Amy Butler's Style Stitches: 12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags (19 page)

b. Repeat step 3a to fuse the corresponding interfacing pieces to the second exterior main panel, one cell phone pocket, one inside pocket panel, all four handles, and both tab closures.

c. Place the fusible side of one fleece main panel onto the
Wrong
side of the first lining main panel. Fuse it in place. Turn the panel over and press it again, making sure there are no puckers. Repeat to fuse the other fleece panel to the second lining main panel.

d. Place the fusible side (without the protective film) of the first Peltex handle onto the
interfaced
side of the first handle. Center the Peltex and fuse it in place. Repeat to fuse the first side of each Peltex handle to the other three handle pieces.

a. Place the cell phone pocket panels
Right
sides together, matching the edges, and pin them in place.

b. Stitch a ½″ (1.3 cm) seam completely around the panels, leaving a 2″ (5.1 cm) opening centered on one long side. Backstitch* at each end.

c. Trim* all four corners in the seam allowance,* being careful not to clip your stitching.

d. Turn the pocket
Right
side out through the opening. Use a turning tool* to gently push out the corners. Press the pocket flat. Fold each edge of the opening ½″ (1.3 cm) in toward the
Wrong
side. Press and pin the edges together.

e. Topstitch* ¼″ (0.6 cm) from the top finished edge. Backstitch at each end.

f. Fold the pocket in half lengthwise,
Right
sides together, and gently press a crease on the fold. Pin the edges ½″ (1.3 cm) from the fold along both the top and the bottom of the panel.

g. To make a pleat at the bottom of the pocket, start at the bottom edge and stitch up along the crease 1½″ (3.8 cm) in length, using a ½″ (1.3 cm) seam from the folded edge. Backstitch at each end. Center the pleat that forms on the back of the pocket evenly on each side of the seam and press it flat. Leave the top edge pinned to form a temporary pleat. The pin will be removed after the pocket has been stitched in place in step 4j.

h. Fold one lining main panel in half, matching the side edges, and gently press a crease on the fold. Open the panel. Using your ruler and fabric marker, measure 6″ (15.2 cm) (for small bag) or 8″ (20.3 cm) (for large bag) up from the bottom edge and then 3″ (7.6 cm) to the right of the center crease, and make a mark.

Figure 1

i. Place the bottom left corner of the cell phone pocket above the mark and pin the pocket in place, keeping the left edge of the pocket parallel to the center crease on the main panel.

j. Edge stitch* the pocket in place, stitching down each side and across the bottom. Backstitch at each end. Remove the pin at the top edge to release the temporary pleat.

a. Place the pocket panels
Right
sides together, matching the raw edges. Pin one long edge.

b. Stitch a ½″ (1.3 cm) seam across the pinned edge. Backstitch at each end.

c. Turn the pocket
Right
side out, and press. Topstltch ¼ (0.6 cm) from the top finished edge. Backstitch at each end.

d. Match the remaining 3 edges of the pocket and pin them together. Machine baste* ¼ (0.6 cm) from the edges.

e. Fold the pocket in half, matching the side edges, and gently press a crease on the fold.

f. Place the pocket on the lining main panel with the cell phone pocket already attached. Match the side and bottom edges and the center creases, and pin in place.

g. Machine baste ¼″ (0.6 cm) from the sides and bottom edges of the panels to hold them in place.

h. Stitch down the center crease to divide the pocket into 2 sections. Backstitch at each end.

Please set the lining panel aside for now.

a. Mark the placement for the ruffle on the exterior main panels by first finding the center of the panel. Fold the first main panel in half lengthwise, matching the side edges, and gently press a crease along the fold. Open the panel.

b. Measure and mark ½″ (1.3 cm) down from the top edge on the center crease and then 2¾″ (7 cm) up from the bottom edge.

c. Repeat steps 6a and 6b to mark the placement for the ruffle on the second main panel.

d. Fold one short end of the first ruffle ¼″ (0.6 cm) under toward the
Wrong
side, and press.

e. Fold it under again ¼″ (0.6 cm) toward the
Wrong
side, and press. Pin and then edge stitch along the inner folded edge.

f. Repeat steps 6d and 6e to hem the other short end of the first ruffle.

