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Pacific NW Messenger Bag Cheryl Kuczek of Paradiso Designs for Sew Mama Sew
A huge Pacific NW hello to each and every sewist on the earth that is reading this! I am Cheryl Kuczek of Paradiso Designs. I am a indie sewing pattern designer, and I totally dig designing handbags that look like designer handbags! I also design women’s clothing patterns, and I love that my clothing patterns work for all sizes (including plus) because they work with your measurements, and not with the graded out patterns.
I love making my bag creations with a combination of materials and stabilizers. But what is a good design if it is not also truly durable? I approach sewing with techniques using materials in different ways to get a sturdy bag that will endure and perform and look good. I think about the look of the bag, then I take a sewing journey to “How can I achieve that?” Then I show how to do all of that in my patterns. One principle always adhere to is that I never fuse anything to an exterior fabric that our eyes can see. My techniques often involve using pleather and vinyl. And it is not hard to do. Really… It is not hard with the right sewing foot and the right needle! I recently posted on my blog “The Gospel of Pleather,” a four part series on how I use pleather/vinyl in my handbag designs. If
I am not using manufactured handles on my handbags then I sew the straps that look like leather, but it is pleather: http://paradisodesigns.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-‐gospel-‐of-‐pleathervinylday.html I really enjoy new ways of engineering how a bag strap attaches to a bag; it is a challenge but one of my favorite things to conquer. I found that it is difficult to find good pleather and strong hardware, so I searched hard to find awesome product to start for my own product lines. The Paradiso Pleather Collection comes in 9 colors with fabulous finishes: http://www.paradisodesigns.com/pleather/pleather-‐collection.html and there are also Paradiso Hardware sets to pair with my handbag patterns (or they can easily be incorporated into other handbag patterns): http://paradisodesigns.com/store/handbag-‐hardware.html I selected my pleather collection knowing that these pleathers can be sewn, as I have tested them all myself, and they are perfect for my designer details. My hardware sets are very strong because these hardware bits are made for horse riding gear. I would like to introduce the Pacific NW Messenger Bag (PNWM for short) from Paradiso Designs by Cheryl Kuczek. The measurements for the PNWM Bag are: 16”H x 11.5” W x 3” D. It has a zip top, with 2 front zip pockets and 1 very large zip pocket in the back. There are also three interior pockets that are set in a bit up from the bottom, so that your bag contents have room. The fabrics I used for the PNWM is from The Fabric Loft exclusively available at Target NOW! I used the style Vogue in the canvas fabric 1, 2 and 3. Vogue 1 (V1 for short) was the main fabric, Vogue 2 (V2) was
the complementary fabric and Vogue 3 (V3) was the contrast. It is important to think of your fabric selections so that they really work together and you see each one easily. And that is what is great with the Fabric Loft fabrics, they have great color and design group selections ready to use… You get to select the ones that you love!
I really enjoyed working with the Fabric Loft canvas. It sewed and ironed well, and it was easy to work with! This Fabric Loft canvas was a perfect weight for the PNWM Bag, and I think make a fabulous skirt too. Home Dec, denim or upholstery fabric would also perform well for this design! I am hosting a giveaway on the Paradiso Blog. Hop over and comment for a chance to win a pleather and hardware kit in your choice of colors that go with the Paradiso Pacific NW Messenger
Bag! You can also order the pleather and the hardware through paradisodesigns.com also! Gathering Supplies + Tools
• 1 yard of the main fabric; the use of this fabric will be referred to as V1 in these instructions. http://www.target.com/p/fabric-‐loft-‐vogue-‐large-‐floral-‐fabric-‐green-‐1-‐yd/-‐/A-‐15372902#prodSlot=dlp_medium_2_10&term=fabric%2Bloft
• 1 yard of the complementary fabric; the use of this fabric will be referred to as V2. http://www.target.com/p/fabric-‐loft-‐vogue-‐arrow-‐feathers-‐fabric-‐gray-‐1-‐yd/-‐/A-‐15372903#prodSlot=dlp_medium_1_14&term=fabric+loft
• 3/8 yard of the contrast fabric; the use of this fabric will be referred to as V3. http://www.target.com/p/fabric-‐loft-‐vogue-‐silhouette-‐black-‐white-‐1-‐yd/-‐/A-‐15372905#prodSlot=dlp_medium_1_9&term=fabric+loft
• 1 yard of Muslin for stabilizing the exterior bag pieces and for lining the three exterior zip pockets.
