Showing posts with label Peltex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peltex. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Tutorial: Roll-Up Shopping Bag

Gosh, it's like old times... me doing free tutorials on my blog! It's been a while...


This shopping bag is simple enough for relative beginners to sew, and is a quicker alternative to the Zip-Away Shopping Bag (although not as fancy!).  It is made to roll up, so that it can be carried conveniently in a handbag.



I'll be demonstrating how to make this foldaway shopping bag at the Spotlight Inspiration Space at The Royal Melbourne Show on Wednesday, so I thought it best to have the back-up of the process written up as a resource for everyone to tap into.  If you're going to the show, you can find me there at these times. I'll be adding tips and tricks and lots of chat to these basic instructions, so do come along - you might learn something and you'll make me feel a bit better for having an audience!



(My apologies for the quality of the photos in this tutorial. Limited time during daylight hours and an AWOL digital camera resulted in these being shot on an iPad at night time. But you know... it's free...so who's complaining...?)

Simple Foldaway Shopping Bag


YOU WILL NEED:

3 x fat quarters 2 x matching, 1 x contrast
35cm x 6mm or 12mm elastic
35cm double-sided fusible Peltex / Legacy Fuse And Shape / Fast2Fuse
1m x 15-20mm fusible tape with paper backing or vliesofix cut into strips
A tailors awl/stiletto


A. CUT

Matching Fat Quarters
2 x Length (parallel to selvedge) of fat quarters (about 50cm) x 50cm. Tidy up to make all edges straight and all corners 90-degree angles.

Elastic - 1 x 20cm 1 x 15cm

Contrast Fat Quarter –
Straps – 2 x Length of FQ x 10cm
Base – 2 x 37.5cm x 15cm

Double-sided Peltex/Legacy Fuse and Shape / Fast2Fuse - Bag Base – 34.5cm x 12cm, with the length running parallel to the side edges of the Peltex, as it comes off the roll.





B. PREPARE

1. Fold the bag body in half lengthwise and snip a small notch top and bottom to mark the centre points of both edges.

2. On the top edge, measure and snip notches 9cm and 11cm from the centre notch on both sides of centre. On the bottom edge, measure and snip notches 17.5cm from the centre notch on both sides of center.



3. Fold and press the straps to make a 4-fold strap.


4. Topstitch the strap with four or five even rows.


5. Fuse the Peltex between the two layers of the base fabric, leaving an even seam allowance around all four edges.


6. Fold the base in half lengthwise and widthwise, snipping a notch to mark the centre on all four sides.

7. Fold elastic in half and stitch the raw ends to the centre notch on one of the short ends.




C. SEW THE BAG

1. Seam the side seams of the bag body. (I like to use a French Seam, but you could equally plain seam with a 12mm seam allowance and overlock or zigzag the edges.)

To sew a French seam:
a) Place the two bag pieces wrong sides together and stitch the side seams with a 4-5mm (a very scant ¼ inch) seam allowance, backstitching at both ends of the seam.

b) Press the seam allowances open.

c) Turn the back wrong side out. Press the side seams flat, folding neatly along the seam line.

d) Stitch the seam with a 6-7mm (a generous ¼ inch) seam allowance, backstitching at both ends of the seam.



2. On the bottom edge of the bag, find the centre notch and align it with a centre notch on one of the long edges of the bag base, with the right side of the bag fabric facing the side of the base that has the elastic on it. Pin the centre notches together with the pin at a right angle to the edge of the fabric.

3. Align the bag fabric to the long edge of the bag base, matching the notches on the bag fabric with the ends of the Peltex within the bag base. Pin them together exactly at this notch point, with the pin at a right angle to the edge of the fabric, as shown below. There should be 1.5cm seam allowance overhanging beyond the pin.


4. With a 1.5cm seam allowance, stitch between the outer pins (without crossing over them) to attach the bag to the base along the long edge. Repeat steps 2 to 4 to attach the other side of the bag to the base.


5. Snip at a 45-degree angle from the edge of the seam allowance to the very ends of the backstitched seams.

6. Match the unattached part of the bottom edge of the bag to the base, aligning the centre notches on the base to the side seams of the bag. If there is any excess fabric in the bag, smooth it into a tuck at the side seam, so that the fabric sits smooth and flat at the corner points.

7. Backstitching at both ends of the seam, stitch across the short ends of the bag and base with a 1.5cm seam allowance.

8. Overlock/serge or zig-zag around the four sides of the bag base, catching all layers of fabric in the stitch.

9. With the bag fabric to the top as you work at the machine, fold the seam allowance on a long edge of the base to match its outer edge to the seamline.  Use an awl to help hold the fabric in place, and stitch the edge of the seam allowance down, a few mm from the overlocked edge. Repeat this for the other long edge, and then each of the two short edges, in turn.



You have now attached the base – turn it through to the right side.

D. ATTACH THE HANDLES

1. Fold the 15cm length of elastic in half and – on the right side of fabric – stitch the loop in place over a centre notch on the top edge of the bag, as shown below.

