Bare with me everyone I'm having computer problems.
finished tote is about 12 wide and 10 tall 5 deep
SUPPLIES
two cuts for the body 9x17
one fabric for bottom 12x17
fusible batting pellon 971
fusible interfacing pellon 950
1 lining fabric 17x27 1/2
4 handle fabrics 3x 25 (longer or shorter its your preference)
10 1/2x4 1/2 inside bottom of bag either foam board or plexi glass, again its up to you
pocket for plexi glass needs 10x13 cut of fabric.
4 strips of batting 1 1/2x 25 or the length of your handles.
Here we go!
If your using a fabric with a picture such as my santa make sure you get them going the right direction. Sew these 3 together using 1/4 seam
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Press those seams to the dark of course, should look something like this, go ahead and fuse this to your pellon 971. I just lay this on top of the pellon and cut
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fuse your lining fabric to the pellon 950
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After you get your bag body fused to the pellon you can quilt as you like. I dont quilt mine I just add a few fancy stitches for eyecandy and to keep the project quick. The pellon will hold the fabric even after washed if fused correctly. So read those instructions and test by trying to pull the fabric away from the pellon. If it comes off easily it wont stand up to washing and you need to repress with more steam alot slooooooower.
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now fold the body of the bag in half, lining up those seams, i pin them together.
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sew along both sides, I use about 3/8 to 5/8 seam here, makes for easier pressing. Before pressing the seam open snip the ends right up to the stitched seam this to will make for easier pressing and cutting.
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You need to do the same for the bag lining. Now lets make that bag bottom by matching up the seams and drawing a line 2 1/2 inches up from the bottom. This is your stitching line. Do this on both corners of the bag body and lining. Go a head and stitch right on top of those lines you have drawn making sure to back stitch where you start and stop. This adds strength to the bottom of the bag. We tend to put bricks in our bags.
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Cut off the excess on all corners about 1/4 inch away from stitched line. Once you've cut them turn the body of the bag right side out. Push the corners out. Leave your line wrong side out and slip the bag body inside the lining. Set it aside and get your handle pieces ready, iron heated up.
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Take your 3x25 inch fabric and lay them wrong side up on ironing board, lay your fusible pellon971 in the middle rough side up and press like so....careful this can get quite tricky. Be careful not to get the iron on the pellon it will stick to your iron. You could use a pressing cloth or teflon sheet, I just prefer not to. Repeat for all four strips
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