“Coach” Style Handbag – Free Sewing Tutorial
Materials Needed:
Outer Fabric-1 yd.
Lining-1 1/2 yds.
Fusible Fleece-for this bag I used a mix of Joann's version and Walmart's version. Joann's is a
lighter weight fleece and I used this on the lining. Walmart's is heavier and I used it on the outer
bag. Depending on the width of the interfacing, you would need 1/2 - 1 yd for it. I also use
Joann's for the handles.
Heavyweight fusible interfacing-2yds to be safe. I use this interfacing for the pockets and the
underside of the flap.
1 magnetic snap or closure of your choice.
fray check
plastic grid
pins
scissors
rotary cutter
matt
fabric pencil (something that doesn’t show up much. Just enough for you to see.)
*Unless otherwise stated, use 1/2" seam allowance.
Cut from the outer fabric
-two pieces 4''x45'' (handles)
-two pieces 20''x16 From each body piece, you are going to cut out the two bottom corners.
These will be a 2 ½” square. (body)
-two pieces 7''x14'' (flap)
Cut from lining fabric
-two pieces 20"x16'' From each body piece, you are going to cut out the two bottom corners.
These will be a 2 ½” square. (body)
-two pieces 8"x14" (flap)
-one piece 16"x48" (pockets)
*the pocket piece is for a bag that has pleated pockets on the bottle pockets, which are the
pockets on each end of the bag. If you want all the pockets pleated, you'll want to cut a piece
that measures 16"x56"
-one piece 2"x6" (key fob loop)
From the fusible fleece cut:
Two pieces 7”x14”
four pieces 20”x16”
two pieces 4”x45”
From the fusible heavyweight interfacing cut:
Two pieces 8”x14”
One piece 16”x48”
One piece 2”x6”
Handles
1. Fold in a 1/2" down the length of each side of your handle piece and iron flat.
2.Fold the handle in half length wise and press.
3. Pin in place.
4. Sew a 1/4" from the side down the length of the fabric, on each side.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 on the second handle piece and the key fob loop.
Pocket
1. With right sides together, fold fabric in half length wise and pin in place.
2. Starting at one end, sew piece together. Stop about half way around, backstitching for
strength.
3. Skip about 8" and begin sewing again. Backstitch at the beginning for strength, and continue
on around to the end of the pocket, backstitching again.
4. Clip all corners, making sure not to cut your stitches!!! :) It HAS been done!
5. Turn right side out using a pointed tool to give sharp corners. (I use scissors)
6. Iron the opening to give a nice clean, crisp edge for sewing closed.
7. Backstitching at both ends, sew your opening closed. You can also slip stitch this spot, but in
the end, if you’re careful, you’ll sew a line right over this seam and no one will be the wiser! Set
this piece aside for later.
8. Topstitch along the top of the pocket piece.
Flap
1. I forgot to take pictures of this piece before I started working with it so I’ll try to explain
what I did. The measurements are 14x7 and 14x8 for these four pieces. I cut a 45degree
angle using my rotary blade and quilters ruler. There are three different angle guides on
it to make this super easy. Lay your piece on your quilters matt up and down in front of
you. Measure ¾” from the left side of your piece along the bottom of the fabric. (This is
along the short side.) Make a mark. Line your ruler at this mark and then decide how
sharp you want your angle to be. Mine was 45 degrees as I already mentioned. Cut this
corner off on all four pieces.
VERY IMPORTANT You can layer the solid color
pieces together and the pattern pieces together to cut them. Make sure that they are
either right sides together or wrong sides together. It doesn’t matter which you
choose because both will have the same result. If say, right sides are both facing up
when you cut the fabric you will have to scrap it and start over.
2. Iron your interfacing to all four pieces.
3. Choose your two pattern pieces, which should be the smaller pieces. Pin them in place,
right sides together.
4. Sew along the sides and bottom, leaving the top open for turning.
(can you see the shape?)
5. Clip into each corner just to the stitching. Be sure you don’t cut your stitches!
6. Turn piece inside out.
7. Stretch out your fabric along the edge to give a cleaner edge, and pin in place.
8. Top stitch along all three edges.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 for other flap piece.
10. Lay your pattern flap piece on top of your solid piece and adjust it to your liking. Pin in place.
11. Sew along your top stitching line to attach patterned fabric to solid fabric.
12. Attach the male side of your magnetic snap to this piece. I centered mine along the 8” line, on
the angle. Set aside for later.
Assembling Main Body of bag
1. Pin pieces right sides together. Sew along bottom and two sides backstitching on all ends.
2. Grab the corners of the 2 ½” squares you cut from the corners and pull apart.
3. Pin this seam in place and sew, backstitching at each end. I also stitch over the side seams a few
times as well for added strength.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for other corner of the main body of the bag. This creates the boxed bottom
look. Turn right side out.
