Lucky Project Bags TUTORIAL
Today is my stop on the Lotta Jansdotter Lucky blog tour with Windham Fabric! I really liked this line when I saw it at market. Lotta's prints are always bold and the scale of these will work well for patchwork. There's a great cat print in the line as well if you're a cat lover. (Don't tell Mack the Chihuahua!) Since I'm dying to use these for patchwork, I obviously decided make project bags for my project. No really, I decided on project bags because I've been waiting on a fabric that I knew I would still love in a year. These colors are my happy place. I'm giving away a bundle of this awesomeness on Instagram so head over there to enter!I decided on the size so they would fit in my Ikea Raskog cart. They would be pretty easy to adjust the size on if you're so inclined. How perfect are these fabrics?!I mixed in bright contrasting zippers.The labels are written with Frixion pens so they can easily be ironed off and a new label written.I was supplied a fat quarter bundle of these beauties, so I first paired them off to my liking. I played with them for quite a while before I chose this.Finished size: 11 1/2 x 10 1/2". Read all directions before beginning any project!1. Supplies: You need two fat quarters (one for exterior and one for lining), a 13 x 20" piece of Pellon Fusible Fleece, a 4 x 4" piece of neutral, a 4 x 4" piece of Pellon SF101, a 6 1/2 x 12 1/2 piece of clear vinyl (vinyl cutting tips here) and a 14" zipper. Aurifil 40 wt is recommended. I made five project bags at once using five times the supplies; this is a great project to do as an assembly line making multiples.2. Fusing & Cutting: Fuse the Fusible Fleece to the exterior fat quarter. (Fuse lightly before you cut your pieces. Once you've cut, you can remove the interfacing from unused pieces and thoroughly fuse the pieces you are using.)Cut one 12 1/2 x 12 1/2" piece and one 12 1/2 x 3 1/2" pieces from the exterior interfaced fabric. Fuse thoroughly.Cut one 12 1/2 x 12 1/2" piece, one 3 1/2 x 12 1/2" piece and two 1 3/4 x 11 1/2" pieces from the lining.Fuse the SF101 to the 4 x 4" neutral square. Trim to 3 1/2 x 3 1/2".You should have all these pieces.3. Making the Tabs: Finger press the piece in half. Open back up and finger press in 1/4" along the edges as shown.Press these seams in place.Topstitch along the edges as shown.4. Attaching the Vinyl: Take the large exterior piece and large lining piece and sandwich the vinyl in between as shown. The 12 1/2" edge of the vinyl should be along the edge.Use wonder clips as pins will damage vinyl.Stitch a 1/4" seam. Neither your presser foot or the feed dogs are interacting with the vinyl which will make it much easier!Repeat these steps with the 3 1/2 x 12 1/2" pieces on the other edge of the vinyl. Make sure to put your exterior and lining fabrics on the same sides. This is what you should have!Topstitch along the edge of the fabric.Place the folded tab on the right edge as shown. Wonder clip in place. Turn so the vinyl is on top. It is easier to stitch with the vinyl on top. Stitch in place with a 1/4" seam.5. Attaching the Zipper: Place the zipper right sides together with the 12 1/2" edge of the exterior fabric opposite the vinyl. Make sure the lining fabric is out of the way. Stitch using your zipper foot. Note that you are stitching on the back of the zipper.Bring the edge of the lining fabric to the other side of the zipper so that the exterior and lining fabric are right sides together with the zipper in between. All the vinyl and other pieces will be in the middle as shown.Stitch just slightly to the left of the previous seam.Turn it right sides out.It will look like this.Topstitch along the edge of the fabric by the zipper.Place the 3 1/2 wide exterior piece right sides together along the unsewn edge of the zipper.Attach using your zipper foot.Unzip the zipper. Bring the 3 1/2 lining piece up and finger press a 1/4" seam.Pin it along the top edge of the seam concealing the seam. Make sure the lining fabric is flat and does not pucker.Pin the complete edge. Turn the piece right side out so the exterior is on top.Topstitch along the fabric edge by the zipper attaching the lining at the same time. It's awkward because the other side of the zipper is still attached, so pull it to the top left as shown to insure that you don't sew over it.You should have this.6. Forming the Bag: Turn the bag wrong sides out.Pin the open edge of the zipper together. Fold about 3/4" above the zipper and wonder clip the edge. Keep the zipper unzipped.You should have this. You will have to insure that both sides lay flat as there are a lot of layers.Stitch a 1/2" seam along the edge. Sew with the vinyl on top as it is easier.Leave long tails at the top and bottom to knot. (Backstitching causes bulk that makes turning the piece more difficult.)You should have this!7. Covering the Seam Allowance: Trim 3/8" from the seam for a clean edge.You'll be cutting off the zipper in the process.You should have this.Take the remaining two pieces of lining fabric and make double fold tape. Fold in half and press, then fold in the two edges to the middle and press concealing all raw edges.These pieces will cover the seam allowance.Wrap around the edge and hold in place with wonder clips. Fold in the ends as shown to conceal all the raw edges.It should look like this.Clip in place.Repeat for both edges.I replaced the clip with a pin just before I stitched so that I could sew right up to the pin.Stitch along the edge of the wrap.Again leave a long tail so that it can be knotted on both ends.You should have this!8. Finishing the Bag: Turn it right side out.And you'll have this!If your vinyl got a little beat up, you can lay a protective piece over it and hit it briefly with a medium heat iron.Use a frixion pen on the labels.And you can erase it with an iron. Don't accidentally hit the vinyl with your iron!Voila! All packed and ready for stitching!I made five and I already need five more!xo LC