gives the bag some 3D shape, and helps prevent your stuff from getting squashed at the bottom of your bag.
You will need
For each bag
• 1 piece of canvas or linen fabric for exterior, 50cm (1⁄2yd) x 112cm (44in) wide
• 1 piece of contrasting medium-weight fabric for bottom panel and straps, 50cm (1⁄2yd) x 112cm (44in) wide
• Sewing threads to match the fabrics
• Disappearing marker
Preparation
Cut the fabric pieces as follows:
• Main body panel pattern = 81 x 35cm (32 x 133⁄4in) – cut:
• 1 x exterior fabric
• Bottom panel pattern = 35cm (133⁄4in) square – cut:
• 1 x contrast fabric
Also cut:
• 2 strips of contrast fabric, 68 x 10cm (263⁄4 x 4in), for the bag straps
Assemble Easy as Pie
1 Stitch the bottom panel to the exterior main body panel – take the bottom panel WSU, fold in both short edges 1cm (3⁄8in) to the WS and iron the folds. Lay the bottom panel RSU onto the centre of the RS of the main body panel and match up the side edges. Check that the short edges of the bottom panel are lying at right angles to the side edges and pin. Stitch the bottom panel to the main body panel by topstitching along the short edges of the bottom panel. See Fig a.
Fig a Ensure that the short edges of the bottom panel are nice and straight on the main panel; you don’t want the bottom panel to look wonky on your finished bag.
2 Stitch the long raw edges – stitch along both long raw edges with a zigzag stitch that’s wide in width and short in length to prevent the raw edges from fraying.
3 Stitch the bag – fold the bag in half widthways RST. Match all edges, pin and stitch along the side edges of the bag. Iron the bag.
4 Fold and stitch the top edge band – with the bag still WSO, fold down the raw top edge 1.5cm (1⁄2in) to the WS of the bag and iron the fold. Fold down another 2cm (3⁄4in) in the same way, iron and pin. Topstitch all around the top and bottom edges of the band ensuring you stitch though all layers 3mm (1⁄8in) from the edges. See Fig b. Turn the bag RSO and iron.
Fig b Topstitch all around the bottom and top edge of the bag band.
5 Make up the straps and stitch them to the bag – take the bag strap fabric pieces and follow the steps in Closed-End Straps to make two closed-end straps. On the RS of the bag, measure and mark 8cm (31⁄8in) in from both side seams and 2.5cm (1in) down from the top edge. Place the outer bottom corner of one of the strap ends onto one of the marks you have just made. Pin the strap end in position and stitch to the bag in a box formation for strength (see tip). See Fig c. Repeat with the other strap end and then with the other bag strap.
Fig c Measure and mark the strap end position on the bag, and pin and stitch the strap in place through all bag layers.
Box clever …
To sew a smart-looking box remember to leave the needle in the down position when you reach the end of a line. That way you can turn a perfect 90-degree angle by pivoting your work around the needle.
Happy handles …
Instead of making fabric straps and sewing them to the bag, you could buy ready-made handles and rivet them on. If riveting handles to the bag, reinforce the handle area with fusible interfacing (see Interfacing and Interlining).
Assemble Flat-Bottomed Girl
1 Cut the fabric and stitch the bag together – cut the pattern pieces exactly as listed for the Easy as Pie bag and stitch together following steps 1–4 of that bag (previous page and above).
2 Insert a flat bottom into the bag – with the bag WSO, follow steps 2–4 of Flat Bottoms to insert a flat bottom. From the tip of the triangle measure and mark 2.5cm (1in) on the seam for the bag bottom depth.
3 Make and apply the bag straps – following step 5 of the Easy as Pie bag (above).
Peek-a-Boo Pleats
This version of the versatile book bag has an attractive but easy-to-insert pleat down the centre of the bag. As a bonus, insert a colourful strip of fabric inside the pleat to make pretty peek-a-boo pleats.
You will need
• 1 piece of canvas or linen fabric for exterior, 50cm (1⁄2yd) x 112cm (44in) wide
• 1 piece of contrasting medium-weight fabric for insert and straps, 50cm (1⁄2yd) x 112cm (44in) wide
• Sewing threads to match the fabrics
• Disappearing marker
Preparation
Cut the fabric pieces as follows:
• Main body panel pattern = 80 x 50cm (311⁄2 x 191⁄2in) – cut:
• 1 x exterior fabric
Also cut:
• 1 piece of contrast fabric, 80 x 19cm (311⁄2 x 71⁄2in), for the pleat insert panel
• 2 strips of contrast fabric, 68.5 x 10cm (27 x 4in), for the bag straps
Assemble the bag
1
