IT'S IN THE BAG!

OK, I just finished making – and putting to use – my next grocery bag, complete with  .  .  .  wait for it  .  .  .

I N S T R U C T I O N S ! ! !

Yes, that’s right, folks, I actually attempted to record the process. So, without further adieu (… or … is it … without further ado??? adoo??? a dew??? I do???), let the sewing frenzy begin!!

I used a bag from our grocery store as my pattern. It measured almost 12 inches wide by 21 1/2 inches tall.

The pleats added almost 3 1/2 inches to each side. I rounded up, and added enough seam allowance to make each panel (front and back) 20 inches wide by 22 1/2 inches tall.

The material was from an old dress in a box of material I’d found at a yard sale. It was torn and beat up looking, not really good for anything other than experimental projects and grocery sacks, so it was a good candidate for this job.

ain’t it purdy

After cutting and ironing the panels, I folded each one in half lengthwise, right sides facing, and measured 6 inches from the fold. That marked the 12-inch width of the bag, and indicated where the pleats began. I folded the pleats under on the raw edges.

folded wrong side out, measured 6 inches in. white line is where pleats get folded

The handles measured about 2 1/2 inches wide and about 6 inches tall. I rounded the width to 2 1/2 and the length to 6, and marked those dimensions off on the tops of each panel, after folding the pleats in. I needed something to curve the cutting line, so I used a large spool as my guide. Then, I cut the top to make the handle shapes.

handles 6 inches tall

spool – great measuring tool!

the curve for cutting out handles and top of bag

remember, go over 2 1/2 inches from pleat side to begin cutting – 3 1/2 inches from center fold

After cutting the handles, I laid the two panels out flat again. Now the pieces look very much like a tank top.

ready to sew the two panels together

As this material was a bit flimsy, and I wasn’t in the mood to line it, I decided to use french seams (like on my last bag). Lay the pieces wrong sides together. Sew a 1/4-inch seam up each side, leaving the bottom open.  Turn the bag with right sides together and iron the seams very well.  Sew a 3/8-inch seam down the sides, encasing the ones just sewn. The purpose of this is to encase all the raw edges. Plus, it makes the seams stronger.

right about 1/4 inch seam

second seam – 3/8 inch

Turn bag right side out. Fold the pleats in towards the center of the bag, and press well.  Measure to make sure the main body is 12 inches across. Once the pleats are folded and pinned in place, sew the bottom edge, wrong sides together, just like on the side seams. Turn bag inside out and iron the seam, making sure to pull the corners out straight. Now run another 3/8-inch seam to encase that one (like on the sides). Turn right side out and iron again. That finishes the bottom.

fold these in before sewing bottom!

right sides out, sew 1/4 inch across bottom, pleats tucked in on each side

wrong sides out, iron seams, pull seam straight and iron, sew 3/8 inch seam

I decided to use bias tape to finish the top and handles, instead of turning the edges under and hemming. I found a wonderful ruler at Jo-Ann’s Fabrics for making my own bias tape (some folks call it bias binding). This ruler has an angled end (to place on the straight edge of fabric) and is about 2 inches wide. I had an abundance of that dress left, plenty enough for the bias tape. After cutting strips for the tape, I folded and ironed them in half lengthwise, making them 1 inch, then folded the edges in toward the center and ironed again, making the final measurement 1/2-inch wide. Purrrrrfect!

just lay the angled end on the straight edge of material – perfect angle for bias tape

Now, pin the tape onto the backside of one panel. I used the fold of the tape as the sewing line (which made it a 1/2-inch seam), then turned the tape to the front, ironed it so it would lie flat, and sewed from the front side. I repeated this process on the back of the bag and on the two sides. Not bad for an amateur, I thought.

use the fold line as the seam line

pin tape to wrong side of panel, right side of tape to wrong side of panel

sewn to wrong side – pull to front of panel and pin down

after sewing to wrong side, fold to right side of panel, pin to right side

ready to sew to front of panel

bias tape sewn down – finished edges

I used french seams again for the tops of the handles. Line up the edges, wrong sides together, of each handle. Make sure the bias tapes match up on each end. Use that 1/4-inch measurement again for this seam; turn, iron, and  sew the 3/8-inch seam. At this point you should have every raw edge that bag ever even THOUGHT about sporting totally encased and hidden away! On to the buttonholes!!

wrong sides together, bias tape matched up

1/4 inch seam sewn first

turn right sides facing, sew 3/8 inch seam over 1/4 inch one

3/8 inch seam; press well, turn right side out

The holes on the pattern bag measured about 1 inch down from the top and 1/2 inch in from the inside edges.

about 1/2 inch in from sides

about 1 inch down and one inch long

That would have been great, had I hemmed this instead of using bias tape. I decided to make them go in about an inch instead. I like some wiggle room on those bag bars, so the buttonholes needed to be about an inch long. So that made it fairly easy: go down from the top one inch, in from the inside edge one inch, and make the hole one inch. You will end up with four buttonholes per handle. We’ll get to that part in a minute. Be patient.

down one inch, in one inch, length one inch, four per handle

lining up next one

Again, this is pretty lightweight material, so it needed something to make the holes easier to sew. I am a die-hard scrapper. That iron-on interfacing is EXPENSIVE!!! So I save all the little scraps for just such an emergency as this. Does anybody remember Julia Child? She was always encouraging people on her cooking show to, “Save the livers. Don’t throw away the livers.” Well, I am the Julia Child of the sewing world – my motto, as written below: save the slivers! don’t throw away the slivers! And they sure came in handy here! I had just enough of one long, otherwise useless, strip to use for this project.

May I just say, right here, how much I love my buttonhole attachment? OK, I’ll say it. I love my buttonhole attachment!! I didn’t have a button the right size for this project, but I found something that worked just as well; here’s my nickel’s worth of knowledge:

After you have sewn the buttonholes in, carefully use a craft knife to open them. Then fold the handles to the inside again. Line up the buttonholes on each handle.

be very careful when cutting with a craft knife!

when the holes line up, I’m sew happy!

Across the top of the handle, where it’s folded in on itself, stitch along the original seam so it doesn’t open out flat any more. This will give the handle a whole lot more strength. This step is optional  - I just did it this way because the plastic ones are fused at the top that way.

I didn’t think I had one to show the last seam – here it is!!

Now stand back, point to your accomplishment, and admire your handiwork. You have just completed your very own beautiful, personal, and very well-made, grocery bag. Now, go shopping and show the grocery world what you can do. And bring me something to eat – I’m starvin’!!

OH! I am SEW proud of you!!

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