Danielle's Easy Mesa Plaid Bag

I've been dreaming about a quick and easy sweater knit handbag for ages it seems -- imagining, designing, and sewing it... in my head. CF contributor Danielle, however, has gone ahead and sewn one in real life. Below is her finished project along with a few tips.

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Hello there! I'm back again for another sewing project with some gorgeous sweater knit fabrics. This time, it's the super interesting Color Grown Mesa Plaid Sweater Knit fabric from O! Jolly!. This fabric has a pronounced texture on one side, and a smooth, striped surface on the other side. So, of course, there's THE question -- which side do I want to be my "outside"? I quickly decided on the textured side.

I wanted to do something different for this project, something other than a sweater or top. So, I chose a simple cross body handbag to make. Now there are tons -- I mean, TONS -- of free PDF patterns online for handbags. I found my pattern, the Day Out Purse on Sew Mama Sew.

The one issue with this pattern is that it doesn't have a pattern piece for the strap. But that is a simple piece that you can cut out on your own. You may want a little short (strap) bag or a longer one. Just take a measurement over your shoulder or across your body in order to get the length of the strap.

These are materials I put aside for this project:
3/4 yd. sweater knit fabric
1/4 yd. lining fabric
Lightweight  iron-on interfacing (white)
Thread

This fabric is a little more stable than some of the other sweater knits, but I definitely wanted to stabilize it more. An item like a handbag will be manipulated a lot, and having a stretched out handbag is probably not something most of us want. My first thought was to stabilize with some felted fabric. However, I was planning on making a smaller bag, and knew that a thick (1/4" almost) fabric would add too much bulk. If you are making a larger bag, this may not play as big a role. Instead of fabric backing, I chose to just use fusible interfacing to stabilize it.

After  fusing interfacing onto the wrong side of my sweater knit, I cut out all of my pieces. Note: I did not interface my "flap" pieces. In hindsight, I should have, so I would definitely recommend interfacing all pieces.

I had about 3/4 yard of the fabric, so for the straps, I cut out 2 strips -- 2.5 inches x 25 inches. I stitched them together to get one long strap. Then I folded them lengthwise, stitched 1/4" from the edge, and then turned right-side-out.

The bag itself is very simple to make. With right sides together, I stitched around the sides and bottom edge of the bag, just leaving the straight edge open at the top. I repeated this with the lining and again with the flap. With the lining, I left an opening at the very bottom, to pull everything through at the end. Be sure to clip curves because sweater knits will produce bulky corners/curves.

Then, I simply pinned everything to the outside of the bag, matching up ends of the straps with the side seams of the bag. I positioned the flap (right side out) onto one side of the opening and then pinned the lining around the top edge of the bag exterior, sandwiching the flap and straps.

After stitching all the way around, the bag was just about done. I pulled everything through the opening in the lining and voila! I only had to close the opening in the lining with a slipstitch.  I did not use any kind of closure, but if you'd like to add an elastic loop (sewn into the seam of the flap) and a button, you can. Instructions on that type of construction, and even more variations are here.

This is a quick, no fuss project that yields very nice results in a short amount of time and doesn't require advanced sewing skills. If you'd like to get your feet wet before diving into more complicated sweater knit adventures, this is definitely a good starting point. Happy sewing!

Danielle

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Danielle Pierce, a fashion designer from Memphis, Tennessee, is also a skilled pattern maker and technical designer. Her clothing line, Danália by DP, specializes in resort wear for women. When not working on her own projects, Danielle assists other emerging fashion designers with production of their fashion lines. Danielle is currently preparing to launch her own blog and website. In the meantime, see some of Danielle's work here. Follow: Twitter - Instagram - Facebook

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Last update 04Apr2016

Using Folded Knit Hem Tape

I hadn't actually meant to post the folded knit hem tape info in 2 parts, but I realized earlier today that I'd never posted the final picture for yesterday's post about making the folded knit hem tape!

So if you were wondering what the tape looks like when it's actually sewn to a garment, this is it. The tape is sewn to the sweater or other garment with all raw edges together. The seam allowance is steamed toward the tape. In this case, I also stitched the seam allowance to the tape with a 3-step zigzag. In the picture above the hem is turned, steamed, and ready to be sewn by hand or machine. As I said in the original post, the permanently folded tape edge makes a nice reliable edge for sewing hems on sweater knits by hand or machine.

