JemJam

Sew Along, Cosmo Bag! Part 2, the Interior

We are forging on with our Cosmo bag!  If you are just joining us, we started the first part of this bag here.

Let's get started on preparing the lining pieces.

Grab your lining pocket panels--get one with interfacing and one without interfacing.  Place them right sides together, pin at the top edges and sew with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Turn your pocket right side out and press along top edge.  Topstitch 1/2" from the top edge, backstitch at each end.  

 

 

Fold the pocket panel in half lengthwise and gently press a crease (you may do the pressing with your hands), this is to mark the center of the pocket.  Grab one of your lining panels.  I'll wait...

Place the pocket onto the right side of the lining panel, matching the side and bottom edges.  Pin and stitch down the center crease to divide you pocket into 2 sections, be sure to backstitch at each end.  

Now pin and machine baste a 1/4" seam down both sides and across the bottom.  This will hold your pockets in place.

**I do these steps in a different order from the book, I feel stitching your center first and then smoothing your pocket out onto your panel insures that there will be no bumps or billows.  Or both.

Please repeat above steps to make second pocket and attach to the other lining panel.

 

To make the lining of the bag, refer to step 6 in the book...I'll go very fast here...

 

Get your 4 remaining handle pieces.  With one lining panel and one left handle right sides together, pin and sew a 1/2" seam, easing the edges around the curve.  Next, do the right handle.  Press and topstitch as you did on the exterior handles.

Complete the steps by sewing handle tops together, stay-stitching, clipping, and folding/pressing in clipped edges.  Repeat for second lining panel/handles.

Now, you need to attach the side and bottom panels to the lining panels as you did with the exterior fabric, refer to steps 8 & 9 in the book to do so.

 

Let's make the button loop!

Get your button loop piece, it should be the last man standing...

Fold the button loop piece in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, press a crease along the folded edge. Open the loop, fold each long edge in to meet the center crease, press.

Edge stitch down each long edge, backstitch at each end.

Fold loop in half, matching the short ends.  Then, flip the end lying on top over to the side, placing the finished edges side by side.  Overlap the side edges by 1/8" and pin together.  Measure and mark 2 3/4" up from the raw ends along the overlapped edges of the loop.  

Now, edge stitch up the overlapped edges from the raw end to the mark, back stitch at each end.

Fold the top of the loop to form a triangle and press the loop flat.  Edge stitch across the bottom of the triangle, backstitch at each end.

Sew a gathering stitch 1/2" from the edge, across the raw ends of the loop flat.  Pull the bobbin thread to gather the ends in to measure 1 1/2".  Knot off each set of bobbin threads to insure that they do not become loose.

 

Center the gathered end of the loop on the top edge on one of the bands, right sides together.  Pin and machine baste to loop in place.

 

Now, we will make these pieces look like a bag!  Let's get to it!

With the exterior right side out and the lining wrong side out, slide the lining over the exterior, matching the side seams.  Pin them together around the outside of the handles and across the top of the side panels.  Stitch a 1/2" seam completely around the pinned edges.  Backstitch at each end.  Sorry guys, no picture!

Clip into the seam allowance every 3/4" along the curved edge.  Do not clip into your stitching.

Turn the bag right side out through the opening on the inside of one of the handles, pushing the lining down inside the exterior of the bag.  Press well.

Match the exterior and lining folded edges on the inside of the first handle and pin together.  

Edge stitch along the matched edges.  Backstitch at each end.  Repeat this step to finish the inside edges of the other handle, but first pull out the button loop from your bag sandwich.

**NOTE: This seems to be the most tedious of all of the steps, go slowly, press and pin well.  You may find yourself doing a little bits at a time of pressing, pinning & sewing.  Do it in a manner in which you feel comfortable and doesn't stress you.**

 

Attach your button by measuring and marking 2 1/2" down from the top edge along the center on the front of the bag.  Stitch your button on the mark!

 

OMG!  Immediately fill up that bag!

