Today I get to share a fun project I’ve been working on! Rita from Fabric Please let me choose my own Fat Quarter Bundle to play with and I challenged myself to do something different (for me) with them. First, I’ll tell you about the fabrics I chose, then I’ll show what I did with them. Fabric Please is a Canadian online fabric shop that also carries a great selection of Aurifil thread and assorted notions and batting as well.

I started with the Sashiko Birds from the Moody Blues Collection from Cloud 9, and paired it with the Maize from the Wander collection by Joel Dewberry for Free Spirit. From there, I grabbed a couple more prints from Wander, and was delighted to find that the Rise & Shine Lattice from Camelot was a perfect match. I needed one more minty turquoise to tie it all in and Rita suggested Deity  from the Eden collection by Tula Pink for Free Spirit. I loved the combo, and hope it inspires you to mix and match too!

Around the same time I was selecting my bundle, I saw the release of the North Pond Notebook Cover and figured it would be perfect to display many different fabrics. The small cover fits my Audubon Bird Journal perfectly (you had to know I’m a Bird-Nerd by now).

The PDF pattern from Radiant Home Studio comes in 2 sizes and really is a great way to showcase a few coordinates, or mix and match, as I’ve done. The cover has interior pockets and you can adjust as needed. The cover keeps closed with a snap and I love the use of hardware here.

For my birthday, I bought myself Patchwork Essentials: The Half-Square Triangle, by Jeni Baker because I’m so intrigued by quilting and I’ve only done a very small bit of it, so I figured I should start with some basics. This book is so good and inspiring! It discusses color theory and has a few different ways to make HSTs. There are also loads of block and quilt patterns. I decided to give it a go, but I went with something simple to start with. I used the Deity print as my background and mixed in the other prints in a random way. I shared a sneak peek on Instagram and was warned that quilting is addicitve – I think they’re right! Instead of batting, I used Insulbright so I can use my mini quilt as a hot pad.

I also made a matching cup cozy and a key fob, because those are always fun ways to use up smaller pieces of fabric.

I really enjoyed these projects. As much as I love making bags, a change of pace is good every so often too! I have a couple more projects ready to go with these fabrics, so keep your eyes peeled for the rest , and head on over to Fabric Please! to get yourself some. 

A while back I asked which Noodlehead pattern you would be interested in for a sew along and the almost unanimous answer was: The Caravan Tote. I’ve made several of these and I was even a tester for the pattern, so I’m happy to help out with any tips I picked up along the way. Of course, so many of you don’t need help, but you like to join in for the fun of sewing along with others. The DISCOUNT and PRIZES are another great reason to join in.

The Caravan Tote is a medium-large tote that works great for a market bag, daytrip tote, or a project bag. There’s even a bonus matching zippered pouch included with the pattern. The pattern offers a large exterior zippered pocket, front pocket with flap closure, and detailed inner pockets with options for knitting needles and yarn guides. One thing I really love about this bag is how easy it is to customize. You can leave off the front flap pocket and add a featured patchwork. You can also omit some pockets to make it a quicker sew.

First, you’ll need the pattern, you can get it from the Noodlehead shop, use code HOSAL at checkout to save 20%. There will also be a prize of  2 PDF Noodlehead patterns for a randomly drawn winner. You can use the coupon code until August 31st, 2016. Normally my sew alongs are consecutive days, but Ive decided to take a more leisurely pace with this one. I’ll start May 15 with fabric and interfacing suggestions, along with various options in the pattern or ways to make your bag unique. Then the following week, we’ll begin cutting and materials and start sewing. The sew along will finish in June and you’ll have until July 3 to submit a picture to enter for the prize. 

So grab your pattern, and we’ll see you back here soon!

I’m working on a round up of sewing for summer. Do you have a favourite I simply must share? Let me know in comments, or send me a message.

Have you been following along with the Hey Mercedes Sew Along? I’m really impressed with every single participant and I’m glad I wasn’t in charge of picking a winner because the bags were all fantastic. Thankfully, Samantha of Sewing Patterns by Mrs H agreed to pick one for me, and I don’t envy that task! There were also 3 random winners from the remaining completed bags.

The winner selected by Samantha was this gorgeous bag sewn by Maggie.

Samantha said “I love that it looks designer, it’s so wearable, and the contrast gusset looks great!”