2. Again, on the right side of fabric, centre the raw ends of a straps to the notches on the top edge of one side of the bag. Making sure that there are no twists in the strap, pin and then stitch the strap firmly into place about 1cm from the edge of fabric. Repeat for the other strap on the other side of the bag.


3. Fuse 15mm (5/8'') fusible tape (or strips of fusible webbing cut with a ruler and blade to this width) on the right side of fabric, all the way around the top of the bag, aligning the edge of tape with the raw edge of fabric.

4. Fold and press the top edge, using the paper as an edge to make a clean fold.


5. Working on the inside of the bag, with the straps and elastic hanging down on the inside of the bag, fold and press a second turning, using the other side of the tape as the folding edge. Then take the backing paper off the tape and press the double-turned hem into place.


6. Topstitch the hem turning to the bag fabric, 1-2mm from the inner folded edge.



7. Lift the straps out of the bag. Working on one strap end at a time, smooth the strap (from where it attaches to the bag) over the top edge. 


8. Turn the bag to the right side of fabric and stitch a reinforcement x-in-a-box shape between the top of the bag and the hem stitchline, to hold the strap firmly in place.


9. With the elastic still facing down into the bag, stitch a reinforcement over the ends that are enclosed within the hem.


You now have a finished bag!


You can fold up the bag from top to bottom, and then roll it into the base. Flip the elastic around the whole she-bang and you’re ready to go shopping!





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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Comparing Vilene and Pellon Interfacings / Interlinings

Anyone who knows my work will know that I'm an unashamed interfacings geek.
 
I can (and do) bang on at about interfacings at great length and in an excited manner, and have a particular squeal of delight, reserved for those "Eureka" moments when I discover something new that can be achieved with the right choice of interfacing.
 
(Ok, I may be exaggerating about the squeal being exclusive to interfacing... I start throwing around hyperbole when I get excited...)
 
The tricky thing is, that when I recommend an interfacing in a pattern or book project, it's because the properties of that particular interfacing determines the look of the finished project ... but not all of the interfacings that I use are available worldwide (particularly in the USA).  And to complicate matters further, the products that are available as substitutes in other parts of the world (read: USA) are not necessarily available to me here, in Australia.  It's hard to know what to recommend when I don't know what the equivalents are.
 
Of course, there are online resources with substitution charts, but the little that I know is enough to know that these charts are not always reliable, for my purposes (for example, I saw Peltex 71 as a substitute for Vilene S520.  Peltex is simply not going to work for many of the uses that I have for Vilene S520). 
 
In a desperate attempt to give myself an International Interfacings Education (so that I can write an international sewing book), I begged the lovely folks at Pellon to send me samples of what they thought would be substitutes for the Vilene products that I use.  Bless them, they sent this box full.... and I've been playing with it for a couple of weeks.
 
So.. what did I discover?
 
I use three different weights of woven, fusible interfacing, from a soft collaring weight (medium-heavy)  through to a voile weight (medium-light).  Of course, there are other weights of woven interfacing available here - heavier and lighter - but these are the three that suit my needs for most things.
 
Pellon SF 101 (Shapeflex) comes in somewhere in the middle - like our medium weight.  It's a lovely interfacing and is a good all-rounder for bag-making.  If I suggest using "medium-heavy interfacing", you could probably get away with using Shapeflex, but if you have access to anything a smidge denser, I'd give that a go.  If I suggest using "medium-light interfacing", I'm referring to something about half the weight of Shapeflex (more gauze-like).
 
I use Vilene H630 and Vilene H640 Fleece/Wadding all of the time, to create structure in bags and purses.  They're lightweight, fusible and create loft without too much density (which makes them easy on the sewing machine needles), and they can be used in conjunction with other interfacings (read more about that here).

Pellon 987F Fusible Fleece is the recommended substitute for H630, but I think that it's more suitable as a substitute for H640.  It's denser (more felt-like) than both of  the Vilene fleece/wadding products, and the effect on the fabric is much heavier.  It creates much more structure (and thickness) than the light "oomph" that H630 gives to fabric.

You can see the difference a bit more clearly in profile... That's the Pellon fleece between the H640 (back) and H630 (front).

 I'm not sure what to suggest to use as a substiute for  H630 (light fusible fleece).  I'd welcome any suggestions from those of you in the USA (or other non-Vilene H630 territories), if you've found something to do the trick.

Fast2Fuse, Peltex and TimTex are all stiff, compressed-fibre interfacings, of diffferent densities and fusible properties.  Below, we have Heavyweight Fast2Fuse at front, TimTex in the middle and Peltex 71 at the back.
 Fast2Fuse comes in a Regular weight and Heavy weight.  I tend to use the Regular weight on the outside of bags and purses that I want stiffened (often with a layer of H630 between the fabric and the Fast2Fuse), and it's also handy for zipper tabs and some of the fancy new (secret squirrel) things I'm currently working on.  I use the heavy-weight when I want real box-like structure, or stiff bag bases.

