Election Shoulder Bag

This bag took me about an hour and 1/2 to make. I used all but two tiny carrot shaped strips of the state fabric. I bought it at Jo Ann as a remnant for 70 cents I think. It was cut crooked so I had to level it up. It was so bright and interesting I knew I wanted to make a bag out of it but I wasn't sure what to do for the lining. I wanted it to be sort of stiff but not terribly rigid so I used a super thick white glossed canvas drapery sample I bought at Lowe's for $1 about a year ago (still have about 1/3 left). They were cleaning out all of the discontinued stuff. I knew I'd be able to use it for something ONE day. It cost me $1. The top trim and strap are made from vintage woven cotton strips that spell out VOTE. I found a whole roll of it at a thrift store for $3. I used a little less that half the roll so I'll value that at about $1.40. The closure is a BIG red button I already had and a loop made from the scrap left of the state fabric. So the total cost of the bag was approx $3+/-. I started by leveling and determining how big the state fabric piece I had was. Then I cut an equal size piece out of the drape sample making it a little bit taller than the state fabric. The drapes had a very pretty side seam I wanted to use as the top-inside of the bag. I folded each in half and sewed the open sides of each together. I worked with the pieces inside out, the state fabric will later be turned right side out but the drapes will stay inside out. Next I made a small fold in the center of the side that didn't need to be sewn up and I sewed it inward, making a pin tuck of crease. Then I did the same thing 1/2 an inch to either side of both side seams; on the state fabric I made them outward facing. Then I did the same thing to the bottom of the bag pieces, creating sort of a squared off shape. I folded and sewed the corners completing the structure of the bag. I turned the state fabric right-side-out, put the drapes inside it, evened thoe tops up so that the state fabric was just below the hemmed edge of the drapes and tacked it down with the machine. The state fabric was slightly larger (fractions of an inch) so I made a tiny fold in the center of both the front and backs of the bag. I cut my trim, lined it up on the top of the bag so that when I sewed it on I could stay in the white line (so you wouldn't see the stitches) and attached it all the way around. I then went around a second time on the lower white line so the trim wouldn't fold up over time. I took the rest of the trim I had cut folded the ends under and attached it to the sides of the bag by sewing a square over it, then I repeated the same on the other side. I finished it up by attaching a big red button on the top-center inside the bag and a folded and sewn strip of the state fabric made into a loop opposite it to work as a closure. I know it's about in the middle of a term so I'm both too late and too early for elections, but I thought it was cute and I would use it anytime!



I'm sorry to post so much in such quick succession, but I have a lot of things stored up like I said. As I am posting things on my own blog I'm posting them over here. Maybe I can make up for 2 months of not posting anything. lol

Jenny at Kerrfect!