Maggie has won a $25 credit at Sitka Fabrics and a beautiful Aurifil thread set.

I truly enjoyed seeing all the bags as they came in, either by Instagram or through my contact page. If you want to see the rest, check out #HeyMercedesSAL, or have a look at these:

Thank you so much for joining us. Have you been working on more bags from Sara’s book Windy City Bags? Which one is your favourite?

Welcome to the final day of our Great Canadian Craftsy Bag Tour! I hope you’ve been following along and enjoyed all the reviews. If you still need to catch up, you can see my review with a tour schedule here.

Marsha from Flying by the Seam of My Pants has written up a fun little wrap up and intro to all the prizes to be won just for following along.
Here’s Marsha:

Hello again!
We’ve just barely made it home after our Craftsy escapade all across Canada. We’re unpacking our luggage and finding some great souvenirs from the trip, but it’s just too much to keep for ourselves. And because you’ve been such perfect road trip companions, we’d like to share them with you. Up for grabs are 4 coveted prize packs from our travels,
as well as the special gift that Craftsy sent to us while we were gone galavanting. Be quick about it! Giveaway closes soon.
First up is the Craftsy gift:
* Please note: If you entered this giveaway before Friday, April 8, your entry may not have been recorded correctly by Craftsy. Please enter again.

This colourful tote bag kit includes the Rowan Three-Quarter Patch Tote pattern, some stunning Kaffe Fassett fabric, plus all the Pellon Fusible Fleece stabilizer you will need for the project. The only things you would have to add to this are a coordinating button, some thread and your time. Voila! You have a gorgeous tote that will be the envy of tote-al
strangers. It’s almost like instant Jello pudding, only better! Follow this link to enter before midnight April 11, 2016:

The Souvenir Prizes

Prize A (Canadian, US and International entries accepted)
1 Craftsy Class: “Mix & Match: Clutch Bag Techniques” by Janelle MacKay of Emmaline Bags

Prize B (Open to Canadian residents only)
$32CAD store voucher for Tangled Blossoms Design (Redeemable in fabric and S&H)

Prize C (Open to Canadian residents only)
The Totes Ma Tote PDF Pattern
The Totes Ma Tote Hardware Kit
The Manhattan Bag PDF Pattern
The Manhattan Mama Hardware Kit

Prize D (Canadian, US and International entries accepted)
1 PDF Purse Pattern (winner’s choice) from Blue Calla Sewing Patterns

Giveaway Rules:
Prizes are awarded “as is”. No substitutions. Deadline for entries is 10 AM PST on Monday, April 11. Winner’s will be notified by email within 3 hours of the contest closing, and will then have 24 hours in which to respond to the organizers.
It is each participant’s responsibility to ensure they sign in to Rafflecopter with a valid email address, and also check their email accounts for notification. Entries requiring a blog post comment, social media follow, or trivia answer will be verified using the name provided by the participant. The giveaway is open to anyone worldwide. International or US residents who win a prize designated as for Canadian Residents Only may be required to pay for the additional shipping, or forfeit the prize. If said winner chooses to forfeit the prize, another winner will be chosen from the remaining eligible entries.

Many, many thanks to all the wonderful people who’ve followed us on The Great Canadian Craftsy Bag Tour. We hope you learned a little about our very large, diverse and beautiful country while you got a peek into some of our favourite Craftsy classes. And very special thanks to the amazing, supportive people who helped make the giveaway and our graphics just that much better: Celine from Blue Calla Patterns and Elle from Brand UR Shop Graphic Design. Take a bow, ladies! Happy travels until the next time we take you tripping and traipsing!

Marsha, Janelle, Deb, Fiona, Michelle, Reece, Shelaine & Ula

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I received this Craftsy class in exchange for an honest review. Some links in this post are my affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Welcome to today’s stop on The Great Canadian Craftsy Bag Tour! A bunch of us Canadian bloggers teamed up with Craftsy to try out some bag-related classes and bring our reviews to you. If you want to start at the beginning of the tour, check out the first stop, over at Emmaline Bags. Make sure to read all the way to the bottom for a special surprise.

If you’re new here, and even if you’re not, feel free to have a look around. I have a tab just for Canadian resources: one of the main reasons I started this blog was because so many fellow Canadians had a hard time sourcing supplies. I also have a Sales tab, where I try to stay current with fabric sales, pattern sales and other sewing related deals. If you’re looking for something specific, have a browse through my categories, or use the search feature on my site.

