The latest gift is a laundry bag for my niece, Brittany. She turned 18 yesterday & is college bound in the Fall! So, I am hoping her gift will serve her well as she goes down this new road of freedom & responsibility - laundry responsibility!
I sort of had this blog post planned in my head so I took pictures along the way. But as my Daddy used to say, "I've just hit the high spots." This is not intended to be a tutorial but hopefully it may inspire you to try some of the techniques like zippers, buttonholes & french seams.
Before I go any further, let me stop at give credit to http://sew4home.com/projects/storage-solutions/667-back-to-school-drawstring-dorm-laundry-bag for the clear and easy to follow pattern.
In my world, good things become great when personalized. So I had to choose a color for a "B" on the pocket. Which do you like? I'll show you what I decided on later in the finished product.... (no cheating & scrolling to the bottom)
The double row of top stitching gives it a professional look! Can't take credit for that though...pattern told me to do it. This shows the two pieces being joined together in the middle.
If you sew and do not own
Steam-a-Seam, so get some today!
Steam-a-Seam, so get some today! I think I paid $3.55 for this package at the "expensive" quilting shop in town, so I'm sure you can find cheaper at Hobby Lobby or Joann's with coupon. But, it's worth every penny! It makes zippers much easier to attach & helps hold hems down for sewing.
The pattern called for turning the pocket sides in 1/2" all the way around. I had chosen outdoor fabric for durability and folding that thickness only 1/2" would have been tough without help from my friend "SAS". I also use this when I attach ric rac or ribbon to projects.
Did I mention this was outdoor fabric? Sooooo, maybe if I'd used a heavy duty needle, this wouldn't have happened!? The thickness of the fabric and the zipper teeth were just too much and I broke a needle sewing the pocket on....into THREE pieces! It happens...
French Seams are SEW cool!! I am a visual learner, so the first time I did a FS, I just had to do what the pattern told me to do and see the finished result before I "got it". Just take some scrap pieces and play with them to see how this works.
The bag is sewn up on the side using a french seam. First, you sew WRONG sides together first (I know, I know....this is NOT how you normally do it!) Then you trim really close to seam (1/8") See pics...
Then you fold RIGHT sides together (like you were taught) and sew a 3/8" seam. This will enclose the raw edges of your first seam. (See pic below) You can go back & top stitch if you like. I didn't do this here since it's a laundry bag, not a wedding dress!
Try a french seam in projects like pillow cases or bags when you want a nice finished seam on the inside. I have a serger, but there are times when I think french seams are better. And anyone with a regular sewing machine can do them!
The pattern called for a 1" button hole to run the draw string through. I LOVE doing these on the machine and wonder how they were done before this little contraption was invented. I have my mother's OLD sewing machine and the button hole attachment looks like a surgical instrument! I'll just leave it at that.
My sewing friends who are "anti-pinning" are probably going to go a little nutty here. I'm a fan of pinning because it saves time in the long run when you check and see that all your fabric got caught in your seam. YAY! The writer of this pattern has some really cool math to back up how the circumference of this circle matches the raw edges of the bottom...when I got to the reference to "Pi", I decided to just take their word for it! So, pin, pin, pin & trust the math!
I didn't get pics of the strap construction (told you in beginning this was just the "high spots") But this is finished strap that connects the top & bottom of the bag.
This pocket was my favorite feature of the bag. It can hold change for laundry, student ID, keys and it is perfect for Mom to stash a little green into when she sends her Baby Girl back to school.
Do you like the color I used for the "B"? The pattern didn't give a finished size for this bag, but it is HUGE & I just love it! It was such a fun project & I hope she likes it!
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