5. Attach the female half of the magnetic snap. You can measure to ensure it is centered, and/or
you can attach the two pieces together, fold over the pinned down flap, and make a mark on
the designated place you want the other half to be.
Assembling the lining and its pockets
1. Take your two body pieces and align them right sides together. Sew down one side only!
2. Snag that pocket piece you prepped earlier.
3. With the body pieces lying open in front of you, Measure 1” up from the 2 ½” square you cut
and ¾” to the right of the square you cut.
4. Pin this side of the pocket down.
5. Keep your pocket piece flat and move to the next square you cut out. Measure the same
distance from your square. Pin here.
6. Now, go to the top of the pocket and measure in from the seam of the lining piece 2 ¾” . Pin or
make a mark. Draw a line here connecting these two marks or pins.
7. Measure between the first set of pins and the second set of pins. This should be 13”. Locate
the middle mark, and pin or draw a line here. This will be your line dividing the large section
into two pockets. We will be sewing down that line later.
8. Go back to the seam of your lining pieces. This is the end of your bag where we’ll be placing two
box pleats to create one of two bottle pockets. Measure 1” to the right of the mark or pin you
made in step 5. This should be along the bottom edge of the pocket piece. From this point grab
a pinch of fabric that will be 1 ½” long to create a box pleat facing the left. The pleat itself is ¾”
long. Pin this in place.
9. Repeat step 8, only do a mirror image of it.
10. As you can see in the above picture, the blue pin marks the spot that is 1” up and ¾” to the right
of the square cut from the corner of the fabric. Find this spot and mark it. Move up to the top
of the pocket piece. Measure from the seam, 2 ¾” and pin the top of the pocket piece in place.
You will be drawing a line here.
11. Make sure your pockets are lying flat. From the line you drew, measure along your pocket piece
13” and then make a mark. Do this on the top and bottom. Draw a line connecting the two. Pin
in place. This line should be roughly 3 ¼” from the edge of the lining piece. (remember, it’s not
sewn together yet, otherwise it would 2 ¾” to the seam.) You should have a flap of pocket piece
left over. Just leave this for later. We have one more line to mark and measure. The 13” that
you measured a little bit ago, let’s go back and divide that in half. Make a mark at the 6 ½” spot
on both the top and bottom of the pocket piece. Draw aline connecting the two marks. Pin this
in place.
12. Now, to sew down all those lines we just drew. You should have 5 lines that you need to sew
over and then sew down the edge of the pocket piece where you very first started pinning it. I
usually start with this seam and then move down the line. Be sure to backstitch at each end of
each line.
13. Sew along the bottom of the pocket piece, attaching it all along the bottom. Except for that flap
piece at the end. Backstitch at each end.
14. Pin the other side of your lining pieces together. Sew down the other side making sure to keep
that flap out of the way!!! If you have a keyfob, pin that in place and be sure it gets caught in
your seam.
15. The edge of the flap should meet the edge that is already sewn down. Pin this in place and sew
it down. This is awkward, but doable. You are trying to sew inside a tube of fabric which is
difficult. You should be left with a hole that you can fit your arm through. This is the other
bottle pocket at the other end of the bag. Two more box pleats and you are done with the
pockets!! WOOHOO!!
16. Repeat steps 8 & 9. The edge of your pleats should end up being ¾” away from the side seam of
the bottle pocket and right in line with the 2 ½” square. Hope this helps figure it out. ☺
18. Pin the bottom of your lining together and sew. Be sure to backstitch at both ends and leave a
6-7” space for turning the bag right side out. Backstitch these ends as well so you don’t lose the
stitches while turning.
19. Repeat steps 1-4 from assembling the main body of the bag.
Assembling the Mod Diaper Bag
1. With the main body right side out, pin the flap to the back of your bag, with right sides
together.
2. Put the main body inside the lining. Right sides should be together.
3. The flap should be nestled between the two. Slip the handles in between here as well. The
handles should be roughly 4” in from your side seams. Go back and adjust the flap to make sure
it is centered between the handles on the backside of your bag. Pin everything in place, all the
way around the bag.
4. Sew all the way around the top edge of the bag. I like to give it about ¾” seam allowance here.
Just ensure I catch everything in the seam.
5. Reach inside through that hole you left in the lining, and pull the main body through that hole.
Everything will come through that hole.
6. Cut a piece of plastic grid to fit the whole bottom of your bag. Feed this through the hole in the
lining and adjust it to your liking.
7. Make sure you’ve caught everything, flap, handles, etc…BEFORE you sew up the hole in the
lining. Another little tidbit I’ve learned along the way. ☺
8. You may want to pin all around the top edge of your bag to make sure that the top seam is as
spread apart as you can get it. I do this, but I don’t have a photo of it.
9. Topstitch along the top edge of your bag, all the way around. Press and…
Voila! Here is the finished product!
0 comment:
Post a Comment