 

Okay, it's a big bag, sometimes we need big stuff in our life, right??  

Yes.

 

Tonight's the night, guys!  It's the last day to submit your Cosmo Bag photo to the Flickr group to be eligible to win a gift certificate from this month's sponsors:  Above All Fabric and Fat Quarter Shop!  

I'll post tomorrow morning the details of the bag for February, along with the 2 randomly selected winners that completed their bag in January!  

If you have no idea what's going on here, read this post about the Style Stitches Monthly Bag Challenge 2011 hosted by me!

 

There's snow and ice coming!  If the storm is as bad as predicted, and I do not have power, I will not post.

 

Sew Along, Cosmo Bag! Part 1, the Exterior

I've decided to make a quick sew along for the Cosmo bag from Style Stitches.  

If you are participating in the challenge for January, there's still time!  Start cutting and fusing now, it takes the longest, sewing the bag is not as time consuming.  I promise.

 

Okay, now that you've fused your interfacing to your fabric, let's start sewing!  Mark your pleats on the wrong side of your exterior fabric, proceed by sewing pleats, here's the first pleat:

 

After sewing all 3 pleats, it should look like this on the back:

After sewing all 3 pleats per panel, press each pleat on the interfaced side and center the fabric evenly over the stitching line.  Machine baste a 1/4" seam across the top of the pinned pleats.  

It should look like this on the back:

 

Here's the front with basting stitch on top.  

 

Next, with right sides together, sew on your band where you just made pleats.  Pin well to ensure a great fit and go slowly!  

 

Cut small notches into the seam allowance, press well and topstitch.

 

Now, we will attach the handles.  Get one left and one right handle.  We will first attach the left handle.  With right sides together, place handle to the main panel as illustrated in the book and photo below.  Sew with a 1/2" seam allowance.  Pin and go slowly, backstitch at beginning and end as well.

 

Press seam allowance towards the handle and topstitch 1/8" away from seam.  

Next, do the right handle in the same manner.  

Take the handles and place them right sides together at the top and sew with a 1/2" seam allowance.  Press seam open.

Repeat above handles steps with the other exterior panel to have four handle pieces sewn into place.  You should have 4 handles left to sew (later).

 

Stay stitch 3/8" from the inside edge of handles and band.  If unfamiliar, stay stitching is a stitch that will be unseen, it keeps curves from stretching as you sew, use your regular stitch length for this task (I used a contrast thread for visibility in pics). 

 

Clip every 1/2" - 3/4", do not clip into stitching, clips should be made where you just stay-stitched.  The clips will help your curves smooth nicely when you sew.

Now, fold the clipped edges in toward the wrong side on the inside edge and top of the band, press well.  (no picture)

Repeat for second exterior panel.

 

Let's make the side pockets!  

Get one side pocket and side pocket lining panel and place right sides together, match the top edges (they are not the same length).  Stitch a 1/2" seam across the top, press seam allowance toward lining.  

Flip lining over the side pocket panel, fold it back at the top edge of the seam allowance toward the wrong side.  Match the bottom edges of the lining and side pocket panels, which will leave a 1/2" of the lining showing across the top of the pocket.

Press and pin edges together.  Now, machine baste a 1/4" seam down both sides and across the bottom edges.

 

Place the lining side of the side pocket onto the right side of the first exterior side panel, matching the side and bottom edges.  Pin & machine baste a 1/4" seam down the sides and across the bottom edges.

Please note that my fabric for exterior pocket is the same as my main exterior, more than likely, you did not cut yours this way.

Repeat above side pocket/panel steps for your second side.

We will attach the exterior side and main panels now.

Place the first main and side panels right sides together, be sure to match the long side edges and pin in place.  Stitch together with a 1/2" seam allowance down the pinned edges begin at the top and stop 1/2" from the bottom edge (I made a mark for my stopping point).  Please backstitch at each end.

