Full Moon Bag for the Literary Sewing Circle

After my recent bagmaking workshop, I was inspired to make another bag for my Literary Sewing Circle project! I chose the Full Moon bag by All Well patterns, in a nod to the title of our book as well as the folktale about Chu Cuoi , the man in the moon. 

I had some cream corduroy left over from my recent attempt at a Vogue jacket, and I thought it would make a lovely bag. Along with the corduroy, I had all the necessary items - binding, interfacing and some fittings from a cheaper bag I thrifted a year or more ago. I took that bag apart and used the tabs and strap to give some contrast to this moon coloured Full Moon bag. It's like moonlight and shadow ;) 

This bag is a free pattern, and it's pretty straightforward. There is no lining but I interfaced all of my corduroy pieces with a medium weight fusible to give it a bit more heft. There is a pocket on the outside, and one on the inside. 

The hardest part was sewing bias binding over the interior seams. I was very glad I had some little clips when doing this, as pins were impossible. It's pretty messy, but it's inside so as long as I caught all the edges in I wasn't about to unpick unless absolutely necessary ;) I also used a black 12" zip from my stash as contrast, and I like the effect. 

The trick with this fabric was to be sure to cut it with the nap going down, on all pieces. That way the bag feels smooth when I'm holding it or moving it around - the opposite direction feels awful to my hands and I would never use a bag that felt like petting a cat the wrong way! It was also a bit thick to sew through when there were multiple layers at an intersection; I only broke one needle though. It was too lightweight, when I replaced it with a 90/14 it worked very well, as long as I was going at a slower speed and paying attention. 

This is quite a nice bag, and I really like the finished effect! It's big enough to slip a paperback into for those times that you need some backup, too ;) At least if you make the "large" size option like I did - there is also an option for a "small" that could be very cute in a fancy fabric. I find that the chain is a tiny bit long on my short body so I may take a few links out. But with the tabs I can always switch out straps as well. I enjoyed making this, the second bag I've ever made (excluding tote bags). Definitely an easy go for a newbie like me. 

Checkerboard Bag!

I had some fun over the last week, attending a bag making workshop put on my Garment Guild. One of our members instructed us on how to make a bag that's essentially a couple of rectangles and some tricky sewing! She had made many of these when she sold them in her craft business, and we had fun learning the trick for ourselves. 

We had to choose and bring along fabric and lining; I chose a canvas-like checkerboard that I bought from Our Social Fabric a while back, the perfect weight for a bag. I had the great luck of having some quilting cotton given to me by another participant for my lining because it looked so great! 

We inset a zip, made some straps, and stitched the shapes together. It was a bit orgami-ish but once turned right side out it looks so simple and fun! 

Inside out and ready to sew, it's a bit wild!

The great thing about this project is that it's a basic shape based pattern - the sizing depends on the zipper you use, and the strap length is up to you. It's very adaptable. Many people used two different fabrics for the top and bottom and this can give a great effect. I had such a busy print that I stuck with all the same but there were many beautiful combos shown, and they can be lightweight fabrics like batiks or even lighter if interfaced. Great way to use up scraps :) 

MariaDenmark's Sewing Life 00: a Four Seasons Dress

I'm getting ready for summer days with this quick cocoon style dress from MariaDenmark! 

This is a free pattern that you can get when you sign up for the Sewing Life magazine newsletter, run by MariaDenmark. It's a very useful, versatile dress, with four views - one for each season.

I decided to give this one a quick trial to see if the shape worked for me. I chose the Autumn version. And I used a sheet from my stash to give it a try. It's a lightweight cotton-poly percale sheet, and has the perfect weight and body for this pattern.

I cut it with the hem on the finished edge of the sheet, but found I didn't like the length when it was done, so I folded up the sheet edge and hemmed it. The extra bulk means that it puckers a little at each of the side seams -- it was too hard to gather in the already bulky edge of the folded sheet. A proper hem would not do this.

But since this was just a wearable muslin I went with it, and tried it and loved it! In fact, I love this print so much that I will definitely wear this dress as a dress!

How did I find the pattern? Well, it was very straightforward in shape, and nothing too difficult. The full instructions for each view are only given in the Sewing Life magazine, but you can download the mini-mag with the pattern when you sign up for the newsletter, as mentioned. In any case you shouldn't really need much instruction with this one unless you are a very new sewist. It is a basic 3 seam dress with a back walking slit (I shortened mine significantly) and bias facings on neck and armhole.

One big change -- I added side seam pockets. The fabric I'm using has the body to stand up to pockets well -- if you are making the knit Winter version it might not work out. I graded out a tiny bit over the hip area to give it a little more of a cocoon shape to fit my body shape as well.

The bias facing was the only part of this project that gave me trouble. The angle of the underarm made it quite difficult to attach the bias neatly. It took some manhandling to get it on nicely. But the shape and fit of the armscye make it worthwhile. I love the fit of this dress.

The walking slit is just turned under and stitched, and a plain hem is all that's required -- mine is a little bulky because of the layers of sheet but it does give it a nice weight at the bottom!

This is very comfortable and airy to wear, and I am sure it will be perfect for those hot days, once we get some (the day before these pictures it had snowed briefly!) This pattern has a great shape, and this is only one of the four views in this pattern, which are all different enough to make a distinct dress with each. Definitely good value here, check it out.

Another fun upcycling project and one that is both thrifty and surprisingly successful for me as a real, wearable garment. I even used the scraps of the sheet to make a couple of matching Boomerang Bags! The Stratford Boomerang Bag group was scheduled to have our first meeting/sewing bee on the day after the shutdown began, so we haven't really got going yet. But I am still making bags and looking forward to the day when we can all meet and sew together.