Navy Checkerboard Project Bag

When I visited the US a few weeks ago I bought this navy and white jelly roll

and pack of white on white charm squares.

I knew exactly what I wanted to use them for - another checkerboard project bag!

I cut everything out on Saturday and yesterday started sewing everything together.

The coordinating white on white lining fabric was in my stash. I quartered a couple of the white on white charm squares for a fourth light colour. I needed at least 4 dark patterns and 4 light patterns.

The zipper pull was fashioned from my vast stash of beads and lobster claw closures. I use Beadalon 7-strand bead stringing wire which was recommended on a YouTube video. I purchased the wire at the local big box craft store. 

I had quite a struggle sewing the project bag together and actually melted the vinyl ($%^&*) with my iron while trying to press one of the strips before topstitching. I had to remove the seams above and below the vinyl, cut another piece of vinyl and resew everything. It actually only set me back about a half hour but quite a bit of bad language was involved.

I have the second William Morris checkerboard bag all cut out and ready to sew. Maybe next week.

Construction instructions are at the end of this post.

I hope to take some photos at some point and include them in these instructions.

I gave the socks I finished the other day to the person who gave me the yarn lo those many years ago (8? 10?). He was very pleased with them and would like me to knit him a couple more pairs. I suggested he find the sock yarn he wants and I can put his order in my rotation. I normally don't take knitting orders but he is very appreciative so I don't mind helping him out.

I have started another pair - hopefully for Skip - have turned the heel and have completed the gusset decreases. Now I'm on the home stretch to the toe - stocking stitch all the way.

The yarn is all crinkly because I frogged a whole sock to reuse the yarn. The original sock had quite an elaborate pattern that didn't really show up with the patterned yarn. The crinkling doesn't make any difference to the re-knit sock.

This morning we had a lovely stitching session at Judy's, under her gazebo beside her sparkling swimming pool. I got more done on my model for Lori at Pansy Patch Quilts and Stitchery. Sneak peaks are in my previous post. 

She's mailing me the fabric, pattern, and threads for a scissor case and scissor fob which I hope arrive before I head to Marilyn's cottage on Wednesday. I'm pretty confident I can get the Pumpkin Lane stitching done by the end of this week with stitching sessions before and during my cottage visit. Then I can whip up the two accessories.

PROJECT BAG INSTRUCTIONS. 

They're based on this tutorial with my addition of the vinyl window: 

1. Select at least 4 dark and 4 light jelly roll strips. You can also cut your own width of fabric 2.5" strips at least 21" long excluding the selvage. The width of a fat quarter would do.  Cut a piece of vinyl 14.5" x 6.5" and set vinyl aside. You will need a coordinating zipper at least 14" in length. I prefer using longer zippers (16") and trimming them down later.
2. Stack the darks and cut 8 stacks of 2.5" squares, then do the same for the lights.  (the bag measures 7 squares across and 9 squares down - for a total of 63 squares - 32 darks and 31 lights)
3. On a 17.5" x 22.5" piece of featherweight fusible interfacing and with a heat erasable pen, draw 9 rows and 7 columns of 2.5" squares.
4. On your ironing board with the glue side of your interfacing facing upwards, lay out the first few rows of dark squares in a checkerboard with darks in the corners. Ensure that there is no duplication in each row. On the next row, lay out the darks making sure pairs are not adjacent.
5. Continue laying out the next couple of rows of darks, making sure there is no vertical duplication. 
6. Lay out the lights between the darks in the same manner - avoiding duplication in the rows and columns. At this point there might be some duplicates touching corners but make sure no rows or columns have duplication in each row or column. 
7. Using a pressing sheet and hot iron, press these first 4 rows in place.
8. Continue steps 4 - 7 for the next 4 rows, then the last row. 

You should have all the rows and columns pressed onto the interfacing with darks in the 4 corners. Have a look your layout. If you want to change anything, it is easy to peel the squares from the interfacing and put in other places and re-press into place.

Now take your checkerboard and fold the first column so right sides are facing. With 1/4" seam, sew down the column on the wrong side along the fold of the interfacing. 

Do this for the rest of the vertical columns. Press the seams from the back to one side then turn over and press the front, making sure seams on the back are laying properly.

At this point, you will cut the top three rows off. They will be the strips above and below the zipper and below the vinyl. You now have a larger piece with vertical seams and 7 x 6 squares.

On the larger piece, fold the top row down onto the next row - right sides together. Sew the 1/4" seam along the edge of the interfacing. Repeat for the rest of the rows.

Now your large piece has all the vertical and horizontal seams stitched and inner squares each measure 2".

Now cut your lining to fit the four  pieces. Then cut fusible batting to fit each of the pieces with 3/8" margin on each side. The batting will give some body to the bag but the bulk will not be caught in the seams when assembling. Fuse the batting pieces to the backs of the checkerboard pieces.

Sandwich the vinyl between a checkerboard strip and its lining - right sides together. Sew and topstitch. Do this for the other strip on the other long edge of the vinyl. 

Taking the strip with the light squares on each edge, sew the centered zipper (determining if you want it to zip left to right or right to left) onto the remaining long, raw edge - do not sew the lining. Take the raw edge of the lining and press a 1/4" fold along the long edge. Lay it along the zipper tape, below the nylon teeth and above the stitched line. Pin in place. The zipper should now be between the wrong sides of the checkerboard strip and its corresponding lining. Topstitch on the right side, making sure you're catching the folded lining edge on the back.

Sandwich the other zipper tape between the top edge of the third strip and its corresponding lining - right sides together. Sew in place, then topstitch with right sides out.

You now have the front completed. 

Open the zipper. Holding the open edges of the zipper together, tack them in place 1/8" in from the raw edge. 

Place the back checkerboard piece - right sides together with the front. Lay the lining right sides together with the lining on the front. Trim edges.

Sew through all the layers across the top. Then sew across the bottom of the outer fabrics front and back, holding the lining out of the way. Holding the outer fabric out of the way, sew the bottoms of the linings together leaving a 5" gap in the centre for turning later. Sew down both sides through all the layers. Trim the corners at a 45 degree angle a few threads away from the actual corner.

Reaching into the opening you left in the bottom of the lining pieces, turn the bag right side out through the opening, carefully poking out the corners. 

Sew the opening closed in the bottom of the lining.

Press the edges of the bag. If the vinyl is crinkled, press the bag vinyl side down, from the back (through all the layers) with a warm (not hot) iron. This should smooth things out.

Add a zipper pull to the zipper tab.