Carry-All Shoulder Bag

Carry-All Pattern

     I recently attended the ASG, American Sewing Guild, conference in Houston.  I took three days of classes.  On Sunday I took this class with Cheryl Kuczek.  On Thursday evening when I arrived in Houston I went to Cheryl's booth to buy my pattern and choose the faux leather that would be used for the straps and bottom of the bag.  I also bought some heavy-weight thread for top-stitching on the straps.

Fabric choices

     These are the fabrics I had, a tapestry for the outer bag, the wild print for the lining and the gold marble for the binding and tie.  Cheryl helped me pick the brown faux leather and then chose the blue thread for top-stitching.  I wasn't sure at first but when she pointed out the blue that was in the tapestry fabric I was sold.

     In class we first practiced the top-stitching.  It took quite a bit of tweaking to get the right tensions to achieve a balanced stitch with the faux leather.  We then created the straps by folding the piece and top-stitching.  Then we cut out the bag and started on the construction.  Cheryl had many helpful tips for us as we went along.  I did get the outer and inner bags all made in class and then brought everything home to finish it.

Binding with Wonder Clips

     I put the two parts together and zigzagged around the top to hold everything in place.  Then I stitched the binding to the wrong side and flipped in to the right side.  Using the Wonder Clips by Clover to hold it in place I was ready to sew.  These clips are great for holding things together that are too thick to pin.

Sewing with Wonder Clips

     These are really easy to use and the binding was sewn on in no time.  Then it was time to attach the straps.  Once again I used the Wonder Clips to hold the strap in place while I sewed it on.  

Adding the Strap

     I had many thread breaks while using the zigzag stitch to attach the straps.  I'm sure it was a combination of the heavy thread, the thick fabric and the three layers of the faux leather.  Finally got them sewn down but it doesn't look as nice as I wanted.  I do think though the blue thread made for some nice top-stiching on the seams of the bag and also the belt loops.

Completed bag

     Here is my completed bag.  I chose to tie the belt on the same side as the pocket on the outside.  It is a large tote and should be capable of carrying lots of stuff.