Bag of the Week 45

Asian Portfolio

I started this portfolio during a class at The Sewing Expo at the end of September.  All supplies and the instructions were provided, and I felt lucky that the fabrics selected were so lovely and to my liking.  The first step was to embroider a crane on dark brown velveteen; this piece became the back panel. 

Next, I strip pieced the various printed cottons to make the body of the bag.  The flap’s Courthouse Steps design was pieced from leftover strips and more of the velveteen.  The three elements were sewn together and the entire piece interfaced with iron on interfacing.  Next came a layer of canvas that was basted to the wrong side of the resulting panel.  The side seams were sewn and the bottom corners boxed.  A lining was added and the raw edges bound with a bias strip.  The scariest part was cutting the hole for the grommet; I proceeded with baby steps, gradually increasing the size of the cut hole until it was right.  I found it helpful to stitch around the opening before cutting to ensure the three layers could be cut as one unit.  The strap, which is edged with a serged wave stitch, was attached last.

I really love this bag and think it is very reflective of my style and taste.  I plan to use it to carry books and notepads to my various sewing events and meetings.  It can also hold a laptop.  I had enough scraps left over to create another little bag which I featured a few weeks ago.  All in all, a nice class with a beautiful finished product.