Liz's Sling bag edits {made in vinyl with a tapered flap}

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Today my lovelies I'm continuing to bombard you with The Sling bag, but this time with a guest post from one of my testers. Liz is going to talk you through the edits she made to make this pattern her own!

Over to you Liz!

As some of you know, I am happy to be one of Samantha's pattern testers. Normally when I test a pattern for a designer ...I sew it as she writes it ...after all, that is what I am suppose be testing ( if it makes sense and fits together.)

But this time was a bit different ....Samantha allowed us to make any changes to the pattern ( keep it basically the same) .....play with it....and play with it we did.....


I first wanted to make it in pleather but one of the other tester beat me to it...I won't mention any names Maria !

So I figured I would do the next crazy thing...and sew it in vinyl ! Don't ask me what I was thinking of making it in vinyl...at the time it sounded like a good idea!!
Actually I think it turned out pretty good....if you are also crazy enough to sew it in vinyl...here are a few tips ( & changes ) I will share with you.

I added almost 2" to the length of the pattern since I wanted to make a accent flap and I was afraid if I didn't lengthen it it would stick out like a board..

For the pattern, I used masking tape to tape my vinyl to the batting and then I basted it along the outer edges....( 1/8" seam allowance) to hold it in place....no pins allowed !

 I stitched 2 seams down the middle for accent and to attach the batting to the vinyl ( can't use an iron batting here)....as you can see I cut out the batting from the dart sections ( that was stated in the pattern ...I did follow some of the directions !)
 Then I sew the flap part to bottom part...and top stitched it  ( my top flap part is approx. 6" x 15"...bottom is 12" x 15" )  For the other outer piece, I didn't add the accent piece ...I just cut it out whole .
Since vinyl tends to stand straight out ...I tapered the top outer edges so that it didn't poke anyone in the eye.  ( 1 1/2"" in  and 4.75" down)
For the lining...(you knew some red polka dots would have to show up!) I added a little sew on pocket ( there was no way I was doing a inner zipper pocket with vinyl....I am crazy but not that crazy!)  I also used velcro for the closure instead of the recommended magnet snap. Then I  followed the rest of the pattern direction...sew RST and turn !
Normally this is where you would sew your lining to your outer fabric ( RST, turn  and topstitch) but since I am using vinyl...it is best to avoid turning it as much as possible otherwise it will look like a wrinkled rag...so this meant I had to sew the bag together "wrong sides" together and the only way to do that is to fold down the seam allowance on the outer & lining pieces ...the easiest way I found was to premark it with my tracing wheel ( scoring the vinyl which made it easy to fold in.
Use Wonder clips to hold the outer & inner together and top stitch it closed...I forgot to take a picture here so pretend that I haven't topstitched it yet.
For the strap I also cheated and used webbing.....

After all that ...this is what the bag looks like !!!

So you see...you can break all the rules, follow half of the designers instructions and still end up with a lovely looking bag.... Don't be afraid to add you own spin on a pattern...the bag making police won't come and get you ....I promise!! 
Most important is to have fun with it and make it yours.
Hugs,

Pop over and see Liz at her blog Moments for more updates on her sewing shenanigans! 






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10 comments

  1. Great version. I love the text flap and the pop of red polka dots inside!! Liz, you are a winner!! You won't have any trouble with the "bag making police". :-)

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    Replies
    1. LOL...even if they showed up ..I would give them a coffee & cake and bribe them not to look to close. LOL

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  2. I've never tried sewing with vinyl before so I am definitely paying attention to some of those little tricks. I want a wheel-thingy!

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  3. Liz- Totally fun changes, with great tips to remember when working with vinyl!
    Samantha - Shows that a good pattern can inspire lots of creativity ! (And have many different uses!)

    Susie

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  4. Lizs bag is so cute! I like the vinyl I like the dots, everything is perfect.
    KATRIN W.

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  5. Lovely! You could add grab handles to the opening too? Then it could be used as a deep bag too?

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  6. OOOOOOOh so cute and clever. I like the way the extra 2" and tapering makes the fold over sit. Love that print. I am totally in awe of your work LIZ. Sam, you sure have a talented bunch of testers. ;)

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  7. Liz you did an amazing job on this bag! Thank you for showing us the steps :)))))))))
    Have a beautiful day!
    Marisa

    ReplyDelete

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