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New Lunch Bag

5/22/2018

3 Comments

 
My old lunch bag made of oilcloth (a kind of lightweight vinyl) served me well for about a year, but even good things must come to an end!  In this case, oil from my hands disintegrated the vinyl grips, while occasional heavy lunches took out the bottom corners.  So I came home from work one day, shook my head, and pulled it apart to make a new one! 
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Sad state of handles
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I've un-sewed the bottom, but you can still see the worn corners
This time, I decide to use some heavy cotton cloth... an organic cotton canvas made by Birch Fabrics.  The pattern is called "Poppies Paprika" and is now out of stock.  I don't know where I got this fabric, but I have a few scraps of it in my stash and keep thinking I'll turn them into a hat!  Well, first I'll turn some of them into a lunch bag.  I use the vinyl pieces as patterns for my new cotton pieces.  

The project comes together really fast, and is pretty much the same procedure as the first time I made it, except that it's easier to manipulate fabric under the machine than vinyl.  So if you want to see how to make a bag, check out the post about the original bag.  Today, I'll simply show the new version and highlight a few differences.  Below are the cut pieces I'm working with:
Picture
This time, I sew the facing for the top edge to the inside first, then fold it to the outside.  I like that look better, since then the top-stitching has a mount to sit on.  The raw edges of the handles are enclosed in the facing and top-stitched down, then turned upward and top-stitched in place that way. 
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Exterior facing with handles sewn in
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Handles pinned up for the next lines of top-stitching.
I like the labels printed in the selvedge because the birds in the logo make me smile...
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So I use that selvedge inside one of the handles! 
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The original vinyl bag was finished on the inside with a glued-down bottom piece.  Liking that pop of color down there (and thinking to protect my seam allowances from wear), I do something similar with this bag; I cut a bottom piece and serge its edges, then pin it in place and top-stitch around its perimeter. 
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And my finished bag...  a lot floppier than the vinyl one, but hopefully longer-lasting! 
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3 Comments
The Sister
5/31/2018 10:34:45 am

I'm intrigued by your affinity for large-print fabrics! I know you've always loved colors, so that's not surprising. But this pattern reminds me of the old BEST building, remember?

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/97/66/5b/97665b0cce65e7c221348bdb1ec5c390.jpg

(Did you know that pattern was actually a mosaic!?!? Apparently there is a piece of it in some museum still.)

Anyway, I'm glad you've got a new, cute lunchbag! I'm sure it'll pop nicely against all your outfits.

Reply
Karen Roy link
5/31/2018 08:47:39 pm

I remember the BEST building! I always thought that each letter was better than the last, which is why they just got bigger and bigger. I also remember thinking (at the time) that the pattern looked like those rubber suction cup flowers people used to put on their shower floors so they wouldn't slip. But now I see a picture of it, and you're right: that does look like my lunch bag! Weird!

Reply
The Sister
6/1/2018 12:31:58 pm

She's goin' retro!

Reply



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    Karen Roy

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