Updates!

There are some updates to my latest wedding projects now on the site, plus a couple more pix of the mogs doing their Quilt Inspecting duties on their page... And a new page with some bag projects.

The biggest wedding project has a tutorial on concealed zips buried in the middle of it!

Reply to
Kate Dicey
Loading thread data ...

Kate,

Since you mention bags can I just ask...

If I was making a simple bag by folding a rectangle of fabric and sewing up the two sides do I have to do the hem at the top last ?

Or could I hem the two ends, then fold and sew up the sides ?

Thanks

Anne

Reply to
Anne Donnelly

Depends... If you don't want to put a drawstring in, do the hem first. If you do, do it last. :)

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Depends on whether or not you want the seam allowances to show at the mouth.

*Some* bags, I sew up the two sides and don't hem at all: I use the selvage, or leave it raw. (Such a bag is usually closed with a bit of twine tied in a clove hitch.) (But my raw-edge coin purse is closed by folding it in half.)

If I want a drawstring, I'll press the seam open before hemming, then snip one stitch to let the drawstring in. If I want two drawstrings, I'll tear a long skinny rectangle and make a bag with two side seams and a fold at the bottom. One could, of course, make a couple of buttonholes or somesuch, but undoing a few stitches of seam is easier and at least as neat.

If the bag is to be opened and closed a lot, I make a wide hem and put the drawstring between two rounds of stitching well back from the edge so that it has a ruffle around the mouth when closed. This gives me something to take hold of to open the bag.

If the bag is too small to hem conveniently after sewing it up, and if you want the inside of the hem nicely finished, hem it first, then sew it up with a french seam on the *outside* of the bag.

The last factory-made pillow case I bought was hemmed first, then the seam was overlocked.

Everything I know about bags is posted at:

formatting link
Beeson

Reply to
Joy Beeson

Thanks Kate and Joy.

Seems like I can do whatever I want ;-) I'm actually just trying to make simple things so I can practise using my sewing machine.

Joy, I've book-marked your page and will be looking at that in detail soon.

Anne

Reply to
Anne Donnelly

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.