a Seam, batting, and stiff
paperboard to stabilize the bottom.

Also, I cut out all of the images painted on the linen. Scissors worked best, but it took a lot of time. Sewing took a long time, too, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Materials for the exterior, and templates for
cutting the images into shapes.

The exterior of the bag is constructed in several layers. The first step is to paint the Steam a Seam Lite. In this photo, you'll notice dark coral rectangles toward the top of the bag. (Click on the photo for a larger image.)

These, along with dark gray squares across the center and dark teal rectangles along the bottom, were painted on the Steam a Seam. After they dried, I fused them to the two outer pieces of the bag. Peeling away the paper, I had a nice, tacky surface to lay the linen pieces and ribbon on. Then I fused the silk organza on top. The Steam a Seam melted into the dupioni, but also held the organza in place.

Quilting was the next step, and it took a long time. Probably 4 to 5 hours for each side. I used two colorways of variegated thread, outlining each piece and tying the ends on the back side of the fabric. This added a big Wow factor, bringing the linen pieces into focus behind the organza. 

I love how the many layers give so much depth. You can see the texture in the dupioni, the painting on the Steam a Seam, the linen pieces, the organza, and finally the stitching. The light batting gives the linen fragments some dimension.

I didn't have enough aqua/turquoise linen for the lining, so I used a stretch cotton satin from Sawyer Brook. I applied a non-stretch fusible interfacing to keep it from stretching, which worked very well.

Marcy included a zippered pocket in the pattern. I made it slightly deeper, and changed the technique a bit. She used the top zipper tape as the top edge of the pocket. I chose to cut a strip of fabric for the top instead. I love the contrast of the zipper with the gray dupioni.

I wanted more pockets, so I created a double pocket that is tucked to make pouch shapes. I couldn't resist using a painted linen remnant for the lining.

I love trimming interior pockets with ribbon. It adds a little detail that makes me smile when I see it.

These pockets are perfect for my glasses case and phone. I added a magnetic snap at the center above the pockets, to hold the bag closed.

I thought the shirred handles shown in the pattern photo looked dated, so I made stiff ones. I cut them a few inches shorter, as I don't carry bags on my shoulders. The handles are made with the technique I described in my previous post. I love how rigid the Craf-Tex makes them. They don't crumble in my hand!

Before assembling the outer bag, I cut pieces of heavy Craf-Tex the size of the sides of the bag. The corner edges of the bag are edgestitched, which holds the Craf-Tex in place. Craf-Tex is a very stiff product that gives the bag the rigidness and stability I like. I didn't use it on the ends, because I wanted them to fold in.

Applying the binding was the point at which this became The Bag to End All Bag Making. I vowed to never make another handbag again, ever. I recall begging the Universe to save me from myself. Sewing through all of the layers and getting the binding even were very demanding tasks, and tried my patience. it was quite crazy making!


In hindsight, I should have used the lite Craf-Tex, as the heavy was very difficult to stitch through, especially with 8 other layers involved. It was a real struggle for my machine, and I had to hand stitch the ring tabs in place on the inside, as my Pfaff just couldn't handle it.


Surprise, surprise - the Universe did not save me from myself. (Does it ever?) Two weeks later, I made another bag. With Craf-Tex only in the handles. And lots of paint, lots of color, and lots of play. It was a blast. So was this one, actually. I really enjoyed the process, enjoyed seeing what the bag became as I worked on it. And now I enjoy carrying it. It's not a canvas tote, but my handbag necessities fit inside, and I can even squeeze a sandwich into it!

Back Words Top, or, How to Wear Horizontal Stripes and a Wild Print

If you're like me, you've purchased some prints that drew you to them, then had you wondering how you would ever incorporate them into your wardrobe. There are many prints I pass by because they're just "too much" for my large body. But some are irresistible, begging to linger in my fabric collection so they can tease me until I figure out what to make with them.

Back Words Jersey (Yes, it's readable in a mirror!)

With its dry hand and wonderful drape, this printed viscose/elastane jersey from Sawyer Brook was one of those teasers. I knew the print flattered my personality, and I knew the colors flattered my body. I also knew I could make a simple top to wear underneath a solid jacket or vest. But I didn't want to hide this stunning print that way - at least, not totally. That's when it dawned on me to make a collage top.

I get lots of sewing and design inspiration from the Tilton sisters, and I've long admired this collage top made by Katherine (you'll need to scroll down the page a bit). I noticed it again while browsing her blog last month, and set out to find fabrics that would combine well with my print. I knew I wanted to incorporate a black mesh purchased from Marcy some time ago. I also wanted to use a stripe, if I could find one that complimented the print.

This is where having my studio smack dab next door to a fabulous fabric store is the biggest blessing ever! I took the fabric to Sawyer Brook to see what I could find, and was pleased to discover that Fay, a bamboo and cotton striped jersey with a beautiful hand and drape, is a very close color match to the taupe in the print. Stripe mission solved!