• 1/2 yard of sew-‐in Fleece (I prefer Bosal #326) to stabilize the lining, but ultimately it strengths the entire bag
• Paradiso Pleather Kit#2 (I used the PD201-‐C09 Black Ostrich from The Paradiso Pleather Collection OR 1/3 of a yard of pleather that can be folded easily and has a woven or felted backing): http://paradisodesigns.com/store/pleather-‐handbag-‐strap-‐kit/the-‐paradiso-‐designs-‐tiny-‐bag-‐pleather-‐strap-‐kit-‐38.html
• Paradiso PD300-‐C02 Silver Metal Triggerhook/Ring Set: http://paradisodesigns.com/store/handbag-‐hardware/cross-‐body-‐bag-‐hardware.html
• Two 7” closed bottom zippers for front pockets • Two 14” closed bottom zipper for back pocket
and top closure (I used Coats closed bottom zips and I love the metal, but I think the heavy-‐duty plastic zips would work fine and there is a great color selection too)
• One spool of thread (pick a color that jumps out of that main fabric)
• Rotary cutter + mat • Scissors, pins and seam ripper • Clips to hold the pleather as it is sewn (I recommend the Getta Grip Clips ) • Sewing Machine needles: 100-‐110 for sewing on the pleather + 90 for sewing on the canvas
Sewing Tips Before Getting Started: I hope that you have fun making this bag, and here are a few tips that will make the construction easier.
• Start with fabric that has been steamed and ironed. I recommend to NOT iron if the instructions do not specifically say to iron. Because the fabric has been prepped it is ready to go. I have found that ironing during construction except for a few steps here tends to stretch the fabric. I do a lot of finger pressing that is generally followed by a topstitch.
• After sewing a seam, I trim up anything that is uneven, which tends to happen to anyone that sews. This keeps seam ends tidy allowing for a sharper seam to be sewn which results in better looking projects too!
• When cutting out the bag pieces label each piece and add a pin to the top of the piece to remember the top at a glance. If you use this tip on EVERY project you work on I promise you will save a ton of time!
• Some of my lines of sewing may not seem as straight, but this is due to the nature of sewing on canvas, as the thickly
woven canvas will make a needle “bounce around” on the canvas surface. So… You are sewing straight, this is just the way it goes when sewing on heavy canvas.
• Please take the time and look at this entire tutorial a few times before jumping in. I tried to include as many shots to give different angles when sewing the steps!
• I ultimately want you to be successful in sewing this or any other pattern/project that I have designed. Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have. I will help you! ([email protected])
Cut Fabrics: Main Fabric V1, cut a 15” strip, from this strip cut these pieces: -‐ One 15” H x 8.5” W for half of the bag front -‐ One 12” H x 16” W for back pocket front -‐ One 10” H x 8.5” W for front pocket front
Main Fabric V1 cut a 9.5” strip for lining pocket Complementary Fabric V2, cut a 15” strip, from this strip cut these pieces -‐One 15”H x 16”W for exterior bag back -‐One 15”H x 8.5” W for half of the bag front -‐One 8”H x 8.5”W for front pocket front
Complementary Fabric V2, cut a 17.75” strip, and cut two 17.75”H x 16”W for the lining Contrast Fabric V3, cut a 6” strip, from this strip cut these pieces: -‐One 6”H x 16”L -‐Three 2” strips of what is left of this strip to finish pocket tops Contrast Fabric V3, cut two 2” strips, one is to finish bag top, and the other for extra Muslin, cut two 15” strips and from these strips cut a matching piece for all pieces in V1,V2, and V3 fabrics except the V2 lining pieces + V3 2” strips. After cutting these pieces I recommend leaving them pinned together, but switch the pins to the sides (another tip here…I never pin at the bottoms when I make 2 pieces pinned together act as one), each muslin piece will be used with the fabric piece. Set the Fleece aside as it will be cut later when the lining is being constructed.
