A Shoulder Bag Project

A Shoulder Bag Project

Have you ever shopped for a new purse, frustrated that everything is either a tiny clutch or an oversized tote with no in-between?  I’m in need of a purse/bag that’s just a little bigger than what I have now, but  I hate digging down into the abyss of a tote bag.  The solution: make one to my specs.

I spotted this kit at a quilt show, the Katz Basic Shoulder Bag from By Hands Hand Craft.  The fabrics and colors in the kit, and the layered look of the outside of the bag, caught my eye.  The sample bag at the booth is just the right size, so the kit came home with me.

Now as I’m reading through the pattern, I realize that the instructions leave something to be desired.  They are rather skimpy.  But I’ve made bags before, so I know I can adapt.

After the cutting instructions, I reach Step 1.  The instructions tell you to cut the gray fabric strips into little pieces and sew them together with the colored squares as follows:

Yikes!  Look at all those Y seams!  For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure – Y seams are fussy, time-consuming, and frankly unnecessary when there is a better way.  After I read the entire pattern, I’m ready to ditch the whole project.  Then I come across this loose page tucked separately from the pattern.

This is an alternate construction method that uses fusible batting.  Instead of piecing all those small pieces, you fuse the colored squares onto the batting, then weave strips of the gray fabric to create a layer on top.  Yay!  So much easier than the original instructions.  Another example of “always read all the instructions before cutting and sewing.”

With the easier method in hand, I cut the squares and long strips, then lay out the squares on the fusible batting in an arrangement that I like.  The squares are fused to the batting, and the strips are pinned in place on top.

From there it’s quilt-as-you-go when I top-stitch the strips.

The back and the bottom of the bag are quilted with a simple crosshatch.

The kit came with the dark red fabric for the bag lining, but I feel it was too dark for the inside of a bag.  I swap it for the fresh white and gray fabric on the left, making it easier to find items inside.

Then the front, back, and bottom are sewn together for the outside and the inside lining.

The outer bag is placed into the lining right sides together, then sewn along the top edge.

The instructions are to trim the batting within the seam allowance, which is standard to eliminate bulk.  But the batting is fused (Ugh!) so I can’t trim it.  Time for more improvisation.

After turning everything right sides out, I roll the top seam slightly toward the inside of the bag before topstitching.  This step helped manage the extra bulk nicely.

Finally, leather handles included in the kit are hand sewn to the outside.

And – Voila! – it’s a finished bag.

My Shoulder Bag Project was not smooth and straightforward, but I’m pleased with the result.  I now have a bag that’s the right size, with fabrics I love, made just the way I like it.  I’ll add a purse organizer and it will be perfect!

Next up:  binding, labels, and sleeves on a few quilts to get ready for my guild’s quilt show this fall.  I share those when they’re ready!

TTFN,