Guest Blog with To Sew With Love

Note from Michael: As a relatively new blogger in cyberland, I am truly amazed and grateful for all of you 'givers' out there - you give freely of your time to share a kind word or visit my blog. Lelanie at To Sew With Love is one of those people, and I am thrilled to have her sit in the Blue Velvet Chair today as a guest blogger. 

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Hi, everyone! I am Lelanie, one of the 3 "L"adies behind

I am really excited to be swapping blogs with Michael today. I hope you don't mind if you don't get your daily dose of Michael's craftiness while I'll invade her space for a while^^)

We love sharing our crafting and sewing adventures (and misadventures ^^). Just recently, we have shared tutorials such as these:

No-sew owl picture frame

felt flower

Pretty Apron and chef hat tutorial

Multi-purpose brooch tutorial

Jumper dress with spaghetti straps tutorial

Big Sister-Li'l Sister Coordinating Skirts

Diaper Carry-all with Wipes Dispenser

We also host giveaways sponsored by our lovely sponsors, a Crafty Saturday Link-up Party, features on our favorite Etsy shops, and handmade love post.

Today, I will share with you a tutorial on how I made this linen bag which would be my summer bag (actually, I am already using it! ^^).

My summer linen bag is roomy enough for everything a mother of two like me would need.

Feel free to change the measurements according to your needs. As I had a big whole piece of nice linen, I just cut it in half for my bag.

What I used:

15.5" x 15.5" exterior fabric (2 pcs.)

15.5" x 15.5" interior fabric (2 pcs.)

7.5" x 15.5" (interior pocket) (2 pcs.)

10.5" x 7.5" (interior pocket) (2 pcs.)

4.5" long elasticized band (2 pcs.)

zipper 

15.5" x 1.5" fabric for zipper band (4 pcs.)

sling of an old bag

Now that you have your materials, let's go make our bag!

Get 2 of your fabric bands for your zipper and your zipper. Place then in such a way that both fabrics have both of the right sides together and the zipper sandwiched between them. Sew a straight stitch using your zipper foot as guide.

Turn your fabrics upright and topstitch.

Do the same to the other fabric bands and the other unattached side of your zipper. So you'll have what you can see below.

Get your larger pocket pieces. With both fabrics right sides together sew a straight stitch on the top longer side of the fabric (you could appreciate the threads of the tag I sewed on front of the my pocket)

Turn it inside out and topstitch.

Turn again your piece so your fabrics are right sides together and sew a straight stitch on the other unsewn (yet) side of your pocket.

Turn your pocket.

And attach it to one of your bag's interior fabric. I didn't want it to be sewn with the bottom part of my bag so I placed it in such a way that I am leaving an approx. "3 allowance from the bottom edge of the interior fabric. 

Sew your pocket on. The sides could be basting stitches only but the bottom part should be a line of straight stitches with backtracks.

I have decided to divide my pocket in two unequal parts. I just divided it using my centered tag as my guide.

So, I had these pockets.

I assembled my other and smaller pocket by sewing a straight stitch on one both longer sides and just one short side. I turned it and topstitch the part which would be the top of my pocket.

I added a tag on the unsewn short side of the pocket.

I pinned it to my other interior fabric this way and sewn it on the fabric with straigh stitches with backtracks for the short side on the right of the photo and the bottom side of my pocket. The side with the tag sewn on was sewn using a basting stitch.

I added some elasticized bands to hold a bottle of water, the 1.5 liters kind of bottle. I pinned them first.

Then sewed a straight then a zigzag stitch.

Fold down your elastic and sew a straight stitch. Do the same to the other elastic.

Attach the other end of your elastic on the other side of your fabric. 

So, you have this.

Now, attach your bag pieces to your zipper band following these instructions.

With your zipper band attached, pin both interior fabrics together and exterior fabrics together. Sew a straight stitch on all sides except on the bottom of your interior fabric, leave at least 2"-3" for turning later. You can strenghten your stitches by sewing zigzag stitches.

Fold your bottom edges in such a way that you get a pointed edge. Draw a line 1.5"-2" from the pointy edge.

Sew a straight stitch then a zigzag stitch as shown below.

Do the same on all other sides. Turn your bag through the unsewn part and sew the unsewn part close.

Fold your top edge inwards and pin it if necessary.

Then topstitch.

I used extra fabrics for my bag's handle.

and tada! I already have a summer linen bag I really love! Do make your own and share it with us! ^^)

I hope you liked this tutorial. And do check our blog for more tutorials and free patterns.

Thanks a lot, Michael, for having us here today. We really enjoyed it!

Hugs,