O!
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Last update: 22Mar2016

The Little Things - Folded Knit Hem Tape

I realized a couple of weeks ago, as I was prepping materials for last Saturday's sweater knits workshop that I have indeed become better and faster at making folded knit hem tape. What is folded knit hem tape, you ask? It's the knit tape that's my current favorite for hemming sweater knits. Bands and bindings as are great, but sometimes I want to hem a sweater knit. With Burda sewing patterns the tape can be used instead of regular bias tape or the special and elusive Vilene Bias Tape when hemming sweater knits. Except for shoulder stabilization, I'm not a fan of bias tape with a sweater knit. I want something stretchier and prefer using a knit tape when hemming a thick knit fabric. I sew the folded knit tape to the edge of the sweater knit garment before the hem is turned. Here are instructions from a Burda pattern for hemming a knit:

Fold bias tape in half lengthwise and press. Stitch folded bias tape to right fabric side of neck edge so that folded edge of tape lies on garment piece, 1 cm (3/8 in.) past seam line. Trim seam allowances. Turn bias tape to inside. Sew inside edge of bias tape in place by hand. 

Making folded knit hem tape is not nearly as clever as making continuous bias binding. (I've actually never made continuous bias binding, but it looks fun, and I'll make it one day when I have need for such a thing.) I find the act of making knit hem tape before it's actually needed to be quite relaxing, and it's super nice to have on hand. I used flyweight cotton rib to make my most recent batch. In the past I've used lightweight rayon jersey or nylon mesh. Making it with a rib fabric is easier, because the rib doesn't roll at the edges. I also prefer the feel of the flyweight cotton rib. I've sometimes cut the flyweight parallel to the ribs (the least stretchy direction) when I wanted to contain the stretch of the sweater knit edge a bit. This time I cut the hem tape perpendicular to the ribs (the more stretchy direction). I bonded the layers together to hold the fold and make it easier to sew to the sweater knit. There are many variations; this is how I made the tape pictured above.

Materials and Tools

• A half yard of cotton flyweight rib (I purchased mine at Mood Fabrics in NYC. It doesn't seem to be available online at this time.)
• Heat 'n Bond Tape Lite (affiliate link) - 7/8 in. wide, paper-backed 
• Rotary cutter and mat
• Transparent ruler
• Iron

Preparation: Wash and dry flyweight cotton rib. Square off fabric by trimming an edge perpendicular to the ribs.

Step 1.  With paper side up, I aligned the adhesive side of Heat 'n Bond parallel to trimmed edge of fabric. Leaving just a little fabric uncovered at the bottom edge prevented the adhesive from sticking to the ironing surface in Step 2. (Learned that one the hard way!)

Step 2.  With the iron set to "#3 Polyester" and no steam, I pressed tape along edge of the fabric for no more than 2 seconds per section.

Step 3.  After fabric became cool to touch, I peeled off the paper backing.

Step 4.  Next I folded up the edge. The width of the hem tape is determined at this point. I made mine about 1 1/8 inches.

Step 5.  To bond the folded edge, I pressed without steam and the iron at "#3 Polyester", this time for about 6 seconds per section.
Step 6.  I placed the rib fabric on a cutting mat and cut the folded edge with the rotary cutter.

(I'm guessing that Stitch Witchery (affiliate link) or similar fusible web would work instead of Heat 'n Bond, though the bonding instructions are slightly different.)

The resulting folded knit hem tape is stretchy. The raw edge was sewn to the raw edge of the sweater knit and then seam allowances trimmed. I'll sometimes steam the seam allowance toward the tape and stitch the seam allowance to the tape with a zigzag, before hemming. The permanently folded tape edge makes a nice reliable edge for sewing hems by hand or machine. Folded knit hem tape is not fancy or difficult to make. It's just a little thing and so worth the effort.

O!

ETA:  You can see the folded knit hem tape sewn to sweater knit and ready to be hemmed here.

