My mother said I should begin right at the very beginning… so I did. I sat down once the machine was all threaded, I put my foot on the pedal, with my material on the machine and the presser foot down, took a deep, deep breath and pressed with my foot – and promptly pooped myself at how fast it was going! I kept stopping and starting with it – mum had me do some straight lines first and to practice going forwards and backwards to ‘lock’ the stitches into place (your machine should have a switch on the front which you press down and keep hold of to go back wards – doing this technique at the beginning and ends of stitches is a lazy way – because you don’t have to tie a know in your thread once you’ve finished – such a time saver! – you just go forwards, backwards, then forwards again over about the first cm of your stitches – I love lazy ways!) then some more wavy stitches (very hard when you’re machine ‘runs’ away with you when your new haha). Then turning corners – this was actually not too hard – you just stitch to where you want to change direction – then lift up your presser foot – MAKE SURE YOUR NEEDLE IS STILL IN THE FABRIC! swivel the fabric round so you’ll be stitching in the right direction, put your foot back down and stitch on! brilliant!
Then came the epiphany – she had me do something that instead of me being overwhelmed and scared of sewing into an addict! She made me make something! It was a really simple something – but still a something – I began to see the potential!
I made a mini tote bag for my sewing things! If me, a complete, very nervous, sewing dunce could make this in an evening on her first ever sewing outing – then think what I could make with a little practice and as time went on! This is why I adore sewing: you can take a piece of plain fabric and make something out of it! Something you created! Something to be proud of or to learn from! magnificent!
It was actually really quite easy to make – I didn’t need a pattern or need to know any of the sewing terms – or know anything at all really.
First: you cut out two pieces of fabric – slightly bigger than you want the bag to be in the end – about 2cm I found was best as I was starting out – left room for mistakes! They need to be about the same size and shape and the easiest way to do this is to fold your fabric in half – then draw the shape onto one side – I use chalk to do this – and cut carefully around it.
There are two sides to fabric: the right side and the wrong side. The right side is the side that is the one you want showing – usually the pattern will be a brighter on the right side. The wrong side is the side you don’t want showing
Place the two fabric squares together right side to right side (so the wrong sides are showing) and sew around three edges, turning corners as needed – leave the edge which you want to be your bag opening unstitched.
Fold over around 2cm at the top of the bag (the bag is still inside out so this folded part will be inside the bag) and stitch at the bottom edge of this fold.
Once this is done you want to make the handle – decide on the length and width you want it to be. Again add 2cm to this (this is actually known as your seam allowance – there’s a technical term) sew around three edges of this, right side to right side. You need to then turn this right side out – the edge you need to leave open is the top – the easiest was to pull it through is by using a big hand stitching needle – use some thick wooley type thread (known as embroiderers thread) and put a stitch onto the closed end. Then pull it through onto itself. Voila! stitch the end shut(folding1cm each edge inside the strap to neaten) You have a right way out strap!
You then need to attach your strap onto your bag you can do this however you wish – I just put the strap ends onto either side of the bag, over the side seams and stitched a square onto the strap through to the bag.
Turn the bag the right way out and tada! you have made a bag! Well done! Don’t you feel ridiculously proud? I did 🙂 The next night I made two bigger bags in exactly the same way for my youngest two children to take their clothes to nursery.
I got the material
for these from a charity shop. The small bag was a duvet and the larger bags were a care bear pillow case! I am happy to report that all are still going strong and being used. You can just get your ideas out of your head and it doesn’t have to be perfect, make mistakes! they are homemade with love!
bertie button 