Selfless Sewing: Tote Bag for Mom

Although the Selfish Seamstress *purports* to be selfish, she actually sews for other people all the time.  I, dear readers, am truly entirely selfish--to the point where it's actually almost a character flaw.  There are only a very few people for whom I make an exception, and my mom is at the top of the list.

You may recall that last year I made her a jacket. This year was a tote bag.  I got the quilted faux suede in a Fabric Mart bundle and was stumped as to what to do with it when it arrived.  It was not my style, but at the same time it is high quality fabric, and with the pre-quilting saved an interfacing step.  It finally dawned on me that purple is my mom's favorite color and that she might like a bag.  Perfect!

The bag is made with two rectangular sides and then a long one-piece gusset.  The dimensions below include 1/2 inch seam allowances.

Front and back:  16 wide x 14 tall
Gusset:  42 long by 6 wide
Handles:  5 1/2 wide by 49 long for a 22 inch drop (my mom is petite like me).



I used fusible fleece to give the bottom some structure. I wanted the fleece to go up the gusset sides about an inch so the bag wouldn't just flop over the bottom.

I started by sewing the gusset to the front and back along the bottom edge, catching the fleece in the stitch line.

Then I sewed from a couple inches up the side down to the corner, this time not catching the fleece in the stitch line.

Next, trim the fleece seam allowance close to the stitching, continuing the trim job into the unsewn part that goes up the side.



Finally, I did a little quilting to keep the fleece in place.  It was really easy with this fabric, I just sewed along the lines that were already there on the bottom.  Then I sewed along the short edges of the fleece to keep them in place going up the side.  Once this was all done, I sewed the side seams up the rest of the way.






The most important part of a bag is, of course, all the pockets!  I made a water bottle pocket for the inside of the bag, to keep the bottle upright and easy to pull out.  I cut a piece of lining 9 inches wide by 21 inches long and folded it in half the long way.  Then I folded it along the two lower corners and sewed gusset darts 1.5 inches from the corner.







Then I marked where the one-piece gusset would turn the corner from the bottom to the side, and sewed the bottom edge of the water bottle pocket just above that marking.  In the photo, the top of the gusset is going off to the left and you can see the water bottle pocket's darts on what will be the inside of the pocket.








Next, fold the pocket up from the stitchline, enclosing it, and pin the sides of the pocket to the sides of the gusset.  Baste in place and then catch in the stitching when sewing the gusset to the front and back pieces of the lining.









And here's how it operates!  I think that 9 inches was a little too wide for a small water bottle, but if you favor larger water bottles or 20 oz soda bottles it is probably right.






The front and back of the lining have a large zippered pocket, and a pocket for holding a phone and other sundries.  Mom crochets so I wanted to make sure the appliqued pocket would be deep enough to hold a crochet hook.  I cut it 10 inches tall by 9 inches wide, interfaced for stability, and folded in half along the 10 inch dimension.







I sewed the lining to the bag by leaving an opening in the bottom of the lining for turning and stitching right sides together along the top edge.  The handles are sewn along the entire length of the purse and caught in the bottom gusset stitching.  I left the top inch unsewn for joining the bag and lining together.  Once they were joined I continued the topstitching from where it ended on the body of the bag all the way across the handle to the other side of the bag.






I got a new camera in the Fall and hadn't tried out the video feature, so I made a video showing a little bit of a shortcut in closing the opening left in the lining for turning.







The bag also has pockets on the front and back of the outside.  The front one is smaller, sized to fit her Nexus 7 snugly.  The back one is larger, the whole width of the bag between the handles.  I wanted a closure for the back pocket.  I didn't want to use Velcro because it catches on everything.  I didn't want to use a magnetic snap in case she wanted to put her Nexus in that pocket (I am paranoid about electronics and magnets).  And I didn't want to use a regular snap because they can be too hard to open and close.

