Posted by Annette

Create a fun Halloween tote bag using imagery from The Vintage Workshop.

Materials:

1 Inkjet Fabric Sheet (click here to view online)

3/8 yard fabric for outer bag and handles

1/8 yard fabric for front band

3/8 yard fabric for lining

¾ yard fusible interfacing

3/8 yard ribbon trim, ¼” wide

4” x 6” piece of paper-backed iron-on adhesive

Fusible tape, ¼” wide

Threads to match and contrast

Tools:

Clear grid ruler

Needles for hand-sewing and decorative stitching

Iron and ironing board

Pins

Pencil

Rotary cutter and cutting mat

Scissors

Sewing machine

Cutting dimensions include ¼” seam allowance. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for printing image on inkjet fabric sheet, applying fusible interfacing, and using iron-on adhesives.

Step 1: From outer bag fabric, cut two 12” x 14” rectangles for bag and two 3” x 10 ½” strips for handles. From lining fabric, cut two 12” x 14” rectangles. From front band fabric, cut one 12” x 4” rectangle. From fusible interfacing, cut two 12” x 14” rectangles for bag and two 3” x 10 ½” strips for handles.

Step 2: Fuse interfacing to wrong sides of outer bag rectangles.

Step 3: On one long edge of band piece, turn under ¼” and press. Position band, right sides up to one outer bag rectangle, aligning the raw edges along the upper and side edges. Pin in place. Stitch along the edge of the fold and use longer basting stitches around the remaining three sides as shown in figure 1.

Step 4: Using fusible tape, fuse the ribbon trim over the seam line between outer bag and band. Trim excess at edges.

Step 5: Print your favorite Halloween image sized at 4” x 6” onto inkjet fabric sheet. In our sample, we used Halloween Girl  SI0291. Trim image leaving a ¼” border on all sides. Press ¼” borders under on all sides.

Step 6: Fuse image to piece of paper-backed iron-on adhesive. Remove paper backing.

Step 7: Center image on front of bag 1” below trim. Fuse in place.

Step 8: Stitch around edges of image with decorative machine stitch or use two strands of embroidery floss and hand-buttonhole stitch.

Step 9: Pin bag front to bag back, right sides together. Stitch side and bottom edges, leaving top open. Press seams open.

Step 10: With right sides together, pinch the side seam down to meet the bottom seam. Line them up, one on top of another. Secure with pin. Measure in 1 ½” from corner point and draw a line. Stitch on this line as shown in figure 2. Trim ¼” away from seam. Repeat for opposite corner. Set aside.

Step 11: Pin lining pieces right sides together. Stitch around the sides and bottoms, leaving a 4” opening along the bottom for turning. Repeat step 10 for lining corners. Set aside.

Step 12: Fuse the handle interfacing pieces to wrong sides of handle strips.

Step 13: With right sides together, fold each strap piece in half length-wise and stitch along the long edges. Turn handles right side out, centering seam down the middle of the strap. Press.

Step 14: Pin-mark the center of bag front and back along the upper edge. Measure 1” to each side of center mark and pin-mark. With right sides together, align the handles with the upper edge of the bag just to outside of pin marks and baste in place as shown in figure 3.

Step 15: Turn bag right side out. Insert the bag into lining, right sides together. Pin around upper edge. Stitch upper edge. Turn bag right side out through the opening in lining bottom. Insert the lining back down into bag. Press along upper edge.

Step 16: Slip-stitch opening in lining closed.

Tags: fabric, halloween, purse, tote

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Fabric Projects, Techniques, Vintage Artwork. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.