Another sewing day

LlMorning lovelies, a dark and raining morning here, almost wish I could stay snuggled. Today I have a quickie post for you about my sewing days at the weekend. I started with some placemats for my kitchen table. I used squares from a charm pack for each one. 

I used 6 for each one and backed then with a medium calico. Inside I used 1/4 inch batting to add a little depth. I sewed right sides together leaving a small gap to turn the mat right side out. I then stitched a 1/4 inch top stich around the edge and then sewed diagonally across the squares to give a quilted look. 

Next I lined a bag which mum had crochet.  She made loads of granny squares and joined them with a contrast colour. She added a strip all round to give the bag some depth.

I used a pretty cotton for the inside which had been fused to a very stiff backing this was then sandwiched with some contrasting cotton on the outside of the inside lining.

I added a pocket to hold a phone and pen. 

The lining was then placed in the bag and hand stitched into place. The handles were made from the same material as the lining. It makes a great bag for work as it is big enough to take all the junk I carry around.

And finally another bag. This bag was in a magazine that I buy. I transferred the sizes to a paper pattern and followed the instructions.

I started with the straps but as you can see the tension wasn't right. I discovered this was because I used a different thread for the bobbin. I changed the bobbin and used the same thread and it was perfect.

The top parts of the bag were lined with a non fusible lining which I stuck with spray glue. All four pieces were pinned and then sewed together. I didn't take too many pictures but will make another with full instructions.

Once all pieces have been sewn together you then join the two sides matching right sides and lining making sure you match the seams as they are seen once finished. Stich all the way round leaving a small gap to be able to turn ride side out. Then top stich around the the top edge to hold in place. On this bag I did this wrong as I top stitched each individual piece so when sewn together it produced a pucker either side. (Learning as I go ).

The bag is reversable I used contrasting colours in the same tones but you could use different materials to give a completely different look.

Thanks for your visit see you soon Debs xxxx