It’s week 3 of the Take-Along Sew Along - let’s finish up the bag portion of the Take Along-Tote! To catch up on previous posts:
The Take-Along Tote is designed to take along when you are off on a full day of shopping, doctor’s appointments, or what have you. The tote converts from a generous shoulder bag to a walker or wheelchair tote. This means that the caregiver can conveniently carry the tote for the day, or your loved one can attach it to a walker and have all the essentials at hand! The bag is made with foam - specifically Bosal’s In-R-Form Plus Fusible Foam to protect your belongings.
Did I mention I just love working with the vivacious Delightful Dreams collection from QT Fabrics? Click here to learn more!
And just a reminder: 50% of the proceeds for the sales of Delightful Dreams will be donated to Quilts for Kids, a non-profit dedicated to bringing comfort through quilts to kids like Josie with cancer and other illnesses and challenges across the country.
Let's dive into the sewing.! After we left off last week, we assembled the back lining panel (love the funky lining fabric) with the security pocket panel – step 7. The back lining panel now looks like this:
Because the lining is so colorful, you may not be able to see this, I added a ribbon zipper pull to the zipper, just for convenience.
Before step 8, I added a pocket to the front panel, roughly the same size as the outer front pocket. This is not in the pattern, but I had enough lining fabric to add it. Instead of dividing the pocket in half, I stitched it down 5” from either side. The center will be stitched down in step 9.
In step 8, we stitch the front and back lining panels together. Pretty standard here - just remember to keep the bottom open, as we will need to access the panels later.
On to step 9, where we start to put this all together! Take the outer bag and place it inside the assembled lining panels from step 8. The flap is inside.
Stitch all around the top and pull right sides out. Before topstitching, press the seam toward the lining, from the right side. This will reduce bulk in the topstitched edge.
Now press the edges. I am using a sleeve board inside the bag, between the front and back to help in pressing.
When topstitching, clamp the edges with Wonder Clips to avoid shifting. Attach the walking or even-feed foot and set the stitch length to a longer stitch (I prefer2.6-mm). Stitch from the outside, right along the edge. Continue along the back side when you get to the flap.
Now we baste the bottom edges together, front to front lining and back to back lining.
By keeping the bottom open, we can stitch through the dividing line of the front pocket, which is now dividing the extra inside pocket we added – it also adds some stability to the lining. Easy!
In step 10, make and add hanging loops so that the user can attach the bag to the walker. First, here are parachute buckles we are using; let’s designate opening side A, and prong side B:
For the A side, simply thread the webbing through the opening closest to the opening, fold back onto the webbing and stitch to the webbing.
For the B side of the buckle, thread the webbing through the opening closest to the prong:
Then thread it through the opening beside it.
To prevent the webbing from falling out, stitch the raw end twice. Tip – it you have trouble starting at the webbing, you may need to use a hump jumper – this handy little device helps by elevating the presser foot to the same height as the webbing.
Here is the finished loop:
The loop is stitched at the side seams.
An image of the loops sewn to the bag, over the side seam (you can see the D-ring above it, where you will attach the shoulder strap):
We are finally able to stitch the bottom seam. We will bind with a single fold binding technique – this technique reduces bulk by using fewer layers of fabric in the binding.
Here is a view of the boxed corners; after the corners are boxed, we will apply the single fold binding here, as well. I leave the binding ends raw and apply fray check to them.
And here is our finished bag – sans the shoulder strap – stay tuned for that next week!
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Next week, we will riff on a guitar style strap for the bag! Until then, keep on stitching! -Kris