Maggie's Baby Kimono

This is CF Contributor Maggie's last post. But before taking time off, Maggie modified a baby pattern to cut and sew a tiny sweater knit top for the little one on the way.
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With Baby G.’s arrival imminent, I have been busy making lots of new things for her, like burp cloths, recovering a rocker with a removable and machine washable cover, and tiny newborn clothes.

I think one of the most fun things about knowing how to sew and having a little girl is going to be all the cute outfits I get to make for her.

So I of course needed to make her a little sweater, since I am learning to sew with sweater knits. It's also a kimono style shirt and I just love it! Until I made it I wasn’t too concerned about her “going home outfit”. I just figured we would take a few onesies with us to the birthing center and pick one that fits. However, once I finished this project I knew immediately that this will be hers. I love the idea of dressing her in something that I made for her as the first clothing she ever wears. Maybe it's just the pregnancy hormones, but thinking about it makes me a little verklempt.

This little kimono is very easy to make and doesn’t take long. It was a great project as a second foray into sewing with sweater knits. I'm also becoming a big fan of sewing with cotton sweater knits. Especially if you are a beginner, they are very easy to sew with and don't take a whole lot of adjustments on your standard sewing machine.

For this project I used the Natural White Cotton Jersey from the O! Jolly! Shop. I LOVE this fabric. It's so soft and cuddly, which makes it perfect for baby items. Because it's cotton, it will also be easy to wash and really nice weight for early Spring when Baby G. will be wearing it.

For tools and settings on my machine, I used the auto tension setting, a Universal size 14 needle, a walking foot, a straight stitch for the bias binding and a zigzag stitch for the seams.

To make a newborn size kimono, you will need the following:
½ yard of sweater knit fabric
4 yards of coordinating bias binding
4 yards of knit stabilizer, cut to ½” thick. (I used Pellon EK130.)
3 metal sew-in snaps
3-4 decorative buttons (optional)
Martha Stewart Baby Kimono pattern (free)

If you want to make a larger size (instructions listed in the downloadable pattern) you will need more fabric, stabilizer and bias binding.

To begin, download the Martha Stewart pattern and make the modifications shown below.

Print the pattern and put it together per the directions. I made the shorter option without cuffs, so I cut off the excess on the sleeves and front/back.

I also modified the pattern pieces a bit because rather than hemming each piece, I added bias binding. To make this easier, I got rid of any corners and made them into smooth curves. I also modified the pattern pieces so that it was easier to sew the bias binding onto the fabric.

Next, turn the pattern into 3 pieces. Do this by first cutting the main piece in half on the dotted lines shown below:

Round off any corners and edges where the binding will be sewn (except for the sleeves). You should have 3 pattern pieces that look like this:


Place the pattern pieces on your fabric and cut out. Add stabilizer to all of the raw edges. Sew bias binding along the raw edges as shown on the patter pieces and the picture below. A straight stitch and all-purpose or walking foot will work for this step.


Now, match piece A to piece C, right sides together, and sew along the top of the sleeve. Repeat this step with piece B and C, right sides together. Sew both pieces at ⅜” seam allowance, with a zigzag stitch and a walking foot. Trim.

Add bias binding to the edges of the sleeves.

To finish sewing the garment, match the sleeves and sides of the sweater, right sides together and sew at a ⅜” seam allowance. Trim any raw edges and turn right side out.

The final step is to add metal snaps for closure and decorative buttons. First, sew a piece a 3" piece of bias binding (sewn shut to make a string) or sturdy ribbon about 8.5" from the bottom of the garment on the inside panel (see picture below). Sew the piece on at an angle and add a snap to the end.

Sew on the rest of the snaps. I eyeballed this step, marking where I wanted to place the snaps with a pencil to make sure they would match up. Finally, sew a few decorative buttons onto the front.

And it's done!

Maggie

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Maggie is a sewer and blogger living in North Carolina. She has known how to sew for as long as she can remember but admits to not being very good at it until just a few years ago. Maggie continues to learn something new every time she sits at her machine. Owner of UpSeam by Maggie, where she make handbags and wallets from upcycled fabrics and notions, Maggie also loves to share her knowledge and projects with others on her blog Miss Maggie Makes.

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Last update 22Apr2016