Back to the reason you’re here today: I’m reviewing the Craftsy Class Sew Sturdy Travel Organizers, with Annie Unrein. This class includes instructions for 2 projects. It covers the Everything In Its Place Bag, and the Hanging Cosmetics Bag.

I made the Hanging Cosmetics Bag and, while I wasn’t thrilled with the class (more on that soon), I am pretty thrilled with my finished project.

I was happy to have an excuse to try out some free motion quilting I learned from Christina Cameli’s Free Motion Quilting Class. I tried my first flower and practiced meandering, spirals and loops – so much fun! If you enjoy quilting but don’t want to tackle a huge project, like a quilt, then either of these projects will be good for you since they both start with quilted fabrics.

The Hanging Cosmetics Organizer has one mesh pocket, 2 vinyl pockets and one large structured pocket, each pocket zippered. The organizer folds up and closes neatly and can be carried by its handle or with the removable, adjustable strap. Of course you can stuff it full of all sorts of items, not just cosmetics; it could work for crafting supplies or many other goodies you come up with.

The Everything In Its Place Bag looks pretty handy too! I think the removable pages are a great idea. There are tons of pockets and loads of options to choose from so you can really create a custom bag to suit your needs. I think of it more as a book with pocket pages. Annie shows hers with sewing supplies, but back when I did a lot of scrapbooking, I would have loved this bag for crafting sessions on the go.

I really appreciated the tip for selecting fabric for this project. It was suggested to use a busy, non-directional print, as much of the pocket stitching is visible on the exterior portion of the bag.

The class is basically divided in two sections: the first being the Everything In Its Place Bag and the second being the Hanging Cosmetics Bag. There are over 3 hours of video instruction, plus a PDF of measurements to cut and written instructions. To clarify: this class does not include any actual pattern pieces, rather the measurements you need to cut in order to create each project. I state this here because after reading through some of the discussion in the class, some people were disappointed there weren’t any pattern pieces included. We also need to round the corners with household objects as a template. Personally, I prefer to use my quilting rulers and rotary cutter, so I was fine without the pattern pieces. Here’s the lesson plan:

The beginning of each section is spent explaining the projects. This part was really important for the Organizer Bag because you need to decide which features you want for your bag before you start cutting your materials. The Cosmetics Bag construction is sort of an add-on to the Organizer Bag, in a sense that you’re expected to have watched the first part of the class (and remember everything) to do the second project. Because of this, I found I had to jump around quite a bit. I did watch the whole class, but as I was sewing the Cosmetics Bag, I didn’t remember the details of each step from the Organizer bag, so every time the instructor said “just like we did on the Organizer bag,” I’d have to pause, go find the related step from earlier in the class, watch that, and then come back. I realize this isn’t necessarily the instructor’s issue, and in some cases, I believe the video was edited down to keep it at a reasonable length. Perhaps adding onscreen text to the video referencing where exactly we need to go back and watch would be helpful if Craftsy considers updating this class in the future. 

I also had to refer to the PDF quite a bit because the video instruction wasn’t specific enough. For example, the instructor would say “now take your facing and fold it in half” except, we had several facings, all different sizes, so I’d have to refer to the written instructions to figure out which one she meant. Again, onscreen text here would have been helpful. I think if I make this project again, I’ll have to suck it up and print the PDF to help me follow along a bit more easily.

The class is listed as beginner, but I feel like a beginner would likely be overwhelmed by the disjointed nature of this class.I think it would be better suited for an advanced beginner to intermediate. I did like Annie’s method for creating binding, and will use that way for other binding projects. 

For my next one, I’d skip making the handle a long tube, turning it, and then trying to feed strapping into it; instead I would follow the method used for making the padded handle. I broke 2 safety pins trying to get that strapping in! I did appreciate that several methods were shown to create similar results.

There were also a few discrepancies between the verbal instructions from the instructor during the video and the written instructions; after spending a considerable amount of time, I discovered we need to follow the written instructions when any discrepancies occur.

I noticed participants outside of the US complained that they had a hard time sourcing the right supplies for this project. You can check out my Canadian Sewing Links if you’re in Canada and looking for resources.

