Barrel Bag Sew Along Instructions: Week 5

The final step is here! Well done if you've been keeping up with the sew along, and thank you so much for taking part. I have really enjoyed seeing your bags come together. 

Don't worry if you are worried about losing your place in the instructions: I am planning to archive them all in one spot so that they are easy to find for future reference.  

barrel bag

Finishing Touches:

Seam Finishing: 

The next thing you need to do after last week is finish the inside of your round seams: I have bound mine using the 4cm bias binding. It is a professional and also pretty finish to have on the inside of your bag. If you want to request a tutorial in how to bind seams please go ahead and use the contact form. 

Or, you can overlock the raw edges together- it is quicker and also very strong. 

Making the Strap:

Cut 2 x 10cm lengths of webbing, and also 2 x 7cm lengths. Then, have a look at your remaining webbing and decide how long you would like your shoulder strap to be. 

Don't forget that the buckles themselves will contribute to the length, and you should also allow about 3cm for the loop of webbing used to attach them (see picture below)- the overall length of buckle plus webbing loop is about 7.5cm each end of the strap. 

bag strap detail

You also need to add 1cm seam allowance each end of your strap. 

Once you are satisfied that you have identified the correct length of webbing, cut the strap to length. 

Take a 10cm piece of webbing, fold in half long ways and topstitch. Thread this loop through your buckle, then sew the loop closed. 

Place this loop onto a shorter 7cm piece of webbing and sew them together near the top. Make sure the buckle has its opening side facing down as pictured. The webbing loop should overhang by about 1cm: this is to stagger the bulk of the seam and also to ensure the rivets will go through it.

Then, place the strap onto the buckle to sandwich it into place, and sew, taking a 1cm seam allowance from the strap and the 7cm webbing. 

Now, press this seam so that it lays flat, and press the raw edge of the 7cm webbing, turning 1cm over. 

Topstitch around the sides and top of this shorter piece, attaching it to the main strap. 

Repeat this process for the other end of the strap. 

Now, making small pilot holes with an awl or a sharp pair of scissors, hammer the rivets into place, arranging them as you like, but preferably add strength by holding all of these layers of webbing together. 

The last step:

One (optional) finishing touch is to sew your handles together longways for strength and ease of use: find the midpoint at the top of you handles, then measure and mark 10cm either side of this. 

Fold your webbing in half along this 20cm, and sewing close to the edges topstitch both sides together. 

love that 'Quink' linen

And you're done! 

Well done and thank you again for joining in the sew along. Don't forget to keep tagging me in your finished results on twitter and instagram!

With thanks once again to Merchant & Mills for kindly supplying the materials for this project. 

barrel bag from Merchant & Mills materials

Barrel Bag Sew Along Instructions: Week 3

Sew Along: Week 3

Barrel Bag 

This week your bag will really begin to take shape! We will be inserting the zip. 

I would first just like to point out that, shockingly, I forgot to do what I am about to instruct you to do! Apologies in advance for this, I just got too excited! 

Next Step:

It is necessary to finish the raw edges where the zip will be inserted. These are the edges of your main fabric which measure 52cm. 

By 'finish' I simply mean that we cannot leave the fabric with the raw edges it has at the moment because it will fray. You can either

- overlock these edges,

- run a zig zag stitch along them,

-or, bind them with bias binding.

You have a 1.5cm seam allowance here, so make sure whatever finish you use stays within this distance of the edge of the fabric. 

The Zip:

Don't be afraid of the zip! We are going to topstitch it in place. Your zip should be about 45cm/18".

Place your now-finished edges together and line them up as if you are going to sew down them, joining them, with the RS's of your bag together. Be sure to keep the handles out of the way. 

Taking a 1.5cm seam allowance, sew about 5cm down the edges, then stop, backpacking securely. Turn the bag around and do the same at the other end. 

tack in a contrasting colour

Use chalk or a fabric marker to draw a line 1.5cm from the edges running along the rest off this edge we are working on. 

Then, preferable in a contrasting colour, make a neat line or tacking stitches along the line you have drawn. Make these stitches as straight as possible. 

seam pressed open

Press this seam open, along the whole length of the machine stitches and tacking stitches. A long thin sleeve board is useful here if you have one. 

Next, pin and tack your zip into place, so that the teeth are carefully positioned where the bag will open (under your contrasting tacking stitches).

