Stitch
the ends and the centres of the tucks to the lining/wadding. Stitch along the
bottom of the pockets, re-inforcing at the folds by doing 2 or 3 extra rows of
stitches. (Photo 1)
Workshop Bag
For the lining:-
2 pieces of fabric one for the lining and one for the outer bag - 23 x 32. Wadding 23 x 32.
Pin the wadding to the lining and attach the pockets to that piece.
Top Pockets:-
Piece of fabric 24 x 7.
Fold fabric in half lengthways. Right sides inside. Stitch down the one of the short sides and the long side. Turn right sides to the outside and turn in the raw edge and pin. (At this stage, an edging can be added to the top of the pockets. Take a strip of contrasting fabric and attach to the top of the pockets by sewing it like a binding to a quilt. All pockets can be treated in this way, so I wont mention it again.) Pin pocket strip to lining, 2 from the top and centred. Make tucks at desired intervals. I made 3 tucks to form 4 pockets. Tucks
Stitch
the ends and the centres of the tucks to the lining/wadding. Stitch along the
bottom of the pockets, re-inforcing at the folds by doing 2 or 3 extra rows of
stitches. (Photo 1)
Ruler Pocket:-
1 piece of fabric 14 x 14
Fold in half, right sides together. Stitch along two edges and turn right sides out. Fold unstitched edge in and pin.
Pin to lining 0.5 above base line and 1.5 from left edge of lining. Stitch in place, reinforcing where stress could occur in the corners. (Photo 2)
Scissors Pocket:-
1 piece of fabric 15 x 4.5
Fold in half lengthways, right sides together. Pin and stitch 2 sides. Turn out and press seams. Tuck raw edges in and pin. Pin to lining 0.5 above base line and 1.5 from the right edge of the lining. Stitch, reinforcing the corners. (Photo 3)
Turn the lining/wadding upside down now so that the top half is now the blank part and the pockets face downwards at the bottom.
Document Pocket:-
1 piece of fabric 28 x 11
Fold in half lengthways, right sides together. Stitch 2 sides and turn right sides out. Press seams and turn in 3rd raw edge. Pin. Pin to the lining so that the opening part of the pocket faces in to the centre of the lining facing the right-hand side of the bag. Stitch, reinforcing the corners. (Photo 4)
Rotary Cutter Pocket:-
1 piece of fabric 17 x 6.5
Fold in half lengthways, right sides together. Stitch 2 sides and turn right sides out. Press seams and turn in 3rd raw edge. Pin. Pin to the lining, the top level with the top of the Documents Pocket and 1.5 away from the right-hand side of the bag. Stitch, reinforcing the corners.
Pencil Case:-
2 pieces of fabric 8.5 x 4.5. 8 closed zip.
Fold under one long edge of first piece of fabric, wrong sides together. Pin the zip on to this piece, right sides together. (Short edge of fabric to right side of zip.) Stitch close to the teeth using zip foot. (Photo 5)
Match the sides, pin the zip to the other piece of fabric in the same way as the first one. Stitch close to the teeth using the zip foot. (Photo 6)
Turn the pocket so that the right sides are together and stitch round the three sides to make a bag. Ensure that the zip is left part open before pinning and stitching to make turning it out to the right sides easier.
Pin the finished pencil case to the lining 1.5 away from the right-hand side of the bag and 0.5 above the base line. (Just under the Rotary Cutter Pocket.) (Photo 7)
Ties for the block holder:-
2 pieces of fabric 1.5 x 20
On each strip, fold under 0.25 at each end. Fold in 0.25 on one long side, wrong sides together. Fold in 0.5 on the other long side. Again, wrong sides together. Fold the 0.25 folded side over the 0.5 side to cover the raw edge. (Photo 8)
Pin and sew. Repeat for the other tie. This could be a good time to try out those fancy stitches on your machine! (Photo 9)
On the 3 x 22 base part of the lining, mark two points 6 from the centre on both the left and the right sides of the base. These marks should also be halfway between the two sets of pockets (2 from either top or bottom.) Find the centre of each of the ties and pin to the base at the marks. (Photo 10)
Stitch across the ties several times to anchor them to the lining.
Handles:-
2 pieces. Length to suit you. Width 5. Wadding 2 x 2.5 x length.
Put wadding in centre of handle fabric which is right side down on table. Fold fabric over wadding to centre on one side. Fold over fabric to centre on other side, but turn under 0.25 to lay over the first folded piece. (Photo 11)
Pin and stitch down the centre. Stitch a couple of rows down either side of the centre. This strengthens the handle. If your machine has a walking foot, it would be a good time to use it. If, not, treat yourself to one or hint to the family that you need one for birthday/Christmas! (Photo 12)
Repeat for other handle.
Flaps:-
2 pieces of fabric 14 x 7 Stitch n Stitch Velcro 2 x 12.5 strips hook and loop.
Fold the fabric in half lengthways, right sides together. Stitch up both short sides and turn right side out. (Photo 13)
Pin hooked Velcro to the folded side of the flap, 0.25 in from the folded edge. Stitch in place. Stitch the ends a few times for extra strength.
Repeat for the other flap. (Photo 14)
Lay the flaps, Velcro side down, on top of the pocketed lining as shown in Photo 15. The open edges of the flaps should lay along the side of the lining where the gusseted pockets and the Ruler Pocket are. Pin in place temporarily.
Pin the handles to the top of the bag where the gusseted pockets are on one side and Documents Pocket is on the other side. Lay the handles down seam side up either side of the centre of the bag. I used small handles, so only placed each end 1 away from the centre mark on both sides. (Photo 16)
If you wish to put pockets on the outside of the bag, now is the time to attach them to the bag fabric in the same way as the previous ones, but without the wadding. Leave at least 2 along each of the edges because the Velcro loop strips go on there.
To attach the Velcro loop strips, place the bag fabric and lining sides together temporarily and mark where the flaps come round. Pin and sew the Velcro loop strips to the right side of the bag fabric. Remove the lining whilst you do this! (Photo 17)
To attach the lining to the bag fabric, place the lining and bag, right sides together and pin round 1 long side and the two short sides. In the other long side leave a gap of about 10in the middle where the base is see Photo 18 where the scissors are.
Ensure the tops of the flaps and the ties dont get caught up in the seams. Use your walking foot to stitch the bag and lining where pinned. Do extra stitches over the handles to give added strength. Turn the bag the right way out by pulling it through the gap you left in the side. Poke the corners with a wooden knitting needle or a chopstick to get them squared up as you pull the bag through.
Stitch across the two base lines. This will help keep the bags shape. If you wish to strengthen the base, slip in a piece of cardboard or plastic to fit the shape of the base.
Slip stitch the gap you left in the side of the bag. (Photo 19)
Top stitch all the way round the edges using the walking foot. Take care not to catch the base stiffener as it may break the needle.
To make the blockholder, take a 15 length of plastic drainpipe (about 10mm in diameter). Cover the pipe with fabric. Cover the ends with Suffolk puffs. Hinge the puffs to the tube by sewing a few stitches on one side. Take a 20 length of very thin cord or ribbon and attach its centre to the opposite side of the puff. Stitch a loop to the side of the tube near the top so that the ribbon/chord can anchor down the puff. Do the same for the other end, or seal up one end by stitching a circle of fabric over it. Use the tube to hold reels of thread and bobbins.
Finally, stand back and admire your beautiful bag! (Photo 20)
Jan.