If you’ve read my other Craftsy reviews (here and here) you already know I think Craftsy is great. What is Craftsy? Well, it’s an online learning platform. The main method of instruction is video, supported by accompanying written material, in a variety of categories including sewing, cooking, drawing, knitting, cake decorating, and photography. The video quality is exceptional and they even offer closed captioning! What makes these videos different from other instructional videos I’ve seen is the involvement from the instructor and other participants. You can ask questions or join a discussion at any time while you’re watching. The instructors are so great at helping. One thing I really like about Craftsy is that once you purchase (or win) a class, it’s yours forever, and you can access it from your computer, your phone or your tablet. I prefer to use the Craftsy app, because it’s just so handy. The other really great thing about Craftsy is their money back guarantee.

Annie Unrein is the creator of a fabulous foam interfacing called Soft and Stable, and also several bag patterns.  She is clearly  very knowledgeable and experienced at sewing, and seems passionate about sharing her experience with others. I really do wish she had toned down the sales pitch throughout the class though. I felt a bit like a captive audience hearing about the products available on her site and the ones she’s designed. I think it should have been limited to the intro of the class, but it was throughout the whole class and honestly put me off so much so that I had a hard time writing this review. As I mentioned though, I think it’s clear that Annie is really good at what she does and passing that knowledge onto others.

I really enjoyed all the different methods she showed for turning tubes. I learned a new trick! I also decided to give my seam ripper a new life based on how Annie uses her Stiletto – so far so good, it’s like an extra finger for holding really small pieces in place and feeding it under your presser foot.

I really am pleased with my finished project and I’m happy I now have instructions on what looks to be a really useful supply organizer. I did note that the instructor sells the patterns individually on her site, here and here, so if you really will never make both and think you could do without the extra help from the instructor and picking up some tips along the way, then it might make more sense for you to just purchase the one you’ll make.  The full price of the class is $40 USD, which I think is a bit steep since the patterns come to $20 USD, so is the class worth an extra $20? I think if video instruction is really helpful to you and you don’t mind the sales pitch, then it probably could be. I personally wouldn’t be happy paying $40 USD for this class. Luckily, Craftsy has shared with me a discount link to offer my readers, which brings the class down to about the cost of the patterns alone.

If you’re interested in trying the class out for yourself, you can save 50% with this special discount link, good through April 13, 2016.

Not only has Craftsy provided all us bloggers on tour with a class, and all our readers discounts, they’ve also been so kind as to sponsor a prize! Up for grabs is a Rowan Three-Quarter Patch Tote kit, featuring Kaffe Fassett Fabric, plus fusible fleece to make the bag with! Just click here to enter!

I hope you’ll follow along with all of us, check the schedule to catch up if you need to and come back on Sunday for something special.

Supplies used in my Hanging Cosmetics Organizer

• Amy Butler Violette :Leaf Lines in Jade (exterior); Town Center in Crush (binding and facings); Camellia in Crush (interior) from Dressew in Coquitlam
• Soft and Stable foam fromConnecting Threads
• Aurifil Thread from Dressew in Coquitlam

Do you have a favourite type of project when you want to just play with small amounts of fabric? I like zipper pouches for that reason. They make great gifts and they’re perfect for a couple different fat quarters or even scraps. They’re also a great project if you’re new to sewing, or new to zippers. Daryl from Fabric Spark sent me this gorgeous bundle to play around with, and she gave me an extra set so I could share with one of my readers – she even included 3 zippers! Details on how to win after the tutorial. Fabric Spark offers such beautifully curated fabrics. There are plenty of pre-selected fat quarter bundles to choose from, but if you’d like a custom bundle, just ask and it can be set up for you!

I made these 3 different zipper pouches and I’m sharing a tutorial on how to make each one. I’ll give a detailed tutorial for the reverse applique pouch (shown with Tula Pink Eden), and then show the variations to make the gathered and rounded.

This technique is a fun way to change up a simple zipper pouch.