Pleather: From the Paradiso Pleather Kit #2 from the long 4.5”Wide piece cut 11” off, then trim it down from 4.5”W to 3”W. The 4.5” piece will be the long strap, the 11”L x 3”W will be the side tabs. From the 2nd piece cut one 5”W x 15.5”L for the bag bottom. The leftover pleather can be used to test sew. Or from the yardage cut the same pieces. **hint straighten the pleather first, and then cut the strap and then the bottom. Only use a rotary cutter on the pleather. Want to learn more of how to work with pleather? Click here:
http://paradisodesigns.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-‐gospel-‐of-‐pleathervinylday.html Begin Construction: Start by constructing all the zip pockets, the bag front and the bag back. The pocket fronts will be finished and lined inside with the muslin. Put the right sides (RS) of the pocket fronts to the muslin, and sew a ½” seam allowance (SA) on the pocket tops only.
Iron the SA towards the muslin. Then iron the front down so there is a scant eighth of an inch showing on the pocket back. Trim the extra muslin away at the pocket bottom.
Repeat for other two pocket fronts. Use one of the shorter V3 fabric 2”tab strips, two 7” zips and one 14” zip for the pockets
Cut the tabs to fit the zip ends @ 1.25”W x 3”L. Check to make sure this is wider than the zip. Pin tab to zip ends.
Use chalk to mark the fabric where zip end is. This is the start of showing how to insert the zip using a regular sewing machine foot. It is simple and by sewing the zips with this method, there is room for the zip to move easily back and forth and not get caught! The chalk mark is your guide to sew the tab to the zip, sew as close as possible to the end.
Flip to the right side of the fabric, and topstitch as close as possible to the zip end again! Repeat for other two zip ends.
Here is a layout of pocket fronts on the bag fronts, the top of the zipper will be finished with the V3 two inch strip. Pin pocket front to lining so it will not shift as seen here on the V2 pocket front, and trim muslin at bottom of pocket.
Pin zip to pocket bottom, make sure zip is going this direction (this super important as the zip will unzip away from the center, it will be the opposite direction on the other pocket), and that you can see just a bit of the zipper tape fabric which should be around 1/16”. Align your machine foot even with the top pocket edge, move your needle as far to right as possible, notice the needle position here and sew the first seam, move the zip head if needed to sew the entire top of the pocket. Go back to sew a 2nd seam with the needle moved to the center.
This is what you should end up with, your stitching lines may be closer to the fabric edge. Trim the zip tab end off even with the pocket side edge.
To finish the zip top edge, take a V3 2' strip, that is longer than the zipper. Pin the right side to the top edge of the zip.
Sew as flush as possible with the machine foot to the edge of the zip. Feel for it under the fabric. This is what it looks like when sewing the top trim to the pocket underneath.
Flip to the right side of the fabric/zip, pin the trim so that a bit of the zip tape (1/16”) shows to match the other side then sew with the foot aligned with the edge of the fabric, needle to the right. Stitch again with the needle in the center to complete the topstitching.
Pin the V1 + V2 bag fronts to their corresponding muslin, 1 pin at top to know the top and 2-‐3 on sides, none on bottom. I left the label on the right V1 front throughout the picture process as a marker. Pin pocket front/zip to corresponding bag front, make sure it is even at the bottom.
Fold the top raw edge of the trim down and behind the pocket, make sure the zip is closed so that everything is in the right place when sewing. Sew on top of the second line of stitching.
Unpin and flip the pocket up toward the top of the bag front to reveal the extra V3 trim on the zipper top. Trim this extra trim exactly like this...it will prevent you from cutting anything else on accident.
This is what it will look like trimmed. Flip the pocket back down and pin back into place with the bag front repeat with the other pockets.
This is how the bag back will look with zipper pocket pinned into place, and sewn at top edge. Pin the pocket fronts together at the center, making sure that the zips are zipped away from the center, sew with a ½” SA.
