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Consider the
Following
Sewing Courses.
Click on the
ebook cover.
SECRETS OF
SEWING
SEWING
101
SEW MORE FOR
U
HOW TO MAKE ROMAN
SHADES
HOW TO SEW PLEATED DRAPES
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How To Sew
A Handbag Or How to Make a Handbag
For a long time I have been
an avid seamstress, and can often be found
spending my time designing and creating my own
skirts. With fashion queens like Gok Wan
encouraging us to make the most of what we have
with our clothes and using accessories and
add-ons to customise them, plus the horrible
credit crunch limiting the amount of money we
can spend on clothes, it is no wonder that
other people are getting in on the act of
making their own clothes! More and more people
are attending dressmaking classes and there has
been a massive upturn in the sales of sewing
machines. We can look individual and do it at a
cheaper price!
My new obsession with the
sewing machine is handbags! I don't know why I
hadn't thought about making handbags previous
to now, but now that I have started I don't
seem to be able to stop! I have been making all
sorts of bags for every single different kind
of occasion you could think of!
Making a straightforward bag
is easy, and once you have mastered that you
can move on to making them more elaborate
shapes and sizes as well as making them more
decorative. To make a simple bag, here are the
things you will need:
An old item of clothing that
you think will translate into a nice handbag -
trousers tend to be best as they are of a
stronger material than blouses etc, but you can
always line it to make it stronger. And
remember, that whilst it is fun to make your
own handbag; and you can if you wish buy new
materials; it is better for the bank balance
and the environment to recycle! You will also
need a pair of scissors, thread, fabric pins,
iron, ruler, fabric pencil, and a sewing
machine (you can hand sew, but sewing with a
machine makes everything neater and
tighter).
Set up the sewing machine putting in the thread
spool and reel in a colour as close as you can
get to your fabric. Or as an alternative you
could use a completely different colour of
thread to the material, to make it stand out.
Iron your fabric and decide on the size of bag
you would like, and make a template out of
paper - 9 inches x 12 inches is a good size for
a simple tote bag. Fold over and pin the fabric
right sides together and pin your template to
it. Draw around the template (on the fabric),
then take away the template and re-pin the
fabric. Do this for your lining fabric if you
are using it. When you are finished cutting you
should have two main pieces of fabric and two
lining pieces.
Keep the right sides pinned
together and sew along the sides and bottom,
leaving the top open. Sew the lining in the
same way. Decide on the length and width of the
handles and add on 2 inches to the length and
0.5 inch to the width to allow for seams and
sewing onto the bag. Cut out either 2 or 4
pieces of fabric for the handles (depending on
if you want them lined). Pin the handle pieces
together and sew along the long lines only,
turn them right side out and iron them. Fold
over the top lining of the main bag a quarter
of an inch, turning it towards you and the bag,
and pin in place. Position the handles in
between the lining and the main piece of
material and pin them in place, then sew them
up! Simple as that!
For top fashion handbags try
http://www.handbags.me.uk
all the latest designer and funky bags in one
easy to use shop.
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