Another handbag. the last for awhile.

I think this is my favourite yet! Lovely. With all that white, have you heard about Scotchguard (or something equivalent over there which helps to reduce the impact of 'dirt' on a not-very-washable- object? . In message , John writes

That is a good idea. I think we have a spray can of it, that should just about cover it.

John

Very nice -- I think I recognize some of the fabric :)

Julia > This is the final one of the series of various sized carrying bags I

Piggybacking here. That is a wonderful bag. Actually they all are! I missed one before. I suppose your wife knows how lucky she is but give her a reminder from here. lol Taria

That is the infamous Quilt from Hell fabric. Of which there is probably enough left over to start a small cottage industry of bag manufacturing with. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

John

John, you do such lovely work! Your wife is a lucky gal. :-) Took a gander at your marvelous suitcase while I was on your site too. Absolutely awesome!

Michelle in NV

I recently made the Yorkshire Terrier his very own carry on bag. It needed a place for a water bowl, a water bottle, his leash, paw wipes, and assorted other 'musts' for Yogi. I used an extremely stiff interfacing for the tote so it would stand instead of toppling or folding. It worked out very nicely but was a beast to assemble. What sort of interfacing have you found pleasant to work with, John? Polly

I have tried two different "Stiff' interfacings that would give cardboard a run for it's money. Neither of them would be what I would call "Pleasant to work with". The one for the suitcase was so stiff it would break needles when it was folded over after overcasting the edge so that I could stitch it down to provide a firm seam that would stand up stiff. I think that the nature of the beast defeats any ease of use possibilities, or at least that has been my experience. People who make these sort of items on a regular basis would want to get a machine that would be dedicated to that sort of process. A commercial machine, more suited to leather work, might be acceptable, but domestic sewing machines, are really not up to any but infrequent usage for this type of sewing, and that usage is fraught with exasperation. At least that has been my take on it.

John

A couple of hints for making bags that "stand up" and still be able to work on them easily.

First, layers. I have found that using fusible fleece (Pellon is what I use most) which is fairly stiff but has some "poof" to it too. Then, I use DecorBond (same as Craft Fuse?? but twice as wide), but don't carry the DB into the seam allowances. Makes it easier to fold and topstitch through. I also use two layers of the DecorBond, one on the bag part and one on the lining. (This was suggested by Joan Hawley of Lazy Girls designs, used in the Miranda Day Bag and Mini Miranda patterns.) I have made a few of these bags and they are very sturdy and I had no problems sewing them. Yes they are a bit bulky, but it is all doable.

Nice bags, John. Pati, > >

I have not made enough of these things to have established a process. Nor do I want to. I used a very stiff interfacing and left it shy of the edge so as to diminish the fold over thickness. but I also used

John