Question for bag makers please
 

I'm making bags with a zipper closure at the top. The picture below is how the handles are attached, I think that's the most common way. I'd like to make a similar, smaller bag but have just one long shoulder strap attached to the bag at the edges as opposed to the front and back. How do I do such a thing? With this method, I can't see a way to stick the handles in the sides of the bag as I'm sewing up the sides. Am I missing something obvious? Thanks.

Oh, I've checked online tutes and patterns but didn't find an answer. I saw a bag with loops sewn into the side seam near the top and the handle was attached to that loop with a metal ring. Most of the other bags I saw had the zipper installed differently. There was fabric sewn to the sides of the zipper and that fabric was attached to the bag. The zipper was kind of set into the bag instead of being on the top. Is that what I have to do for a shoulder strap?

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Are you going to have a lining? I put my straps between the bag and the lining, then the zipper.

Thanks for your reply. Yes there will be a lining. I'm confused though. With your method do you leave the opening for turning at the top of the bag or at the bottom of the lining? I like laying out the zipper like my picture, all flat and turning the bag through a hole in the bottom of the lining. Can I attach side handles when it's laid out like that?

Here's another question for you bag makers! I just finished the bag in the picture. OMG trying to sew the bag together and go over the zipper area was so hard! There are many layers of fabric and the bag exterior was quilted so even more layers. The fabric was as high as my presser foot, fully raised. I would take one stitch, move the fabric a bit myself, take another stitch etc. I don't think I got in nearly as many stitches as I probably should have. But how do you folks do this?? This must be a common issue.


Edited to add a picture of the completed bag. I've circled the spots where I had such a hard time sewing. The pattern I used also has those corners turned down, I guess that's how it's supposed to finish. So is it ok that there are less stitches in the turned down corners? Maybe they won't have any stress on them? IDK.

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]572111[/ATTACH]I use a jean needle when I am making bags, makes life a little easier. If you have a sleeve board, you can steam your seam and then put the sleeve board on the seam and let it cool. It flattens it a bit. This is one of the bags I have made.

Thanks for the hints Barb. That's an excellent bag you made! I love the colors.

Kenmoregal2,
when I need to stitch over thick seams, like for hemming jeans, I give them a good whack or two with a hammer first.

don't know if that would work when there's a zipper involved


Rob

My machine came with a little plastic doohickey that can be put under the back of the foot to level the foot when the fabric is thick. It's good for getting over humps - it keeps the fabric feeding so that it doesn't get stuck in one spot, trying to get over the hump.

Other than that, make sure you trim the seams to reduce bulk, and use a 90/14 or 100/16 needle.

I haven't done enough bags to be helpful with your first question.

Thanks Mitty and Rob. I tried a different method this morning. I made the zipper shorter so it wasn't an issue at all with the bulk. Then I sewed a long shoulder strap to the top corners of the bag exterior, similar to how 2 handles would be sewn to the bag exterior in my first picture. The handle wasn't very thick at all but once it was doubled over and then added to the bulk of the bag, it was quite a lot. I didn't think to hammer it. That may have helped. But.....the handles finished pretty badly, nothing like I'd hoped. Picture below.

In the past I've made shoulder strap bags by sewing the exterior and lining faces together at the top with a space left (at the top) to turn the bag. It's easy to insert the shoulder strap into that "package". The problem is I also need to insert the zipper at the top and because I like to make myself a pretty small bag, it's really hard to do because the space is so tight. That's why I'd love to figure out a way to have the shoulder strap on the sides but construct the bag like my first photo. (Add the zipper first then sew the bag sides.) Is this even possible? I did a lot more internet searching last night and can find no examples of what I want to do. Maybe it can't be done? I guess in a pinch I could use 2 long shoulder straps attached like my first picture. Ok, here's today's mess.

Edited to add - most tutes I find on the web for top zip bags have 2 handles attached to the exterior fabric. I did find a couple pictures of bags with one long handle. They used a hidden recessed zipper. Is that what I need to do? Maybe I should switch to bags with a flap like Barb made, assuming there is not a zipper hiding under her flap??

Thanks for helping.

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Is there a zipper at the top of your bag Barb, under the flap? I see you attached the handles in the same way as I'd like.

KG2, can I ask what pattern you are using? I've made bags, with and without zippers but most had pretty good directions to follow. It looks like the bag Patchworkbarb posted has "D" rings, which can make adding a single strap a little easier because you add the long part of the strap after the rest has been sewn. Not sure what all video's you've watched, but I do recommend The Crafty Gemini. Her video's are pretty clear and she gives a lot of details that may help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9ekg6QghSc

What about measuring your zipper 1" smaller than needed and enclosing the ends with just fabric. Then when you are sewing the 1/2" side seams, you are only sewing through the fabric from the zipper and not the whole thing? Hope this makes sense. Missouri Star has a tutorial on bag making and shows this. Jenny does a great job.

Thanks for the reply Sue. For the first bag I used this tute.

http://colorgirlquilts.com/2014/05/s...-tutorial.html

For my own personal purse I made up the pattern. I've made the same bag for myself 3-4 times and finishing the top is so difficult, I'm not looking forward to making another one.

I'll go and look at the youtube videos you recommended.

Oh, I just downloaded a pattern by Swoon called the Ramona mini hipster bag because I wanted to see how she did the handles. It uses the recessed zipper. Maybe that's what I need to do??

To just make bags to give away, I'm fine with 2 handles. But for my own personal bag, I really like one long shoulder strap, attached at the edges of the bag, not the front.

Thanks dms. That's what I did for the last bag I made and it really made a big difference in the amount of bulk I had to sew through. I'm sure if I used 2 handles attached to the body of the bag it would have been a breeze to sew.

