some bag making tips . . .

A request for a book bag from a birthday girl produced this tote last week.  Below are some tips that I've learned over the years that have helped my bag-making to go quicker and look more professional.

I wanted this bag to have lots of structure, so a fusible interfacing was used for the outer fabric, and a fusible fleece for the lining.  I prefer this method, because it gives the outer fabric more structure, but the overall bag is still soft.

For the straps, I like to cut them four times the width of the finished strap.  Then I iron them in half, and iron both halves again to center (for this bag, 6" wide straps were cut, producing a 1.5" finished width).  I don't like to interface my straps, and find this thickness is great; but the real trick is to do lots of stitch lines to make it feel nice and strong.  I first sew close to each long edge, and then sew about every 1/4" after that, just using guides on my presser foot to line up the rows of stitches.

After the bag has been turned right-side out, I press the top edge first.  Then, for top-stitching I use my walking foot, a longer stitch length (3.0 on my machine), move my needle to the right a bit, and then line up the groove of the presser foot against the edge of the bag to keep in a straight line, while also keeping close to the edge of the bag.

This is a very basic bag, but I hoped it showed the finished look of some of the tips I listed above.  Bag-making is something I really enjoy, and I haven't carried a store-bought purse in years.  There is so much inspiration and patterns available online, that it's always fun to pick which one to make next.  Plus it's a great way to tote around some favorite fabrics!

If you have any other tips to share, please post them in the comments below!