You’ll need:

• 8″ W x 6.5″ H accent fabric (exterior back)
• scrap piece accent fabric
• 8″ W x 6.5″ H solid fabric  – cut 3 (2 lining and one exterior front)
• 8″ W x 6.5″ H fusible fleece or batting (optional) – cut 2
• 8″ W x 6.5″ H  + scrap piece woven interfacing  – I like Pellon Shapeflex 101 (optional) -cut 1
• 1/4″ wide sewable double sided tape or fusible webbing, such as Wondertape (optional)
• 7″ zipper
• hexagon template or ruler (about 3″)

Once you have the pieces cut, fuse the interfacing to one piece of the solid fabric. On the wrong side (the interfaced side) trace a hexagon where you’d like it, keeping at least 1/2″ away from the edges. Draw a second line about 1/2″ inside the hexagon; this inner line will be the one we’ll cut, so mark it as a dotted line or use a different colour so you don’t accidentally cut the wrong line. Now cut the inner hexagon, then make notches at each corner, meeting the outer line, but don’t cut through the main hexagon shape.

After the shape is cut out, press the cut edges back, so wrong sides are together. Here is where using Wondertape can come in handy. Turn over your main piece and make sure the cut opening looks nice and even, adjust as necessary. Now cut a piece of your accent fabric larger than the opening, so a 3.5″ hexagaon would work here. Place the main piece over your cut piece so the (hexagon) hole is filled in with the accent fabric. You can use a bit of Wondertape here again to help hold the accent fabric in place.

Once you’re happy with the placement, fuse a scrap of interfacing over the back to help secure and stabilize before you stitch in place. This step is optional but I prefer it. Now topstitch from the right side. I chose a contrasting thread and increased my stitch length.

You can go ahead with construction of the zipper pouch now, but I thought it would be fun to add another hexagon. I cut out a small hexagon, folded in the raw edges and stitched in place on top of my main fabric. If you chose to add fusible fleece, fuse it to both exterior pieces now.

Place one lining piece right side up on work surface, then place zipper right side up centered on top of lining piece. Place your exterior front panel (the one with the applique) right side down onto zipper. So now your zipper should be sandwiched at the top of one exterior and one lining piece, with fabrics right sides together.

Using your zipper foot, sew along the top edge with 1/4″ seam allowance. Now place those fabrics wrong sides together so the zipper is at the top, press and topstitch.

Now repeat these steps to attach the exterior back and remaining lining panel to the other half of the zipper. Just make sure to keep right side of zipper (top of teeth) to the right side of the exterior.

It should look something like this before you topstitch the other side along the zipper.

Open your zipper about halfway. For this step, we need to match exterior to exterior, and lining to lining, right sides together, with the zipper in the middle. Pin or clip all the way around. Your zipper teeth will need to point toward the lining. Leave a 4-5″ gap at the bottom of the lining; this will be the turning gap for later. Starting at one side of the turning gap in the lining, sew all around the perimeter, back to the other end of the turning gap, making sure to backstitch at start and stop. Use a 1/2″ seam allowance here. If you are using a 7″ zipper, you should just miss the metal stops with this seam allowance but be careful as you sew over the zipper to avoid the metal stops. If you’re using a longer zipper, just trim the zipper tape once you’ve sewn around.

Trim your corners, being sure not to cut your stitching. Use the turning gap to bring the pouch right side out. You’ll be glad you had your zipper open at this stage. Tuck the edges of the turning gap into the lining, press and pin or clip in place and stitch with a very small seam allowance and a matching thread. You may choose to hand sew with blind stitch instead.

Tuck the lining back into the pouch and give it a final press, then fill it with goodies or give it to a friend!

Gathering is a quick, easy way to create an elegant look. Pair a busy print with a solid colour to make a fancy zippered pouch. For this pouch, you’ll need

• 12″ W x 4.5″ H  (or wider for more gathers) of bottom exterior fabric – cut 2
• 8″ W x 2.5″ H top band fabric – cut 2
• 8″ W x 6.5″ H lining fabric – cut 2
• 8″ W x 6.5″ H fusible interfacing – cut 2 (optional)
• 7″ zipper

Cut out all pieces and fuse interfacing to lining pieces. Run a basting stitch (very long stitch length) 1/8″ along top and bottom of each bottom exterior fabric, keeping threads long. Gently pull bobbin thread on the top of one side of the bottom exterior piece while keeping the other side in place. This will “gather” the fabric. Move the gathers as you like and match up the width to the top band fabric (8″). Repeat for the bottom, and then on the other exterior bottom piece.

Now place the top  band right sides together with the top of the gathered piece and sew together with a 1/2″ seam allowance; press seam up toward top band and topstitch along top band. Repeat for remaining gathered piece and top band. Put together zipper pouch following directions under “Construction of Zipper Pouch” above.

