All About Making Bags

Hello!👋

Hope you have been keeping well!

I am still here dedicating my time to bag making! 🤭

And I am really enjoying the challenge!

I have been getting an itch lately that I need to scratch, and it’s bag making and bag designing. 😶

At this point in my sewing journey, I feel that is the next step to take.

I think I am the type of person that gets a little bored of doing the same thing for a long time, and bag designing I feel will challenge my skills.

I have been searching for inspiration all over the place and I have a whole list of ideas of bags and pouches I would like to make a reality.🤗

So much so that I am forgetting some of the designs that are popping up in my head because I am not quick enough to draw them on paper! 🤯

I am currently working on a particular pattern for a pouch that is intended to hold a lot of things inside! Sewing gear, toiletries, children's Barbie clothes/accessories or cars. It’s for anything really.

I currently have it with 2 inner pockets and overall, including these 2 pockets, it will have 5 divisions to store things!

I am still figuring out some of the measurements and all the different parts that I need to make this pouch. 

I am also preparing some written instructions for it, and this is the most time consuming part!

But I am super excited for this next step! 🤩

Not sure how long this process will actually take to finalise a pattern, so watch this space! 👀

I am hoping to put out a tester call as soon as I feel the pattern is ready to be looked at, and you will be the first to hear about it! 😀

I did sew another toiletry bag, again self drafted. 

The outer panel is quilted and I have added some pockets to the inside.

This is probably going to be one of the projects we sew up during my upcoming workshop together with a scrunchie.

The aim of the workshop is not necessarily the finished projects, but more to do with techniques that will be covered and can be used in future projects.

I also did some garment sewing this week but not much though.

I applied to test a pattern for The Petite Dressmaker as I love her designs and she caters for petite and standard heights. I love this because I fall into the petite height category and I don’t have to adjust the pattern like I normally have to for every other single pattern out there! 😁

I was lucky to be chosen for this round and I made a small bust adjustment, I think for the first time ever. 🤔

And what a difference it makes on a fitted bodice! 😲

I don’t want to give away too much of the design for now, but if you follow The Petite Dressmaker on Instagram, you are sure to see it pop up.

The fabric I used for this toile is a polycotton I got from Pound Fabrics quite some time ago and as much as I love the print, I don’t like the feel of it when worn.

I originally got it to make some pyjama bottoms for the girls, but quickly changed my mind once I received it. It is a little too stiff for my liking and this is after washing.

It is serving well for a toile though. I am not sure if I will actually properly finish it and potentially wear it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The next step for this pattern test is to select another fabric that is more comfortable to wear from my large stash! 😅

These are the fabrics that are currently jumping at me:

My mind keeps on drifting to dark coloured fabrics, but I am not sure about this just yet because it is a summer dress. 😐

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to go to the Longsight Market in Manchester after some recommendations from my sewing friends.

I popped by Paul’s fabric stall, and out of all the stalls, his fabric was the prettiest, but unfortunately nothing jumped out at me and I didn’t want to buy fabric for the sake of buying.

I did find, though, a stall with a whole lot of vinyl.

I bought some offcuts in various colours to have a play with making some bags in them. 

It has been a fabric I have been wanting to get my hands on for a while, so I was happy when I finally stumbled across some yesterday.

My Jasmine Sweater by Rita Made This is practically finished, although I can’t exactly wear it yet. 😂

It has been staring at me for the last 3 days because all I need to do is cast off the neck ribbing and she is done.

I am delaying it though because I want to make my usual reel of casting off and trying it on in front of the camera. 😂 

I haven’t been able to find a little moment in these last few days as it has been a little hectic. 😵‍

I am sure I will have a moment this week.

I haven’t been not knitting though. 😀

I picked up the other sweater I started a couple of weeks ago, the Bi-Colour Snuggle Sweater by Anxious Girl Knits and it is knitting up really quickly! A lot quicker than I remember the first time round!

I have been using the Pebble Haze yarn that was sent to me by Wool Warehouse and it is knitting up beautifully.

I picked the Limestone and Red Serpentine colourway and I love the feel of the yarn! 😍

It is a blown yarn, and I have tried other ones with the same description, but I prefer this one as it isn’t as fluffy.

Not sure if you get what I am trying to say. 🤔

Anyway, I have held the front panel up to my body and I think it is going to be a little on the tight side. 😬

I am not undoing it though, I am hoping that a little wet blocking will give it the right amount of stretch that I need.

😎Confidence Corner:

“Never give up because great things take time.” - Adrian Williams

Today’s world is so fast paced that we often expect quick results and we feel deflated when success doesn’t happen straight away.

But great things take time.

Whether it’s learning a new skill,  working on a personal goal, or following your passion, it’s important to be patient and persistent.

It might feel like a long journey, but every little step taken is progress.

When things get tough, remember that the great things in life aren’t instant. Celebrate the small wins, and trust that your time and effort will pay off in the end.

🧵Today's Sewing Tip:

How To Easily Cut Fabric on the Bias

Cutting fabric on the bias is to cut your pattern pieces out on a diagonal angle across the weave of the fabric (the straight grain).

Cutting on the bias gives the fabric more softness and elasticity, so if making a dress or a skirt, it will drape and contour the shape of the body.

Not only is fabric cut on the bias for making garments, but also to be used as binding.

Bias binding is used in places which require some give to allow for movement, such as necklines, armholes, bag making and many other projects.

This week, while making a toile, one of the pattern pieces that I needed to cut out was binding for the neckline.

I want to show you the method I use to find the correct bias.

Make sure that you have ironed all the wrinkles out of your fabric before cutting any pattern pieces (not like you see here in the photo).

Step 1

• Take one selvedge and fold it like in the picture so it lays at a right angle.

Step 2

• To make sure it is at a right angle, I take my ruler and align the short flat end with the straight selvedge edge. I then make sure that the selvedge edge I folded over is lying flat against the long end of the ruler.

Step 3

• Now I can place the pattern piece that needs to be cut on the bias at the folded edge and cut it out.

If you need to cut out a larger binding piece, just fold over the fabric more and repeat these steps above.

If you are cutting something out that is larger than a binding, e.g. a skirt, and needs to be cut on a single layer, give a little finger press to the fold so that when you open the fabric up, you can align your pattern piece accordingly.

An alternative is drawing a line with a marking tool that will come out afterwards.

⭐My Favourite Things This Week:

• More bag making.
• Getting some vinyl fabric to play around with for my bag making. 😃
• One last row to go on my Jasmine Sweater! 🥳
• Knitting with the Pebble Haze Aran Yarn from Wool Warehouse!

🗓️Upcoming Plans

• Cast off my Jasmine Sweater.
• Keep knitting the Bi-Colour Snuggle Sweater from Anxious Girl Knits.
• Continue working on my bag making
• Sew something for myself? 🤔
• My partner’s jacket - we have finally decided on a new pattern, so this will start sometime soon. 🤞

🎉Upcoming Events

26th of October 2024 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester, 10:15h - 15:45h
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND010
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond010/

3rd of November - New Workshop ALERT! Stay tuned for more 💖
UPDATE - TIME - 10:45h - 16:15h

23rd of November 2024 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester, 11:45h - 17:15h
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND011
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond011/

14th of December 2024 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester, 11:45h - 17:15h
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND012
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond012/

(Not so) Question of the Week:

I would love to hear your thoughts on this newsletter on what has been useful and what can be changed/improved!

Sign in below to leave your comment. 🤗

Thank you so much for reading it! And if you enjoyed it, please tell a friend about it to allow me to reach more people. 🥰

Bye for now,
B! xx