So I went for a shank button and an elastic loop.  I used a ponytail holder for the elastic.  I sewed the elastic into a square of the fabric and sewed the square in place.  Hopefully it won't be too hard to replace if it wears out!  I'm not in love with that particular button, but it was the best I had in stash and my gift was already late.

And here is the finished front (and back).  When I told my mom I wanted to make her a bag, she got excited and had her friend show me the bag that the friend's daughter had made.  The daughter had embroidered the friend's name on it and my mom really seemed to like that feature.

I don't have an embroidery machine and the fabric was impossible to mark on--anything that actually made a mark left a permanent marking.  Thank goodness the fabric had lines to give me some way to make proportional letters!  I marked it the best I could and then stitched it with a satin stitch on the machine.  So the name is not great close up, particularly the wonky "o."  Hopefully the effect with the whole bag isn't so terrible, though.

Mom loved her bag, so that's really all that counts!  I am not good with spatial relations and it turned out way bigger than I meant for it to be, so there may be a mini version in the offing at some point...

All photos are here.

How to Make Basket Liner Grocery Bags for Your Wald Bike Baskets

Given my focus on the bikeability of my skirts and dresses, it probably won't surprise you that I sew for my bike as well.  I am a commuter-, shopper-, and pleasure-biker, so weight is not an issue for me.  I'm not fast anyway, what's a couple extra pounds?  So for cargo, I looooooove my Wald baskets.*  They collapse when not in use and are easy to fold out when I'm doing a big grocery shop.

*Please note that I have no financial or other connection with any of the products or sources listed in this post.  I really do like the baskets that much as a plain ol' satisfied customer.

Baskets are more stable than panniers and a bajillion times easier to use.  I found detaching and reattaching panniers a real pain, they are enormous to carry into the grocery store (or heaven forbid a restaurant or bar where you don't want to leave your stuff sitting outside), and I had a pannier pop off my bike in Logan Circle once.  With the baskets, there's no detaching and reattaching, and carrying a custom tote bag into the grocery store is much more civilized.  Also, believe it or not, I think my grocery bags hold more than a pannier because they are tall.  A tall pannier hangs down too low, but the bags' added height is above rack level.

Pro tip:  on the advice of my bike shop, I skipped the included hardware and attached my baskets to my rack with hose clamps, which are available at Home Depot or any hardware store.  They are a real pain to put on (you have the squeeze the tongue thingy into place with one hand and turn the screwdriver with the other until the tongue thingy is caught and you can tighten it), but that basket is not coming off.  After about a year I had one hose clamp fail--the metal broke.  Each basket is attached with 3 hose clamps so it did not fall off.  When I noticed some rattling, I replaced the hose clamp without incident.  So I do recommend an occasional inspection to make sure your hose clamps have not failed.

Of course, a naked basket is no good.  I just had to make custom-fit liners for my baskets!

You will need:
Sturdy Fabric
Fusible fleece or other stiffener for the bottom
A drawstring (I used rattail braid; you need a little less than 1 1/2 yards)
A cord stop (Joann sells these in the notions aisle; mine are from Quest Outfitters)
Velcro (mine is 1 inch wide)

The liners are made from four pattern pieces (if rectangles rise to the level of pattern pieces): a front/back, sides, bottom, and straps.  The measurements given below include a 1/2" seam allowance.

For each basket liner, cut 2 of each of the following pieces:

Front/Back:  17.5" tall x 13.5" wide
Side:  17.5" tall x 8.5" wide
Bottom:  13.5" x 8.5"
Handle:  4.5"wide x 26"* long

*The length of the handles is based on the perfect comfort carrying height for me.  I'm 5'1", so in the highly likely event you're taller than me you might want slightly longer handles; I would recommend adding 1/2" for every inch you are over 5'1", on the theory that half your height is in your torso (where handle length matters) and half is in your legs (where it doesn't).





I made two liners--one for each basket (I think most people only have one basket, but since my bike is my car I have two)--from a 45" wide wax print a friend brought me back from Liberia, so I took the trouble to figure out the most fabric-efficient pattern layout, shown below.   Most quilting fabric is 45" wide, so if you want to use one of those cute prints this may come in handy.

