space to the right
of the needle, great
for when you are
sewing large or
bulky bags as there
are times when
you don’t want to
scrunch up your
bag to fit it under
the machine.
Getting Started
Machine feet
There are various feet required for different kinds of stitches and applications, so
you need to think about the stitches you want to use and research to see which
types of feet are appropriate for your needs. If you are about to purchase a sewing
machine, see which feet are supplied with the machine, then ask the dealer if they
will throw in some extra feet for free (and ask about any other freebies too!).
Standard presser foot – this is the foot that you will
make the most use of. With this versatile foot you can
sew straight and zigzag stitch, and the majority of the
more decorative stitches too.
Clear presser foot – this is a standard presser foot,
but instead of being metal, it’s made from transparent
plastic, which makes seeing things like notches and
markings on your fabric so much easier.
Piping foot – if you’re going to sew with any amount
of piping, a piping foot is a must.
Zipper foot – makes sewing very close to the edge of an
item much easier, and is also essential for sewing zips.
Non-stick foot – this foot is brilliant for ‘sticky’ fabric
such as laminated cotton, oilcloth, vinyl and leather.
Seam allowance guide – this is not a foot, but is a
handy metal edge that screws to the bed of the machine
and is very useful for professional-looking topstitching.
Set your desired seam allowance on the guide, then butt
the edge of your work to the seam allowance guide and
away you go.
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Machine stitches
I’ve been making bags for over eight years and in
that time I’ve only ever used two machine stitches.
Zigzag stitch – every now
and again I use zigzag to
stitch over the raw edges
of fabric to prevent it
from fraying.
Straight stitch – this is
basically the only stitch
I ever really use.
Getting Started
standard
presser foot
clear
presser foot
piping foot
non-stick foot
zipper foot
seam
allowance
guide
Using Patterns
The patterns at the back of the book are all full-size, which means
there is no need for a photocopier. Some of the projects have two or
more pattern pieces (which are indicated on the patterns), others
have just one pattern piece and some projects simply use rectangles
given as measurements within the project instructions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Get a large sheet of suitable paper. I usually use
pale tissue paper, but you can also use tracing
paper, greaseproof (wax) paper or dressmaking
paper. Iron the paper and the pattern sheet on a
low setting.
Lay the paper over your chosen pattern piece
and, using pins or sticky tape, secure the paper
to the pattern so that it can’t move around.
Take a soft leaded pencil (you don’t want to rip
holes in your paper with a hard pencil) and trace
around your pattern shape. Also trace the various
pattern markings, notches and darts if appropriate.
See Fig a.
Lay out your traced pattern pieces onto your
fabric. Align your pattern with the fabric’s
straight grain. If the pattern piece instructs you
to place it on a fold, fold your fabric as shown
in Fig b. Pay attention to the direction of your
pattern – are the pattern pieces the right way up?
Accordingly, is the pattern on your fabric also the
right way up?
Pin your pattern pieces to your fabric and
cut the fabric around the pattern shapes. See
Fig c. Alternatively, you can pin your patterns to your fabric and then trace around the outline of your pattern pieces with disappearing marker or chalk to get an outline for fabric cutting.
Transfer any pattern markings and notches from
the pattern piece to your fabric pieces using
chalk or disappearing marker. See Fig d.
a
Fig a Use a soft leaded pencil to trace the patterns and
pattern markings to get nice easy-to-see outlines, and you’ll
avoid ripping the tracing paper.
b
Fig b To place a pattern piece on a fold, fold the fabric wrong
sides together and position the fold line of the pattern onto
the folded edge of the fabric.
Getting Started
c