If I could only figure out how to attach a single side shoulder strap, I'd be fine!

There isn't a zipper at the top of the bag, it closes with a magnetic snap. This bag sold almost as soon as I finished it.

Thanks Barb. It is a super attractive bag, I'm not surprised you can sell it quickly. I think if I wasn't using a zipper, adding my shoulder strap would be a lot easier. It's that zipper that's causing me an issue. (at least that's what I think, but I'm a novice!)

Ok, back to the Crafty Gemini!!

The Professional Tote is a pretty easy sew as well. Lots of pockets in this one.[ATTACH=CONFIG]572132[/ATTACH]

Very nice Barb!! Here's a picture of my personal bag. I have a little storage space between the seats in my car and I designed the bag to fit inside there. It's pretty small. I made the exterior, then the lining. I put them together RST, pinned the handles and zipper to the package and sewed it shut around the top, leaving a small space for flipping the bag. It was SO hard to sew because the zipper made the top of the bag even smaller and I had to sew around it. I'd love to sew the zipper to the bag and then seal up the bag, flipping it through the lining.

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Sue, the Crafty Gemini had an interesting solution. She simply sewed the handle to the side of the bag after it was completed. Wow, can it be that simple?

I guess I'm off to make another bag and test this out!

Oh, I just downloaded a pattern by Swoon called the Ramona mini hipster bag because I wanted to see how she did the handles. It uses the recessed zipper. Maybe that's what I need to do??

by the way, she (Crafty Gemini) has a tutorial of adding a recessed zipper :)

She has a lot of good info for me!

Sewing With Nancy Has free videos at her site that are very good on making bags kenmoregal. Just google her name and it will bring up her site.

Thanks Red. I'll do that!

I decided to watch more videos before I began sewing. I saw one which taught how to add the zipper after the bag is done. That sounds like a good idea to me. It's the method where you put fabric on the sides of the zipper and then attach that fabric to the bag.

That way I can make the bag they way I want, with the side mounted single shoulder strap and then add the zipper afterwards.

We'll see how that goes!!

Thanks for everyone's help so far.

I made this bag and added the zipper after the bag was complete. I believe that's how I started making these bags but along the way I changed my technique and tried to add the zipper as part of the general construction. That was not easy to do! So I'm back to where I started and I'm happy enough with the results. Thanks to everyone who helped me get to this point! Watching the videos was a big help as was all the advice.

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Love your bag it is so cute. I love making bags and wallets when I'm not quilting.

Joan Hawley of Lazy Girl Designs had a lot of extra instruction on bag making on her website. Perhaps you can find some answers there. Joan Hawley often appeared on Kaye Woods' TV program. Seems that her speciality was bag making.

KenmoreGal2: It looks like there should be a band to attach the straps then zipper. I make tons of bags/tote bags and I have never done this. Doing it this way is going to cause stress on the zipper and tear with much use.

an old trick I learned years ago,(I'm a retired tailor)where the fabric is really thick, take a hammer and flatten out just the area where your going to sew @ the straps. also works great on hemming that seam area on jeans. I have a small block of wood I keep in my sewing supplies, just for this.

Thanks for your reply. I want to make a sturdy bag. I'm sorry but I don't really understand what you were saying is missing. Can you please elaborate? Thank you.

Wow, there are so many more videos out there than I found on my own. I guess knowing the bag maker's name is very useful in finding good information. Thanks to everyone who suggested ideas and videos. I've watched a lot.

I made this bag yesterday. I made the zipper just a tad smaller as dms suggested and the whole bag went together very nicely.

Thanks to everyone for helping me!

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I've also used a piece of scrap fabric folded over several times to match the thickness of the fabric being sewn. Or a stack of post-it notes works also.

I tried that once and it didn't work so well. How do you transition from the regular fabric to the folded over scrap fabric? Do you fold it to make it like a ramp?

I guess I should watch some videos and try it again. You are not the first person to suggest it. Thank you.

when attaching the handles to the sides, sew the entire top leaving your 'to turn' opening on the side of the lining. This way you have a very secure top and a secure bottom of the bag. Your opening will be on the least stressed section (the side part of the lining). I am a bit confused by your picture. I never include the straps in the zipper. I think it would be to much stress on the zipper area. I put them on the side pointed down, stitch and then fold back to the top and stitch an x pattern. This is usually about an inch or two below the top of the bag opening. This allows for a lot less bulk at zipper and more ease in opening the bag.

check out youtube flat bottom tote bag the strap comes from top sides

Great idea to turn the bag on the side, not the bottom!!

I'm sorry but I don't understand the handle directions. Are your handles enclosed between the interior and exterior fabrics or are they sewn to the outside? Can you please elaborate? Thanks.

I can understand how that would reduce the bulk at the zipper. I ran into the problem already.

My picture was following instructions from a tutorial.

When I go to youtube and search for "flat bottom tote bag" I get a lot of hits teaching how to make the flat bottom. Could you please tell me which one exactly I should watch? Thank you.

One way that the handles wound not be on the very top of the bag is to flip it around (according to your picture) to where the color block is near the top. That way the handles could be inserted into that seam and it would eliminate the stress on the zipper. Make the outside with the handle attached, the inside lining and sew them together. When you flip the bag, it all will be right for you. Hand stitch the opening together and voila there it is.

This picture?

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I'm not sure what you mean with "flip it around so the color block is at the top" but do you ultimately mean insert the handles between the outer fabric and the batting? (The piece pictured is quilted) And then sew the bag together including the zipper?

Thanks.

I think I just figured out what you mean because I saw it on one of the Lazy Girl videos. I was not aware of this technique before. Thanks!!