This is what the bag front will look like before topstitching. Before topstitching, clip the center pocket SA just below the zipper tape to the seam on both pockets, so that the zip tape top flows to the opposite side of the seam. Turning the zip tape to catch in the topstitch creates too much bulk when topstitching. Topstitch on the right side (pull zip heads out of the way) with a 1/8” SA. This is what the front with the center seam topstitching looks like.
Constructing the Bag Bottom: These are the bag bottom pieces. Pin the muslin to the V3 fabric bottom to act as one piece, and then find the centers of the pleather + the fabric bottoms on the short edges. Match the center pins on both pieces as the pleather is layered on top of the V3 bottom piece.
I pin through the back layer of the pleather then into the fabric to keep it from shifting while sewing. Stitch the pleather to the fabric with 1-‐8 SA. I can stitch with the Bernina regular foot because of the dual feed but a Teflon or a leather roller foot can work here too. Here are more tips for working with pleather, http://weallsew.com/2014/08/11/6-‐tips-‐for-‐sewing-‐pleather/ Here is another shot of the first role of topstitching on the pleather.
Do a second role of top stitching with the edge of the presser foot even with the edge of the pleather! This view shows how the order of how the front and the back are going to be joined to the bottom.
Start with the back and pin to the bottom and sew rs together with a ½” SA. With the SA towards the bottom topstitch with an 1-‐8 + edge of the presser foot, this will be the finished seam with the two rows of topstitching.
It is a good idea to trim up these seams, it helps to keep your sewing accurate! Repeat the steps to add the front to the bottom. This is what it should look like.
These views gives you a chance to see how your fabric choices of color and pattern flow together.
Sewing Tabs, Strap + Tab Placement: These pleather pieces will are next to sew the tabs and the straps. Both the straps and the tabs are marked to prep for sewing. They will be sewn using my own strap technique tutorial. Use a 100-‐110 denim or leather needle to sew this. This is the link to the tutorial: http://bit.ly/1sNQ7Ub
This is the first step to sewing the tabs and the strap. You will end up with a 1.5” wide length of strap, and 1” wide length of tab. After the strap is sewn cut it to 42.5” long. Then the triggerhooks are threaded onto the strap. You can finish the bag before sewing the last triggerhook on the strap to determine what length works for you.
Make sure that the back of the strap is facing down like this. This is the back of the strap by looking at the stitching at the end of the strap, and the pleather edge is right next to the stitching. Fold 2” of the pleather down to sew.
Lengthen your stitches to 3.5-‐4. Start at the center of the strap and reverse back over the edge. Then sew forward to sew over the other edge and back to the start. This will bury your stitches nicely! Repeat again with a 1/8” SA.
The strap is finished. Cut 2 tabs at 5”long.This is the placement for the side tabs starting an inch down from the top on the front of the bag. I used pins to hold the straps in place. Do not forget to thread the ring on BEFORE sewing.
Move the needle all the way to the right. Attach by sewing following the edge of the fabric with the presser foot. Trim the extra tab edge off even with the bag side.
Sew the Bag Together: Pin the sides of the bags, making sure to match the pleather and V3 fabric edges match, so that they will be even once the side seam is sewn. This is how the front will look with side seams sewn. If needed trim at the tops of the side seams so that they are even. This is how the back will look.
The bottom corners will be squared at 3” inches, and trimmed to 3/8”. Get the lining pieces. With right sides together pin then sew the bottoms together with ½” SA, then topstitch the SA on each side of the seam. Lay the lining out onto fleece and cut a matching piece, pin at the sides to act as one piece.
Next take the fabric for the lining pockets, put RS together and pin at the bottom. Sew the bottom edge with a ½” SA, iron the SA open on the wrong side, then iron a fold on the seam.
Topstitch this bottom seam with the edge of the presser foot on the edge of the seam. Cut a length of the V3 fabric 2” strip that is longer than the pocket. Create a trim that will “cap” pocket top. Iron the strip in half, and then fold in to enclose the 2 raw edges, ironing in place.