This rounded pouch comes together quickly and is so cute and fun! The size of fabric you need will depend on what you use to create your circle – two 10″ x 10″ squares should be big enough for the bottom. I used a plate to make a circle, then drew a line at the top of the circle that was 8″ across. Cut along that line and use the bottom of the circle as your “pattern piece” and cut 2 fabric of that shape. Also cut 2 top bands (I like coordinating solids for these) 8″ W x 2.5″ H.

Just as directed in the gathered pouch instructions, attach the top band to the bottom round piece with a 1/2″ seam allowance, press seam up toward the top and then topstitch. Use these pieces to trace your lining and optional interfacing pieces.

Continue making pouch as per instructions in “Construction of Zipper Pouch.” Sewing up the turning gap is a bit tricky on this one because you’ll be tucking in the lining on a curve.

Good luck everyone! If you enjoyed the tutorial, I’d love to hear about it and see pictures of your finished projects. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

The Hey Mercedes Sew Along posts are all finished and the completed bags are almost due to be entered to win some great prizes. If you need a recap, check out Day 1 for all the details.

I thought it would be fun to share some of the bags that have been completed so far. If you’re still working on yours, or haven’t started yet, you still have a bit of time. Maybe these versions will inspire you to finish yours up. You can also refer to the sewalong after the contest is over.

I love the bright colours Lisa chose for her bag. That bright solid green for the handles is so fun!

Kelly used rings for hers and she matched the pocket to the main panel perfectly. Fussy cut for the win! She also made her Hey Mercedes at 75% of the original size; it looks like a great scale for that print.

Sheri from Munkee Made chose some gorgeous Art Gallery fabric and paired it with coordinating glitter vinyl. That side panel looks absolutely amazing!

I’m loving seeing all the creations! Make sure to use #HeyMercedesSAL on instagram or upload your completed pictures through my contact page by March 31, 2016 to be entered in the contest to win prizes from Sitka Fabrics and Aurifil Thread.

This post contains affiliate links

Find loads of pattern discounts over at Pattern Revolution for Mother’s Day.

To celebrate Mothers everywhere…
Fabric Please! is having a Mother’s Day Sale!You have 4 days to shop and save!
Starting Friday, May 6th until Monday, May 9th
Save 15% Storewide Use coupon code
MOM

I’m so excited to share the release of these patterns with you today! These are both being released by Blue Calla Sewing Patterns, but the special part is that the Moonflower Tote is a collaboration between Crystal of Cloth Albatross and Celine of Blue Calla. The Morning Glory pouch is being offered as a free companion to the Moonflower! Crystal has designed the Moonflower Tote, with its unique reverse applique features, and Celine wrote and published the pattern. I’ve worked with both of these ladies and am truly inspired by this genius partnership.

I haven’t had a chance to sew up the Moonflower Tote yet, but I’ve been teased with these sneak peeks from the testers and I am so excited about this bag.  I did get some time to test the free companion pattern, the Morning Glory Pouch, and it’s so much fun, and great for a beginner. There is no zipper, so that speeds things up a bit, for me anyway.

For my Morning Glory Pouch, I used a FQ bundle of Type, by Julia Rothman for Windham Fabrics, Fabricspark.com.

The Morning Glory has a reverse applique of an accent fabric, just like the Moonflower. The pouch has a magnetic snap on the flap, plus a slip pocket inside. There are pretty pleats along the rounded bottom of the pouch, making it more than just a simple pouch. You’re certainly in for a treat with this freebie!

Together, they make a great set. There will even be a tutorial up on the Blue Calla blog for adding a zipper and card slots to your Morning Glory, so you can use it in place of a wallet inside the Mooflower Tote.

The Moonflower Tote offers many different features and opportunities for different sewing techniques. Reverse applique is the main theme of technique here, but you’ll also be installing eyelets and making accented handles. The tote is about 16″ wide at the base, tapering to 12″ at the top, 13″ high, and 3.5″ deep, so it’s a nice roomy carryall.

As usual with Blue Calla patterns, you can take advantage of an introductory price on the pattern.  Today through Friday, save 25% on the Moonflower Tote.