Most cottons can be ripped on both grain and crossgrain.  Make a snip with the scissors and rip away.  I ripped all my pieces rather than cutting them.  So much faster, easier, and more precise.

A word of warning, though, that when the bags are full they are easy to catch and rip on the baskets.  You want a fabric with some body and sturdiness so don't use a lightweight quilting cotton, or if you do you'll need to double it up.


The first thing to do is sturdy up the bottom.  This isn't totally necessary, but I find it extremely helpful when loading groceries because it shows you the exact footprint of your basket.  This is particularly important when the checker is loading your bags because they instinctively cram them as full as possible and then the bags are too wide to fit in the baskets and you have to mush your groceries around to get them into the right shape.


Cut your fusible fleece 12" x 7" (taking the 1/2" seam allowance off all four sides of the bottom piece measurements plus a little more so it's easier to sew).  You can draw right on your fusible fleece with a pencil, so just mark your rectangle and then cut along the lines.

Lay one bottom piece, wrong side up, on a flat surface.  Center the fusible fleece on top of it.  Lay the other bottom piece on top of the fusible fleece, right side up.  You've now sandwiched your fleece and the right side of your fabric is showing on either side.  Pin through the sandwich a few inches in from each corner and in the center.  Now take it to the machine and anchor it with a big X from corner to corner through all three layers (bottom, fleece, bottom).  Take out the pins.


The next step is the sew the front/back and sides together.  Take one front/back piece and lay it right side up on a flat surface.  Place one side piece right sides together along the long (17.5") side, matching this to the front/back's long side.  Pin.  Now pin the other side piece in place the same way, right sides together.  Pin the other front/back to one of the sides, and complete your tube by pinning the remaining front/back side to the remaining free side.  Sew all these seams.  I finished mine with my serger, but you can use a zigzag stitch if you don't have a serger.  Press the seam allowances toward the sides.  You now have sort of a box with no top or bottom, as seen at left.

Now comes the only even remotely tricky part, I promise.  You're going to pin the bottom in place.  Match the corners of the bottom with the seams of your front/back/sides box, right sides together.  The seam allowances of your "box" will be on the outside.  The bottom has two right sides so it doesn't matter which one you put inside and which outside.



Pin the long edges together with the box on top and the bottom on bottom and pin diagonally into the corners.  Make sure you have caught both layers of the bottom!  The back/front/sides box won't match the square corners of the bottom exactly and will pull in toward the center a little.  Just make sure you have the long edges lined up other than in the corners and it will work out.



Start sewing in the middle of one of the edges, rather than at a corner to make it easier.  When you get to the corner don't sew all the way to the end--stop at your 1/2" seam allowance.  Make sure the needle is down into the fabric, then lift the foot and rotate your bag 90 degrees.  Scooch your fabric (particularly the seam allowances of the front/back/sides), which will want to fold up, behind the needle.  Put the foot back down and sew the next side.

When sewing the corner make sure you are catching the front/back/sides fabric box fabric with enough seam allowance to do a zigzag to finish the edges (remember, the front/back/sides box will cut in a little diagonally across the corners).

The bottom is stiff from the fusible fleece, so for one of the sides you'll have to cram it into the free arm.  Your corners may not be beautiful, but they will probably look ok on the outside.  Finish the seam allowances and turn your bag right side out.



Now we'll sew the casing for the drawstring.  Finish the top edge of your bag.  Again, I used the serger but you can use a zigzag.  Measure 1" from the upper edge and fold this down and press.  To make it look nicer, I next folded under about 1/4" from the top edge, so that when I sew down the drawstring casing I will have a folded edge rather than raw edge showing.

Before we sew down the casing we need to make buttonholes for the drawstring.