For sewing in the zip, you can use your one-sided foot. However, when I have bulky fabric I often like to use my walking foot for sewing in zips. This helps to prevent the puckering that sometimes happens.

walking foot

Making sure your needle will not hit the zipper teeth (this will most likely break it), and starting with the zip closed, sew in a neat box down one side of the zip, across the end if you can, and up the other side and the opposite end. You will need to move the zip handle a little as you get to the end of your box- leave the needle down through the fabric so as not to interrupt your line of stitching. 

Remove the rest of your contrasting tacking (you will most likely have had to remove a little already in order to sew the box all around your zip). This is where the contrasting colour is really useful: you know easily that these stitches can be removed. 

Also remove the tacking that held your zip in place as this is no longer needed. 

Open your zip- both to check that it all works, and in preparation for the next step!

Well done! 

barrel bag with zip

Thank you if you have tagged me on social media (here or here) to let me know how you're getting on. I love seeing all of your fabric choices. And don't forget, if you need any clarification just use the contact form to the right and I will try to explain anything that might seem confusing. 

Barrel Bag Sew- Along Instructions: Week 1

Are you sitting comfortably? 

Then let's begin our sew-along!

How To Make a Barrel Bag 

Step 1 was to prepare your fabrics, which is why today we are starting with:

Step 2:

Cut Out Your Pattern:

Do you remember that I mentioned a 26cm diameter plate? Well, I'm sure you will have guessed that this is for making the ends of your bag! 

Draw around your plate (or use a compass to draw a circle this size), and cut a paper pattern (no need to add any extra seam allowance, this is already included).

26cm Circle

Fold the circle in half both horizontally and vertically, and mark quarters around the edge (e.g. 12 o'clock, 3, 6, and 9). You can use a notcher here if you have one. 

Paper Pattern with Notches

Other Pattern Pieces: 

Cut a paper square with sides measuring 19cm for the pocket pattern, and cut a paper pattern for the main body of the bag measuring 76.5cm x 52cm.

It pays to be as accurate as you can be at this stage, so it is a good idea to check that your corners are right-angles and your sides the correct length. Again there is no need to add any extra seam allowance as it is already included. 

Cut Your Fabric:

Pin the pattern pieces carefully onto your fabric and cut as follows:

• cut two circles from main fabric,
• cut one piece for the body of the bag from the main fabric (line up one of the edges with the straight of grain),
• cut one pocket square from main fabric and one pocket square from contrasting fabric (again, cut along the grain line). 

Making Bias Binding:

Taking your contrasting fabric (my Marble Indigo cotton) we are going to make some bias strips, which we will use for binding and for piping. 

This is where your graders square (if you have one) will come into its own: line up one of the shorter sides of the triangle with the selvedge and mark down the long edge of the tool- this will be at 45˚ to the straight of grain, or the bias. Take care not to drag on the fabric as you go. 

Using Graders Square

You can then use the markings on the plastic (seen here in the bottom of the picture) to help you draw a series of lines running parallel to the first one, and draw a number of strips which run along the bias. 

If you don't have a tool like this, use a small set square to find the bias, then use it in conjunction with a long ruler to mark your strips. 

You will need roughly 2m of 4cm-wide binding, and 2m of 3cm-wide binding. Do all of your drawing before you begin to cut. 

Rolls of Bias Binding Ready to Use
notice the different widths

Cut along your lines to make strips, and join them together to make long rolls of bias binding as follows: to determine whether the ends of your strips can be joined, lay them with right sides (RS) up, and if the angles run parallel you will be able to join them.

Edges Run Parallel

Take one strip and turn it over, laying it on top of the other- now RS's face each other. 

Joining Bias Strips

The stitch line will be 1cm from the raw edges, so make sure this is where the edges intersect, and that this is the point at which the right angles appear along the edges- stitch line drawn below. 

Stitch Line

Cover Your Piping Cord:

You will need to attach your one-sided foot to your sewing machine. If you're not sure what this looks like, take a look at the image below: I always think it looks like a ski. 

It will not sit in the middle of the ankle, you will have to attach it to one side- attach it so the foot it positioned to the right of the needle. 

In some machines, the position of the foot is adjusted by loosening the screw, sliding the foot to the desired position and tightening it back up. You can do this with the needle down to get a really close hold on the fabric. 

Making Piping Cord

Take your 3cm binding, and roll it around your piping cord. Take care that the raw edges of the bias binding are level with each other and that the cord runs down the centre of the bias strip. 

Using your one-sided foot as shown in the photo, sew a line of stitching running along the cord- don't stitch through the cord itself but try to keep the stitches close to it to hold it in place. 

Lesson One Done!

That is as far as we are going to go this week, I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to you sharing your progress with me on twitter and instagram. 