Woohoo! It’s time to finish our bags. Here’s a recap if you’re just joining us now, and looking for the other posts to catch up:

• Day 1: Preparing the pattern, cutting the fabric and interfacing, and fusing the interfacing
• Day 2: Sewing handles and handle connectors, and creating pockets
• Day 3 (that’s today): Final assembly of bag

Before we can do the final assembly, we need to attach the handle extenders and rings. First, fold the curved end of each handle extender down by 3 1/4″ and press in place. You’ll want to have 2 matching sets of mirror image curved handle extenders. Using the pattern piece as a guide, place the handle extenders onto the exterior bag front and back, then pin in place and stitch along previous top stitching lines up to the crease line (the folded curved edge should be unsewn at this point). I drew a line along the crease to see it better for sewing. On the front of the bag, the handle extenders should be covering the side (raw) edges of the front pocket.

Now slide on the rectangle rings into the crease and fold back down. I used fusible webbing here to secure the folded ends back into position before I have a chance to stitch them onto the bag panels. Topstitch again along previous stitching and just under rings, about 1/4″; you may find a zipper foot easier here so you can get close to the hardware – I just moved my needle all the way to the left and used my regular foot and found it worked fine. Repeat for all extenders, so you have 2 on the front and 2 on the back.

Fold exterior bag bottom piece in half, matching short edges and follow measurements in book to cut your piece to size. I used my quilting ruler and rotary cutter. Once the exterior is done, use it as a template for the lining piece. I just laid the folded exterior piece over the folded lining and cut in place.

Fold each exterior main panel in half and finger press or use a marker to note the centres of the top and bottom of the panel. Mark a line in the seam allowance on the wrong side of the bag bottom 1/2″ from each end. Match the centre of the exterior front panel with the centre of the bag bottom piece, and pin or clip in place. Then, working your way out from the centre, pin the rest of the bag bottom to the front panel. It should go up the sides about 6″ from the top of the panel. Sew in place with a 1/2″ seam allowance, starting and ending at the 1/2″ line you marked previously, making sure to backstitch at start and stop. Repeat to attach other long edge of bag bottom to exterior back panel.

Now match up unsewn portions of front and back of bag and sew in place from top of the bag up to and just over the side seams, making sure to backstitch. Repeat all these steps for lining, except leave a 6-8″ turning hole in the bottom of one lining/bag bottom seam. With the turning hole, it’s important to backstitch at start and stop. Trim your seam allowances, but leave seam allowance over turning hole intact.

Now we need to install the magnetic snap in the lining. Alternatively, you can do this step before sewing the lining shell together. Use the washer from the snap to mark your slot placement 1 1/2″ from the top of the bag, and centred. I like to use my seam ripper to make the holes for the prong slots. I use foam or fleece scraps on the back to reinforce the snap. You can look at page 88 of the book for more detailed instructions of the snap installation.

Once you have both exterior and lining shells done, turn exterior bag right side and put it inside the lining, so right sides of lining and exterior are together. Match up all the side seams and bag centres (previously marked). Pin or clip in place and sew lining and exterior along the top of the top of the bag.

Once you have sewn them together, turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining. (We’re soooo close!) I used a turning tool at this point to make sure the tops of my bag were nice and sharp where they’re supposed to be. Press along the top. I also use Wonder Clips to make sure the top stays nice and crisp before I topsitich. Then topstitch about 1/8″ away from the top edge. Lengthening your stitch length here will allow for a nice, even look.

Tuck in the seam allowance of the turning hole, and stitch up, either by machine with a very small seam allowance, or by hand, with a blind stitch. Finally, attach the handles to the rings: Press the ends of each handle 1/2″, then another 1″ both to the back of the handle. Slide through the rings into the second crease, hiding the raw ends of the handle. Attach the other end of the handle to the ring on the same side of the bag, making sure the handle isn’t twisted. Clip into place and repeat for other side of bag. Now’s your chance to adjust the length of the handles if you want. Once you’re sure you’re happy with the handle length, sew in place, securing with a stitched rectangle. If you like, add rivets too.

Now give the whole bag a nice press and show it off!

To be eligible to win a prize, use #HeyMercedesSAL on Instagram to post a picture of your completed bag. You can also use this hashtag to share your progress – it’s so fun to see what everyone is up to. Just make sure your account isn’t private, otherwise I won’t be able to see your pictures. If you prefer, you can send me a picture of your completed bag; just upload it through my contact page. You have until March 31, 2016 to complete your Hey Mercedes bag for the contest. Contest open internationally.