Keeping your fabric folded down 1" the way you pressed it, find the center of one of your front/back pieces.  Here it is marked by the pin.  Measure and mark 1/4" on both sides of the center, and then again 3/4" from your first marking.   You want these markings to be 3/8" from the upper folded edge.  Unfold the raw edge back up.



Cut small rectangles of interfacing and place them on the wrong side (I cut one fairly long strip and pinned it in place, far enough from my buttonhole markings not to interfere with my sewing.  Because I used a Frixion pen, fusing the interfacing in place would have erased my markings).  Make the buttonholes only on one layer of fabric, the layer below the fold, between your markings and cut them open.



Now we're ready to stitch down that casing.  Fold down your 1 inch again, and sew close to the raw edge or fold all the way around the top of your bag.  Make sure that your buttonholes are above your casing stitch line.










Cut your drawstring to about 50 inches.  You want it to be as long as your opening plus another 14 inches or so.  I used rattail braid (available from Joann).  To keep it from fraying, I dip the cut end in nail polish and let it dry.







Once it's dry stick in a safety pin near one of the ends and thread it through your casing, in one buttonhole and out the other.









After you've threaded your drawstring through the casing, put your cord stop on and knot the ends to keep from accidentally pulling off the cord stop.














Next are the handles.  I interfaced the handles for sturdiness, but it's not strictly necessary.

Fold your strips in half lengthwise (so they will be 2.75" wide and 26" long) and sew the long edge.  Turn them right side out using a large safety pin (as shown in this video).  Roll them so that the seam allowance is in the middle, rather than on one of the sides (this is purely aesthetic, you can put the seam allowance wherever you want) and press flat.



Now you're going to turn those raw edges to the inside.  Just fold 1/2" to the inside all the way around and press.  If you find this too hard, zigzag the raw edges together and just fold them toward the side with the seam allowance.  Topstitch all the way around the handles, catching those turned under ends.








Now it's time to sew your handles in place.  One handle will be sewn to each front/back piece.   Measure down 3" from the top of the bag (the top being the fold for your drawstring casing) and 1 1/2 inches in from the side seam and mark this spot.  That is where the lower outside corner of your handle will go.  Mark this spot on the right and left sides of both the front and back.








Pin your handles in place, aligning the lower outside corner to your marking, having the seam allowance of the handle toward the bag.  Pin the other end of your handle in place on the same front/back piece (the handles do not go over the top of the bag's opening).  Pay attention to make sure you haven't twisted the handle when pinning it before sewing!  Sew in place using an X with a box around it for maximum sturdiness.







The final step is velcro strips on the side to attach to the baskets.  On each side piece and measure down 8" from the top.  Measuring from a seam, make marks at 3 1/4" and 3 3/4".  Mark this spot.  Cut two sets of velcro strips 2 inches long each.




Spacing them a bit apart from the center, sew with one side up and one side down (otherwise they won't be correctly oriented to attach).  Use a small stitch length and sew at least two rows of straight stitching.  I did the rough side up and the smooth side down because when they are joined together the rough side is to the inside.  However, it's probably better to do smooth side up and rough side down so that when they're open (i.e., when you're carrying them through the grocery store) the rough side is against the bag.

I really don't know if the velcro is necessary or just superstition on my part.  However, my bags have never fallen out of my baskets no matter how full they've been--and if you ride DC's streets, you know that is NOT from lack of jouncing from pothole to pothole--and I always velcro them in place (and never use bungee cord) so I'll stick with my superstition.

Done!  Making two of these took me about 2 1/2 hours--although that included documentation time.  They are not a hard project and a beginner should be able to make them in 3 or 4 sewing sessions of a couple hours each.


To use your bag, place it into the basket.  Pull the drawstring tight to close the top of the bag and snug the cord stop, then tuck the long loose ends of the drawstring into the little opening of the bag.  Tuck the handles into the little opening left at the top of the bag as well.  This is to keep the drawstring and handles from spilling over the side of the basket and getting caught in your spokes, which would be Very Bad.  Loop the velcro through the mesh of the basket and fasten it.  Ride off into the sunset (or off to the Potomac, where the shot of my bike "in the wild" was taken).