Cap the top of the pocket with this trim, pin in place then sew it on with a 1-‐8 SA. Find the center at the top and the bottom of the pocket and one short end of the lining-‐fleece; match the centers, with the pocket placement 3” down from the lining edge.
Pin either side of the center of the pocket at 2.5” for where the pocket dividers will be sewn at the bottom. And at the top of the pocket.
Sew the pocket on and created divided pockets. Start sewing at the pocket bottom edge with a 1/8” SA towards the first set of pin marks for where the dividers are sewn. Sewing toward the first pin marks for the pocket dividers.
Pivoting at the divider pin mark to sew up to the top of the pocket. At the top of the pocket backstitch to make the divider strong as pockets get a ton of abuse. I used a home dec stitch to dress up the stitching here. Then sew back down to the pocket bottom, continue on to the next divider, and repeat. Sew back down and finish sewing the pocket bottom.
Once the pocket bottom and dividers are sewn, and then cut the excess pocket off even with the lining sides. Fold the lining-‐fleece in half and to pin both sides.
Sew the sides with a ½” SA, then box the bottom corners with a 3 inch box just like the bag exterior. Trim the corner seams to 3/8”. Put the lining bag into the exterior bag, wrong sides together. *Very important to make sure that the lining pockets are to the bag back and not the bag front. Pin at the top, matching side seams. Baste the lining and the exterior with a 4.0 stitch length at the top edges with a 1/8” SA.
Cut a piece of the contrast fabric for a pull tab for the top zip end. Cut it at 1.75”x 3”. This tab needs to be to sew it so it is a bit bigger than the zip tape, there has to be a little wiggle room after this is turned right side out.
Turn the tab to RS, and then slip it over the zip tape end. Pin and sew into place with a 1/8” SA, and around all 4 sides of the tab. This shows the zipper being sewn into the top edge of the bag. Notice the zip tape edge is pinned at the line of stitching that joined the lining to the exterior at the top of the bag. The zip front is pinned 5/8” from the side seams on each side, and the extra tape at the top is folded back. The zip end is pinned differently. The end of zip tape on each side is folded down 1.25” from the zip end. By folding the zip tape down, the zipper end is down so that it is not sewn in and can move freely. It is a tight space to sew at the end because the zipper has a closed end. Just take time and sew slowly to ensure good results. Check out all the pictures here so that you get the full understanding of this step.
Continue to slowly insert zipper around the top edge with a 1-‐8 SA. Next sew the 2 inch trim on top of the zipper. The edge of the trim will be even with the bag top edge. Start by the zip start. The rs of the trim will be pinned to the inside of the bag. The edge of the trim will be folded back so no raw edges will show. The edge of the presser foot should be flush to the zipper edge when sewing the trim in.
This picture shows the trim after being sewn in. Please note the folded edge as the start and the end that was laid over the folded edge to finish sewing on the top trim. Because this bag top edge becomes a stringy mess, it is best to trim it up, but have the other trim edge inside the bag when trimming so it does not get cut on accident.
This is so much better to work with the fringes cleaned up and trim is just inside the bag. Now flip up the trim.
Start to fold the trim down to the top edge of the bag, I pinned it here to show where to fold to. This shows the trim being folded down again to enclose the top raw edges and then pinned,...notice gently pinning so as not to stab yourself. The trim on the front side of the bag is pinned and the back side is not.
Here is where the very last of the trim is being sewn down; please notice the starting point was AFTER the fold. This allows for any adjustment if necessary. Here is another view of the trim being folded down then sewn with a 1-‐8 seam allowance, make sure zip end with pull is tucked inside out of the way of this stitching.
As the trim on, I make sure the sewing surface is flat and the trim is flush by gently pulling it flat from both sides. This eliminates bubbles like these...that will crop up when sewing the trim like this. This is the point at the side seam, and the end of the zip will bunch the fabric up like this, never mind it, keep your concern on where the sewing is happening keeping that surface are smooth as you sew.
Done! Enjoy your new bag, and visit Paradiso Designs for more from Cheryl Kuczek.
