Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Bag It - Supply Information

There are a couple of basic ingredients and a little bit of special sauce required to make a bag.

You need:

  1. Fabric & Thread
  2. Stabilizer 
  3. Extras
The special sauce is - of course - you!

The Bag It series starts Monday, November 2.  For each of the Monday's in November, I'll introduce tips and tutorials on 5 different variations of bags and pouches. Many of the examples use zippers but they all don't.

There will be other posts during the week to discuss different options and twists on Monday's bags.

You can earn an entry (each worth 10 points) to win one of the gift certificates for each bag that you make during the period from November 2 through December 14.  You don't have to make the bag I've got the tutorial on - any bag or pouch you make and share counts as an entry.

How can you share?

Your blog, if you have one.

Via Facebook or via Instagram if you'd prefer.

Or you could send me a photo in an email.

You make five bags - just send or post a single photo of all the 5 bags and it will count as 5 entries.

My goal is to make entering easy!

One more thing, if you've haven't already earned some entry points by entering the Rafflecopter giveaway, go check out this post.  You can earn up to 9 points just by leaving a comment and visiting the prize sponsors!

Now, let's talk supplies.  Other ideas and sources, leave a comment to share with everyone!


Fabric & Thread


Need an excuse to buy some fabric?  Go for it!   But bags and pouches are actually a good excuse to shop your own stash.  They don't require much fabric and is a good way to use up scraps and fabric you've got lying around.

I've collected a whole bunch of prints over time just because I like them.  I've never used them in a quilt but they are just perfect for making a bag.


Precuts made great bags.

I save all those leftover mini charms, charms and layer cake pieces.  For example, I don't use a lot of low volume fabric in my quilting - I tend to just use a solid creme or white.  So I save all those low volume layer cake pieces because they make great linings for bags!

You can get precuts everywhere but I get all mine at Green Fairy Quilts - great prices and free shipping (in the US).

I've used solids in many of these bags - sometimes just for the lining.    I save all my scraps and will be using them to make a couple of the bags.
 My go to solids are American Made Brand (AMB) solids from Clothworks.  I love the fact that every step of the process to manufacture this fabric - including growing of the cotton - is done in the USA.  You can find AMB solids at Fat Quarter Shop and many other quilt shops.

The one advantage of using a stablizer on small bags is you don't have to actually quilt them.  However, quilting them is half the fun!

You'll see I do a lot of straight line quilting because I love the texture.  I've got a collection in colors of my go to thread (Superior Threads So Fine) because my machine just loves them.



Stabilizers


I use this fusible fleece  for all of my bags.  I've experimented over time and like the stability that two layers of this Pellon fusible fleece 987F brings to the bags.

I know there are other choices out there and I'd love to hear from folks via the comments what has worked for you.



Extras

While not all of the bags and pouches in the Elm Street Quilts Bag It series will need a zipper, most of them will.   I buy all my zippers from Zipit on Etsy.    I buy in bulk and generally get zippers larger than I think I might need and then cut them down.   I'll post more about that in a few days.


Some of our bags will feature a clear pocket.  I used this vinyl 8 gauge .  It isn't too thick to sew with yet doesn't tear easily.




Useful notions:

Clover clips are great for holding bags pieces together instead of pins.


Clover Hera Marker for marking quilt lines


Shop your stash or shop at your favorite store and get ready to Bag It!

(Note - the links to Amazon are affiliate links which means I earn a small % should you purchase.)


Have a wonderful day! Patty

2 comments:

  1. Patty I can't wait to make a bag...shucks I have to work Mondays but i'll get 'em done in between.
    I too love the Pellon 987F and lining w/solids...........wow the sponsorship is just as exciting. Thanks for the encouragement to create a bag each week and it's nice to meet you via blog.

    schimmel.db@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can´t wait to see your bag.Happy sewing!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting Elm Street Quilts. Looking forward to hearing from you!