My bags are plain fabric.  If I need something in them protected from rain, I wrap it in a plastic bag.  I like the fabric bags because they are light, fold down quite small, and most importantly can easily be washed and dried when groceries go awry.

However, you could use waterproof fabric for a more precipitation-friendly bag.  This blog is all about oilcloth.  Rose City Textiles/Fabricline has reasonably priced waterproof fabric for bags.

I made these forever ago and kept waiting to post this until I got more glamorous photos of me and my bike but I think we'll just go with what we have!

All photos are here.

Kwik Sew 3968, Slipper Socks

I have very cold feet and have one particular pair of fleece socks that I like to wear to bed in the winter.  I haven't found another pair of commercial socks that I like as much, and the socks I like were a gift many years ago so I can't get more of that particular one.  I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands, using Kwik Sew 3968.





These socks are well-drafted and easy to sew.  The notches line up perfectly--as you can see on the pattern as drafted at left--and you can cut and sew a pair in well under half an hour.










That's the good news.  The bad news is that the symmetrical draft that makes them so easy to cut, sew, and grab a pair to put on any-which-way makes them too uncomfortable for anyone to wear.  They flap around in a way that made me feel unstable.  If you want socks strictly for sitting on the couch or going to bed, they will be fine.  But if you'd like to pad around the house at all, you will need to make them conform to the non-symmetrical shape of the foot.





You can see that the first pair gives me major duckfoot.  They felt very floppy on the feet, like they'd fall off at any second.  The last thing I want to do when I'm hanging around at home is think about whether or not my socks are falling off!

I sewed the first pair up as drafted, then put them on with the seam allowances in the outside and pinned out the extra along the inner arch of the foot, as well as at the ankle.  Then I altered the pattern to fit the foot.



The altered pattern makes a great pair of lounging socks.  They conform to the shape of the foot and passively stay in place.







Be warned that if you are going to alter the width around the ankle, you definitely need a stretch fleece. I thought all fleece would have adequate stretch, but with a pair I made out of a less stretchy fleece I had a hard time pulling the narrow ankle over my foot.











You can't make fleece socks attractive, but it amused me to try.  I love that they have the female model on the envelope with her feet in a "sexy" pose.  I wish they had shown her face, because I'd love to see the expression on it.  "All these years of calf raises and pedicures, and *this* is where my foot model career ends up?!"

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.


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As I mentioned in my last post, I haven't been able to find much time for blogging lately.  Well, then things really got hard.  If you can spare any good thoughts for my dad, I'd really appreciate it.  He appears to be on the mend now (but it has been a rollercoaster for the past month and I don't want to get complacent).  There will be a lot of going back and forth to Texas and not a lot of blogging for the foreseeable future.

BWOF 11-2008-111 Pleat Neck Dress & 06-2009-151 Obi

Life has really been getting in the way of blogging lately. I've been working on this post for two weeks! I had to go out of town for work last week. I assumed I'd be able to blog in the evenings, but working until midnight sort of put the kaibosh on that plan. Ugh. I was so happy to get home.

And on Sunday I'm leaving for Spain!!!!! I am so excited. I need a vacation for sure. Work has seriously eroded my sewing time so I won't have an entirely new wardrobe, but I will have one or two new pieces.

If anyone has any fabric store recommendations in Barcelona, please let me know! I'll be there for a week. Then I'm off to Madrid, Cadiz, and Sevilla where it will be too whirlwind to get any fabric shopping in, I think (but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to be informed...)

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When I got the silk/nylon crinkly shiny green fabric I'd found at Paron in NYC home, I had two thoughts. (1) Must.sew.now. And (2) I think this is home dec? Not that #2 bothered me, just made me think I should go to home dec more often.

