Day 1
Now you should have your Tina Purse Pattern, if not, order and download from Etsy or Craftsy today!
Let's talk about fabric selection!
Main Purse Fabrics:
When choosing fabric there are several things to keep in mind.
1. Your sewing skill level. If you are a beginner or don't sew very often so are a bit rusty, choose fabrics that will be easy to sew with! Fabrics that are very heavy or faux leathers or suedes might make your life difficult and your project frustrating. Light to medium weight woven fabrics will be stable and easy to sew and once you have made the pattern you can decide if you are up for some more challenging fabrics. Sew often? Experienced? Have fun, find some of the embroidered, textured or faux suedes or leathers and combine them for a fab bag.
2. How do I mix prints successfully? Mixing patterns is great, but to keep it looking pretty and not too crazy there is a trick. Choose patterns that change in scale (size of the print). If using 2 prints, choose one that is a large scale, and a second print in similar colors in a small scale. If using 3, chose a large, medium and small print. See how nicely these fabrics work together, colors are related, the smaller print on the left doesn't compete with the larger print on the right.
3. What about interfacing? To make any fabric an appropriate weight for a purse, you should consider interfacing. I have been experimenting with many types of heavyweight interfacing and have liked every one I've tried, all for different reasons! The pattern instructions give detailed guidelines for selection. Much of it is personal preference in how you want your finished purse to look. Do you want it soft and slouchy or firm and smooth? Even quilt weight cotton can be firmed up nicely with a good stiff interfacing! Your goal is to make all your fabrics similar in structure so if one fabric is heavy and another is light, use heavy interfacing on the light fabric to 'equalize' the weights of fabrics you are combining. If using highly structured interfacing in purse body (like Pellon 71F) make the facings/zipper facings a little less stiff with a standard heavyweight interfacing.
4. Purchase handles or make your own? Sometimes I find a great set of pre-made handles that really match up with the fabrics I am using, sometimes nothing works. If there aren't any pre-made handles that match, you can make your own pretty easily. Getting a 2" bias tape maker will make the handle quick, easy and very consistent in appearance. Faux leathers and suedes are very hard to make handles from, choose a nice coordinating fabric or buy a little extra from one of your body fabrics (see pattern instructions for yardage).
5. Zipper. The easiest zippers to work with are the poly coil zippers. You can stitch over them without any trouble. A metal zipper is fine and the pattern will give you suggestions on working with metal zippers. If you can't find the exact size, buy a longer zipper. We will make a zipper stop that will finish off the end, you can cut a longer zipper down to size.
6. Yardage. The suggested yardage in the pattern assumes that you are not trying to place a large pattern in a particular place on the purse. I like to take the main pattern pieces to the fabric store in case I select a fabric where I need to cut the center or sides in a particular place in the fabric. If you choose a fabric like this one, you might need a little extra fabric.
Now head off to the fabric store and gather your supplies. We'll begin cutting Monday!
Questions or comments? Please message below!