To round out the grouping, I wanted a solid. At first I thought the violet jersey used in my previous garment would look good. While it echoed the red violet in the print, it was waaaaaay overpowering in the collage. I stepped back from the fabrics for a bit, then realized black would be the perfect finish. Black can be a bit harsh on me, especially an all-over black garment. But piecing it would lessen that harshness, and I just happened to have a black cotton jersey on hand. I was fortunate these four fabrics had similar drape and weight, another key to collage success. I had also achieved a pleasing mix of color, pattern, texture and solid.

One big reminder that came to me during the fabric selection process was the colors didn't have to match perfectly.  I grew up in an era when a stylish look required carefully matched colors, including shoes and handbag. As fashion trends have become more relaxed, so have I. This took all of the pressure off as I "shopped" for my fabric combination. I love how these fabrics speak to one another, and how the black and taupe visually calm down the wildly colorful and busy print.

Fabric choices resolved, my next task was to determine which fabrics to place where. Katherine had given me some good advice on this via email, specifically the importance of placing visually weightier fabrics lower in the garment, and flattering colors near the face. There was no doubt the print would go near my face, so I placed it on the upper right front, upper back and a sleeve. The mesh was a no-brainer; there are times when mesh worn high on a 50-something body is a good thing, but this wasn't one of them! I knew I would want to place it at the hemline and the lower part of a sleeve.  Taupe isn't a very flattering color for my face, so the stripe went to the lower front, upper back and a sleeve. Black balanced everything else out.

Now the cutting began. Using Katherine's version as a template of sorts (imitation being the sincerest form of flattery!), I took my altered Vogue 1261 pattern and traced off the front and back pieces. I determined where I wanted the seams to be, and added seam allowances. I also drafted a lower, slightly asymmetrical neckline. Since I didn't have a photo of the back of Katherine's version, I used the opportunity to play a bit. I moved the vertical seam to the center, and carefully positioned the horizontal seams in flattering places. Katherine advised me to not make the back placement just like the front, and not to try to match seams at the side seams. Viewed from the side, all of the horizontal seams fall at different places. To avoid over-matching the fabric placement, I switched the black and stripe on the back.

In order to obtain a good fit, construction of the top was somewhat unconventional. I sewed the top four pieces together, leaving the vertical seams open toward the bottom. Then I attached each lower piece seperately, tweaking the fit and length as I went.

My biggest challenge in piecing the collage was the sloped seam on the front between the print and the stripe. I cut both of these pieces about 2" longer than needed, so I could achieve some fit in the angled seam. Without doing this fitting, the stripes on the lower front piece would have sloped to the outside (because of my rounded torso). Using the print on top proved to be fortuitous, as it allowed me to add some length over my bust, in order to make the pieces fall evenly. No option for adjusting unevenness at the hem of this top!

Another challenge was to avoid having a bright blob of color on my breast. This took some work, and I'm not sure how well I succeeded, as it looks like I leaned into a freshly painted blue wall! At least I don't flaunt a big dark square or a large cream blob ladened with big letters.

For the sleeves, I cut them out to about 3/4 length, leaving a couple of extra inches to play with. I figured out the lower sleeve shapes later, when I assembled them. This helped me make them proportional to the body of the garment. I sloped the seams 1" on one sleeve, and 2" on the other.

Wanting a clean finish that didn't add more busy-ness to the top, I stitched the hems and neckband by hand. First, I used my favorite ultralight Design Plus fusible bias tape to stabilize the fabric edges. It shows through a bit on the mesh, but I didn't like the look of the mesh hem without it. The mesh is very large, so there isn't much fabric to stitch together. The tape gave me something to sew into.

Ok, time to talk about the elephant in the living room, so to speak. Stripes, you say?! Yes, stripes can perform a strong balancing act in a collage. I really lucked out in this case, as the taupe and black striped knit is so subtle. A cream and black stripe would have been much louder, and would have commanded a lot of attention. The size of the stripe makes a big difference, too. Imagine the same colors in a 1" stripe. Way too LOUD!

But horizontal stripes?! Isn't that a no-no? Don't they make you look fat? Once again, it all depends on how bold the stripes are. I'm a big girl, no doubt about that. But because of the other design lines in this top, the horizontal stripes recede to the background.

This project was a blast to design and execute. It took a lot of patience, ingenuity and double-checking, but once I got into the groove, the process moved along quite smoothly.  Katherine was a huge inspiration, and her advice was very helpful. I so appreciate pattern designers who are willing to communicate with those of us who are using their patterns and ideas!

This top is very comfortable and really reflects my personality.  I just love wearing it. Best of all, I have enough yardage left over to create another collage top. I'm thinking a more summery cut...

Horizontal stripes and a wild print? Oh yeah!