I immediately made up a skirt and a dress. I went back through my BWOFs (I know it's Burda now, but you'll always be BWOF to me, baby) and stumbled on 11-2008-111. It looks like nothing in the photograph, just a jumble of shiny, print satin and a faux fur capelet, but the line drawing shows that it's got a very on-trend pleated neckline and a fairly simple silhouette, perfect for the fabric to be the star.



I am thrilled with the result. It has enough interest, but isn't weighted down with bells and whistles.

The shaping in the front bodice comes only from the pleats at the neckline, so I was stumped when tracing and cutting as to how to do an SBA. I decided I'd figure it out in sewing and the answer became obvious when it was basted together and the waistline was sagging. You can see my orange marking to indicate how to shorten the bodice.

The original design calls for the skirt to have inverted pleats spaced evenly from center front. However, I thought it would be more in the style of the dress to move them to center front. It has a bit of the same maternity problem as Butterick 5321 and absolutely must be worn with a belt or I look like I have no waist, but I think for the fabric the style works. If I make it again in a more conventional fabric I will probably place the pleats as drafted.

After that, everything was smooth sailing. To get nice looking construction and ensure the fabric wouldn't end up shredding at the seams (silk nylon seams like a tough blend, but silk always seems prone to shredding) I put in French seams. I discovered--well, I'm sure everyone was already doing this--a cheater method that makes them so much easier. I unthreaded the left needle (yeah, I should have taken it out but whatevs) and used the serger to sew the first seam. My problem with French seams has always been that no matter how close to the edge I sew the first seam I always get some kind of seam allowance crap poking out of the second seam. Not so with the serger seam! The serger trims off all the crap and makes it nice and tidy to turn in and sew the second seam. I may do French seams more often now.

It turns out this silk-nylon blend is very scratchy, which is what makes me think it's home dec rather than fashion fabric. So I wanted a comfortable lining that was substantial enough to stand up to the scratchy fashion fabric without getting worn holes in it. I searched through stash and came up with a cotton I'd gotten at Hobby Lobby a couple of holiday seasons ago while visiting my family in Texas. It is a crosswoven turquoise and dark blue that was gorgeous on the bolt but after I washed it the sheen was lost and it was too thin and flimsy to be suitable for much. But it was perfect for a lining.

In order to give the front neck pleats some body, I stitched the shoulder seams of the bodice fashion fabric and lining, sewed them right sides together at the armscyes (topstitching afterward), turned them right side out and then treated as one at the neck. The pleats at the neck are much more distinct than those at the waist, where the fashion fabric is separate from the lining. I finished the neckline with bias tape (sacrificing this skirt, which was just too wrinkle-prone to wear).

As I said, this absolutely must have a belt, and luckily I had already made a gorgeous obi and the colors look fabulous together.

As I forgot to tell Cidell before she made hers, I shrank the pattern along every dimension:



The pattern comes in 36/38 and 40/42, so I knew I'd needed to size it a little as I am generally a 36 at the waist. Here are the changes I made:
-Moved CF 1.5 inches (and because this is cut on the fold that means I shortened the front piece a total of 3 inches)
-Narrowed the front piece along the vertical axis by two inches at CF, tapering to nothing by center back (on the side/back piece)
-Ties 27" long

This was designed to be made of leather and unlined, but I was using my tie silk from the Fabric Mart bundle and it needed to be lined. I chose a bronze silk dupioni from stash (it has previously made appearances in Butterick 4985 and BWOF 06-2008-105 and is nearly gone). I interfaced both halves with heavy interfacing.

I sewed the side seams, leaving a slit in both lining and fashion fabrics on one side, sewed the ties to the ends, and then sewed all around the edges. I turned the obi right side out by pulling the ties and then the body through the slit. Then I turned in the seam allowances at the slit and topstitched it closed, as you can see in the photo.

I'm a huge fan of the way it turned out, and have a red and black version planned. I'd been wanting to make an obi-style belt for a while and knew it would be a very simple matter to draft my own, but I never got around to it. Thanks BWOF!

All photos of the dress are here and the obi photos are here and the pattern review is here.