SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
DIRECTIONS:
- Pellon Flex-Foam 2-Sided Fusible Stabilizer
- 1/4yd of three MLB team fabrics
- 1yd of solid fabric for the exterior sides & lining
- 1/2yd of fabric for the handles
- 2yds 3/16" cording
- 2yds 1" bias tape
- Thread matching bias tape color
- Magnetic snap closure
- Fabric marking pen
- Iron
- Ruler, rotary cutter, mat
- Scissors
- Straight pins & safety pins
- Iron
- Sewing machine with zipper foot
DIRECTIONS:
- Cut Stabilizer: one center piece on the fold, two side pieces, two 3"x 22" pieces for the handles.
- Cut Solid Fabric: one center piece on the fold, four side pieces.
- Cut Handle Fabric: two 3"x22" pieces.
- Cut each MLB fabric into four strips that are 2 3/4" wide and 18" long.
- Sew together two panels of six MLB fabric strips at the sides, alternating colors as you go.
- Press seams flat. Place two panels right sides together and sew together at bottom. Make sure that the images on the MLB panels will be right-reading when they wrap around the bag. Press open seam.
- Center MLB fabric panel onto the Stabilizer center piece; Press. Trim excess fabric.
- Place two solid fabric side pieces on two Stabilizer side pieces; press.
- Line up the edges of the bias tape to the outside of the fabric-covered side pieces. The bulk of the bias tape fabric will fall over the surface of the side piece.
- Place cording on top of the bias tape, centering between the fold creases.
- Fold bias tape over the cording, and with all edges matching, pin with straight pins.
- Using the zipper foot on your sewing machine, sew following along the crease of the bias tape fold. Trim excess fabric and cording at top. Repeat for the other side piece.
- Make little clips with scissors into the piping seam around the curved bottom to help it lay nicely.
- Find the center of the center piece by folding in half and making a mark on either side. Find the center of the side piece by folding in half and making a mark on bottom.
- Use safety pins to pin, right sides together, the center piece and a side piece, matching centers together.
- With the side piece on top, sew together, still using the zipper foot. Follow the sewn line from the cording.
- Repeat for other side. Set aside.
- Make handles: use a compass or make a compass by attaching string to a pencil to create curved ends for the handle fabric strips and the handle stabilizer. You can also find a circular object and trace it. Trim the ends of fabrics and stabilizer into curves.
- Place fabric strips right sides together, and place them on top of stabilizer strip; pin with straight pins.
- Sew together starting in the middle (with regular presser foot back on the sewing machine) and leaving about 3" open somewhere in the middle.
- Make little clips with scissors around the circular ends.
- Turn right-side out. Tuck raw edges of opening in and sew together.
- Fold the handle in half, lengthwise, and pin. Sew together, starting and stopping 3" from the edge.
- Repeat for the other handle.
- Pin handles to bag: centered on a MLB fabric strip line, 3 ½ inches from the top of bag.
- Sew handles onto bag, making sure to leave space at the top to sew binding.
- Sew together the lining in the same way you attached the exterior body of the bag - fold to find the centers, mark, attach right sides together, clip around the curves.
- Place lining inside of bag and baste at the top, leaving two spaces open between the handles where you will add in the magnetic snap.
- Make sure that the magnetic snaps are facing the correct way, and place inside the lining, using straight pins to secure into place. Handstitch around the snap closure to hold in place. Repeat for second snap.
- Pin the bias tape around the top of the bag, right sides together, with the bulk of the bias tape resting on the body of the bag. Leave about 3" of excess bias tape behind one of the handles.
- Sew bias tape on along its crease, leaving the excess bias tape free.
- Fold bias tape over the top of the bag and pin on the inside. Topstitch bias tape on the outside, again stopping before the excess bias tape.
- Fold edge of excess bias tape in, making a crease behind the handle, and topstitch.
- Tack handles to binding with a handstich.