Sewing bags, totes and purses can be deeply satisfying. It is such a joy to hold the finished project in your hand and marvel that you made it yourself.
It can however, also be a little overwhelming particularly when you are starting out and all the tools, techniques and terminology can seem a little strange. Then as you become more skilled and also more adventurous there seems to be even more complicated stuff and bag hardware to get your head around. What is the difference between a triangle ring and a D ring anyway???
BUT.. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, look at it as having countless opportunities to learn new things and grow as a bag making sewist.
This learning hub is a work in progress and is divided into three main sections, Bag Making Newbie, Advanced Beginner to Intermediate and Advanced Bag Maker.
As it develops, each section will contain information and resources relevant to those stages in a bag maker's journey.
Feel free to jump into any section.
So you're keen to start sewing bags, but hmm....where to begin?
So, what tools do you need to get started, apart from the obvious needle, scissors thread etc. I recommend the following, many of which you may already have:
You may already be an experienced sewist, have seen a bag pattern you like and feel confident to jump right in. If not, or if the instructions turn out to be a tad confusing than you expected, an ideal place to start is by sewing a simple lined, box-bottomed zipper pouch.
Sewing a lined, box-bottomed zipper pouch.
Skills you'll learn:
You can easily find tutorials on YouTube or try the Harlequin pouch by Crafted By Leanne, a free pattern available from her Facebook group. With this pattern, you will also learn some simple piecing and joining techniques.
Once you've sewn your pouch, check out some other free patterns. I have a handy article here Top 10 free Bag Making Sewing Patterns.
For your first project I recommend using lighter weight fabrics such as quilting cotton or lighter weight canvas etc. particularly as you will likely be using a domestic machine. These thinner fabrics will enable you to learn the basic skills without feeling like you've been in a wrestling match at the end of it.
Cottons and canvas still make really nice bags and as your confidence
Interfacing is not a place to skimp. Seriously do not use cheap non-woven fusible interfacing on your main bag fabric, it does not "move" with the fabric and often looks lumpy or bubbly.
As you start reading patterns you will see that they mostly call for a medium weight woven fusible interfacing. Pellon SF101 is often mentioned and is excellent, although quite expensive. There are many alternatives, depending where in the world you are. In Australia/New Zealand Birch Shape to create is very good. This article will tell you more:
Which interfacing is better: Shape to Create or Pellon SF101?
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