If you need anything to be clarified please go ahead and ask, and if you really don't do the metric system I may be persuaded to offer imperial conversions... 

#MMMay:

Are you following #mmmay on social media? Me-made May is the perfect opportunity to show off your skills, so don't forget to add this tag too to your barrel bag pictures.

Following the Instructions:

I will be putting up other blog posts between the sew-along, so don't forget that you can click on the words 'sew-along' in the word cloud to the right to see everything in this sequence. 

Q&A: Ethical Brand 'Lost in Samsara' + Product Review

About Lost in Samsara:

So much more than a fair-trade shop, Lost in Samsara is an enterprise based on the whole philosophy of supporting less fortunate communities by sourcing beautiful products. You can read about the origins of every product (whether it has been up-cycled or hand made from scratch), and see pictures of who actually made it, and find out what your purchase will mean to the community it originates from. 

You can even join in with the Wheel Project and exchange skills with others locally. 

up-cycled cement bag hold all

Q&A:

I was lucky enough to chat to Marvi from Lost in Samsara about the big picture. The answers that I received to my little interview really blew me away and I am thrilled to share them here: 

Stitching Pixie: How long have you been running Lost in Samsara?

Marvi: Lost in Samsara started at the beginning of 2015. We decided it was time for us to start doing more of what we believe in and after a trip to Nepal and few more conversations Lost in Samsara was born.

Stitching Pixie: As a brand, what is your primary aim?

Marvi: Our primary aim is to encourage people to change the way we consume and to ask ourselves who is behind what we have and how we dress. We collaborate with different projects around the world that employ artisans who are paid a fair wage. Most of them are women who face economical and social problems. We’d like our brand to be a bridge that reconnects products and people, encourages slow-production and promotes trade over charity. 

  

Stitching Pixie: Who is your typical shopper?

Marvi: We try to design and/or bring to the market things that are new and that can satisfy both male and female shoppers. So far, we have had people of all ages and gender, which is something we really love. 

Stitching Pixie: What's the best part of your job?

Marvi: The best part of our job is our job and we can finally say that we are happy about what we do and waking up in the morning is something we enjoy now. We also really love engaging and talking to people at the markets we do. 

strong, roomy & comfortable 

Stitching Pixie: What is your favourite thing that you sell?

Marvi: We sell many different things and there is not really a favourite. We like each and every item for different reasons. Some are up-cycled, some hand-woven, some hand-knitted. Each craft reflects the country where is from and we love that. 

Stitching Pixie: Who is your heroine?

Marvi: We don’t have a heroine in particular. Our heroine is each and every woman who struggles everyday for a better life for herself and her family.

Stitching Pixie: How would you like to be remembered?

Marvi: Probably more than being remembered we hope we can have a positive impact on all the people we meet during our life. We like to think that we are all connected and that we can all have a part in telling a better story.  

adjustable shoulder strap

Product Review: 

I was given a fantastic up cycled hold-all to review. I just love the design, featuring Elephant Brand cement bags, complete with all of the original instructions and warnings. 

True to its name, the Elephant brand bag is sizeable and strong! Reinforced with a tough textile lining (complete with interior pocket), I feel like it could take me on any trip stuffed with any amount of gear. All of the hardware (the zip, the buckles etc), are lovely quality, and the bag benefits from having both an adjustable shoulder strap and a pair of webbing handles (both very tough and comfortable as you might expect). 

I tested this gorgeous bag as my gym bag for a week, and it worked perfectly: comfortable to carry and very roomy, I could throw all of stuff in there in a hurry, and better still there was plenty of space to rummage through it to find everything again! 

My only complaint? It has inspired a little bit of wanderlust in me: I cannot wait to take it on a real trip with me!

You can view this product and buy it here. I feel that for its modest price tag, this is an extremely good value bag.  

shorter handles even fitted over my shoulder

Made in Cambodia, with the added benefit of empowering women and paying a fair wage, there is everything to feel good about with this bag. Perfect for however much 'wandering through' you end up doing. 

Next time I need a gift, something for my home, or another gorgeous bag, I will head to Lost in Samsara. Top of my list though would be these adorable silver stud earrings, also elephants and carefully sourced in Mexico, or if I really wanted to invest in a statement tote bag, it would have to be this Ikat weekender. 

However, the thing that would bring me back to Lost in Samsara above all is that dealing with them has been such a pleasure from start to finish. I have to recommend them as a totally feel-good brand! Thank you Alessia & Marvi! 

...for all of your wanderings

Product kindly supplied by Lost in Samsara