I've done a comparison of Fast2Fuse and Peltex before.  For bag bases, Peltex is perfectly interchangeable with Fast2Fuse.  For finer work, I'd seek out Fast2Fuse if I could, and opt for Peltex if that's all I could find (2nd choice).  Peltex has the advantage of being available in both double-sided and single-sided fusible, as well as non-fusible.  Fast2Fuse is double-sided, which isn't always convenient.  Swings and roundabouts...

TimTex is about as thick as Peltex, but slightly denser (crisper?) and not fusible.  You can use it with fusible webbing (Vliesofix/wonderUnder/Bondaweb/Heat'nBond/Steam-a-Seam) to fuse it to fabric, or wrap it in fusible interfacing to make bag bases.

You can see the different densities and thicknesses in the profile shot, below.


Vilene S520 is an easy one.  It's almose identical to Pellon Deco-Fuse


Vilene S320 is one of my most-used interfacings, and unfortunately, I can't find an exact substitute for it. 

I love that the embossed surface  of Vilene S320 breaks that 'cardboard' surface effect that most non-wovens have, but apart from that property, it can be substituted with Pellon Craft Fuse.  Like S320, Craft Fuse fuses at low temperature and stays stable, and it gives about the same amount of support to the fabric, and it can be used in conjunction with fusible fleece.

I've only listed Vilene and Pellon products.... but there are other brands out there, and I don't have access to all that are on the shelves in the USA or Europe.

I'd like to open up the floor to any of you who'd like to offer any other suggestions. If you have anything that you feel might be useful, please feel fre to share it in the comment box below...

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

You learn something new every day.....

It's been a week of working through tedious technical stuff. Instructions. Ho hum.
With a materials list that included lots of Vilene S320 (and none of it's heavier cousin Vilene S520), I had to think outside the square (so to speak) when it came to protecting the fabric from the back of the magnetic catch. As I usually do these days, I used a 2.5cm (1") square of Peltex between the fabric and the back plate of the magnetic snap. But this time, I fused a few 5cm (2") squares of Vilene S320 over the back (instead of Vilene S520). It worked a treat!


Although not as cardboard-flat as S520, the layers can be fused on one-at-a-time with much lower heat and with less steam, and it sticks super-well to hold the snap and all the fabric surrounding it.

It doesn't actually need the reinforcement of the stitching around the Peltex square (because the Peltex and Vilene S320 are fused fast) but I still like the look if it. Ok - enough from me.... Back to the secret-squirrel cave....

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Bag Base Tutorial for Peltex or Fast2Fuse

I've been meaning to update this bag base tutorial for a while. Not only was the original hastily put together from a black & white pdf document (long story involving band width), but I've ever-so-slightly changed my method since it was written. (And colour is always nicer than grey, don't you think?).

This tutorial is for a base in any boxed corner bag (and it can be adapted for other bag constructions).

1. Measure the length of the base seam (above) and then the boxed corner seam (below).

2. Round both measurements down by around 6mm (1/4 inch). For example, on the boxed corner seam below, I'd round down to 6.5cm.

3. Cut a piece of Peltex (it doesn't matter if it's single-sided or double-sided fusible) or heavy weight Fast2Fuse to the (rounded down) dimensions of the base seams. (I find that a rotary cutter and quilting ruler are the business for this job).



4. Roughly cut a scrap of fusible woven interfacing large enough to wrap about 2 and a half times around the base piece - folding along the long edge. You'll also need a generous seam allowance (overhanging the Peltex/Fast2Fuse) at each of the short ends. No need to worry about accuracy here, folks!
5. Wrap the interfacing around the base piece and fuse it all together with a hot iron. The interfacing will stiffen as it cools. You can add further layers of interfacing if you'd like to make the base more rigid.
NOTE: If you use double-sided fusible Peltex or Fast2Fuse, you can use calico or fabric scraps instead of interfacing. (That's what I used to do before I discovered the benefits of layering up fusible interfacing).


6. Trim the seam allowances on the short ends to about 1.5cm (5/8 inch).

7. To make the base durable (through machine washes etc), machine stitch around the outside edge and through the centre to hold all the layers securely.

NOTE: Nobody will see this bit, so there's no need to worry about neatness.

8. Lay the base over the base seam of the bag.
9. Fold back the overhanging seam allowance at each of the short ends of the base and line up the Peltex/Fast2Fuse edge about 3mm (1/8 inch) from the boxed corner seam of the bag.


10. Stitch the seam allowances of the base to the seam allowances of the bag - about 3mm (1/8 inch) from the other side of the seam (towards the raw edge of fabric, rather than on the body of the bag). Look carefully at the photo below.

The base is attached with a little bit of movement to avoid accidentally making it too tight (which looks awful). When the bag is in use, the base will sit firmly and exactly where it ought.

When you turn the bag through to the right side, you'll see that the base creates structure but is flexible enough to not damage the fabric with wear and tear (as template plastic can). It's also comfortable when the bag is worn against the body.


Have you tried Peltex or Fast2Fuse as a base?
More free patterns, tutorials and sewing tips, are over here....