g. Fold the first ruffle in half lengthwise with
Right
sides together, matching the long edges, and pin. Stitch a ½″ (1.3 cm) seam along the pinned edges. Backstitch at each end. Press the seam allowances open.

h. Turn the ruffle
Right
side out and press flat, placing the seam at the center back.

i. Using the longest stitch length on your machine, sew a gathering stitch* the length of the ruffle stitching, ¼″ (0.6 cm) on each side of the centered seam. Leave about 6″ (15.2 cm) of thread on each end of both stitching lines.
Do not backstitch
.

j. Gently pull both bobbin threads on these two stitch lines at the same time, beginning the gathering process.

k. Gather the ruffle, distributing the gathers evenly, until the ruffle measures 8¾″ (22.2 cm) long (for short bag) or 11″ (27.9 cm) long (for large bag).

I. Secure the ends of the gathering lines by inserting a straight pin at each end of the ruffle. Starting at the top of the ruffle, take both ends of the threads and put them together. Then make a figure 8 a few times around the top and bottom of the pin. Repeat to secure the bottom of the ruffle.

m. Pin the top edge of the ruffle at the top mark on the exterior main panel, matching the centered seam on the back of the ruffle with the center crease on the main panel. The bottom edge of the ruffle will be even with the bottom mark on the main panel. Then, pin the gathered ruffle along the center crease.

n. Sew the ruffle to the main panel with two lines of stitching. Stitch just inside each gathering stitch line. The stitching lines will be ⅛″ (0.3 cm) apart. Backstitch at each end.

Figure 2

o. Remove the pins and then the gathering stitches by pulling the bobbin and top threads completely out from the ruffle.

p. Repeat steps 6a through 60 to make and attach the second ruffle to the second exterior main panel.

a. Place the exterior main panels
Right
sides together, matching the side and bottom edges, and pin in place.

b. Stitch a ½″ (1.3 cm) seam down both sides and across the bottom of the panels. Backstitch at each end. Press the seam allowances open.

c. Make a gusset* at the first bottom corner of the exterior panels by matching the side and bottom seams to form a triangle in the corner. Pin the seams together.

d. Measure and mark 1¾″ (4.4 cm) from the point along the seam line. Draw a straight line across the corner at the mark. (See
Figure 3
on
page 150
.)

e. Stitch along the marked line and backstitch at each end. Trim the corner to create a ½″ (1.3 cm) seam allowance.

f. Repeat steps 7c through 7e to make the gusset in the opposite corner.

g. Stay stitch* ⅜″ (1 cm) along the center curve at the top edge of each main panel. Clip* Into the seam allowance every ½″ to ¾″ (1.3 cm to 1.9 cm), being careful not to clip past the stay-stltchlng line.

Figure 3

h. Turn the exterior of the bag
Right
side out and use a turning tool to gently push out the corners.

Please set the exterior aside for now.

a. Repeat steps 7a and 7b to make the lining, leaving an 8″ (20.3 cm) opening centered along the bottom edge.

b. Repeat steps 7c through 7g to complete the lining.

a. On the inside opening of the first handle, clip into the seam allowance every ½″ (1.3 cm).

b. Remove the protective film from the Peltex. Gently push the inside edges of the handle toward the fusible side of the Peltex; using only the tip of your iron, press the fabric to the Peltex to fuse it in place.
Note: Be careful not to touch your iron to the fusible area of the Peltex.

c. Repeat steps 9a and 9b to clip and press the inside edges of the second handle.

d. Place the first two handles
Right
sides together, matching all of the edges. Pin across the top curved edge.

Figure 4

e. Stitch a ½″ (1.3 cm) seam along the top pinned edge, stopping and starting at the end of the Peltex insert. Backstitch at each end. This will leave ½″ (1.3 cm) unstitched at each end of the handle.

f. Turn the handle
Right
side out, being sure to tuck the seam allowances between the Peltex inserts. Align the handles so the curves match along both inner and outer edges.

g. Press the handles together, fusing the Peltex in place. There will be ½″ (1.3 cm) of fabric extending from either side of the top edge. Edge stitch completely around the inside edges and backstitch at each end. This piece will now be referred to as a single handle.

h. Match the bottom edges of the handle and pin them together.

i. Repeat steps 9a through 9h to make the second handle.

Figure 5