 

Make clips into the seam allowance around the curved edge every 3/4", this allows your seam to lay flat later. Be sure that you do not clip into your stitching.  Now, attach your second main panel to the other side of your side panel.  Don't forget to stop 1/2" from the bottom edge, you need that clearance for attaching your bottom panel.

Repeat these steps to attach your second side panel to both exterior panels.  

Press all seam allowances open, I feel that there will be regret if you skip this step.

To attach the bottom panel, take one long edge of the exterior bottom panel and the bottom edge of one main panel right sides together, matching raw edges, pin in place.  Sew a 1/2" seam along the pinned edge, starting and stopping 1/2" from each end of the bottom panel, backstitch at each end.

Again, I make 1/2" marks as a guide...

Next, do the above steps for a short edge, then the other long edge, finish by doing the last short edge, make sure that your seams are open from your exterior panel as illustrated in the book.

Once you are satisfied with your attachment of the bottom panel, trim the bottom corners in the seam allowance without clipping into your stitching.

Turn the exterior of the bag right side out, push out corners and press.  It's starting to look like a bag now!

I'm ending this post here because it's a long one!  Follow me for part 2 of the Cosmo Bag Sew Along!

A Review of 2010, part 2 of 2

I'm going to jump right in and finish showing you some of what I did in 2010!

 

July:

Yeah, so I made this dress with my favorite dot fabric.  The frock is long and should get over a year's wear.  

It will get a lot of play because there are 16 panels that I sewed together there...

 

July was getting hot so, instead of working in the garden, I did more sewing than normally during the summer.

I made a little tote for my best bird, I may have started that embroidery in January, I do not remember. 

And a little zipper pouch to go with the tote was very necessary.

 

She loves the bag!  Hooray!  

Oh and I embellished my tee.

 

August:

I *think* that it was August 1 when we made our birds.  She will soon get a post of her own.

 

 

September:

Hmm mmm, all four in five days.

 

Ooh, yes!  Lamb kabobs!  We made some delicious tzatziki that day as well.  Mmm.  Happy Labor Day to us.

 

 

October:

Not going to lie to you right now, I may be ready to throw down with Bobby Flay, does he can jalapeños?

 

I like when I leave the room, some little person leaves there mark.

 

You already know about this...

 

For Halloween, I made Dorothy come true for mine. 

 

November:

Suz needed an apron--who am I to decline?

and who am I to not accessorize?

 

As you may have noticed a small person lives here, she cannot reach the hanging towel in the bathroom, so, she has her own that rest on the countertop for her, and since 2010 was the year of embroidery, I had an obligation to meet.

 

December:

What else was I going to do with this fabric, I mean, besides eat it.

 

A teen bird gets a messenger bag

 

and I had so much time on my hands, I thought that I would start making these:

 

 

 

and these: 

 

 

 and this:

 

Yes, December 2010 lead the way for 2011, which will be the year of the bag.  

You just wait.

A Review of 2010, part 1 of 2

It is really nice to reflect on the year's past through pictures, I am going to show some things that I made in 2010 in 2 posts as I am doing individual .jpgs.  Yes, this post is the best kind of heavy...

 

January:

 A birthday dress for our 3 year old

 

I loved it so much, I started another after our guests left that evening.

 

February:

Oh, this little thing?  It was a class with a Holly that I know. 

 

Of course, French General is on the list

 

March: 

Bibs for aforementioned Holly's baby boy

 

April: 

A Gilded Life meets Kaari Meng

 

Yes, again with the French General.  This bracelet was sold to aid Haiti after the earthquake last year.

 

May:

I made a lot of trips to the zoo

 

June:

A tiny necklace for a friend's Stella

 

Yep, okra's in the garden

 

E & I started morning glories with an eggshell garden, look at how much they've grown!

 

Basil, we can't get enough of this herb, E would pick it right out of the garden and snack on it.

 

This month, I am working on a birthday dress for a girl who's soon to be 4, my Cosmo bag, and a quilt.