Monday, August 26, 2013

Patchwork, Please Sew Along: Piece-of-Cake Shopping Bag


I'm so excited to have you here for the Patchwork, Please Sew Along! Ayumi is such a sweet friend and an amazing creator. I don't think you'll find anyone nicer in the sewing world. I was thrilled when I learned she was writing this book. 

My project is the Piece-of-Cake Shopping Bag. I wanted to give this one a try because I love the drawstring cover. I like to load my shopping bags up, and it's always maddening when they tip over in the car and everything spills out! 


One change I made was to not use oilcloth or laminated fabric for the interior. I did buy a vinyl tablecloth to try, but it was not the kind that Ayumi intended-- it was so icky to use in the end. I couldn't find laminates locally that I liked, so I used quilting cotton that I backed with my favorite interfacing, Pellon SF101, to give it more structure. 


I think the trickiest part of the bag is sewing the base pieces of the lining and the exterior to the sides of the bag. A tip: Put a dot 1/4" from each corner on the wrong side of your base pieces. When you sew up each side of the base, just line those dots up with the seam on your side pieces and sew between those points only, backstitching to lock your stitches. (And if you do end up with bunchy corners, no one is going to notice but you.) 


One more thing-- the lining and exterior cutting measurements are the same. I wasn't thinking of this at the time, but because the top edge of the exterior is folded down a total of 1.5" to enclose the lining and cover, the lining is too big. It's not a huge deal, but it would fit a lot better if either the interior height was decreased by 1.5" or the exterior height increased by 1.5".


I have 5 Aurifil sample packs, mini fabric packs and stickers from Form & Fabric, and an interfacing charm pack from Pellon to give away. (Sorry, U.S. addresses only due to shipping costs. Although if you're not in the U.S., you can always gift these to a friend who is!) Just comment below! I'll pick winners on Friday. 
And you're sewing along with us, this week you can also win a 1/2 yard bundle of Essex linens from Robert Kaufman and a $20 gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabric by linking up your shopping bag at Deb's blog


Make sure to visit the other participants in the Sew Along to see each project in the book:


August 26: Krista | Spotted Stone Studio :: Piece-of-Cake Shopping Bag
September 2: Lori | Bee in My Bonnet :: Triangle Patchwork Box Pouch
September 9: Amy | During Quiet TIme :: Vintage Pencil Case
September 16: Svetlana | SOTAK Handmade :: I-Love-My-Ipad Quilted Cover
September 23: Amber | One Shabby Chick :: Handy Market Tote
September 30: Deb | A Quilter’s Table :: Sweet Trips Embroidery Pouch
October 7: Leila | Where the Orchids Grow :: Prettified Pincushion

And thank you so much for our sponsors for the Sew Along!


Aurifillogo
Pellonlogo

56 comments:

Lisa England said...

That's a great bag -- nice and big and the drawstring is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

Heidi [Banks of Frog Creek] said...

I do love that bag! Perfect for groceries :)

Marty Mason said...

Yes, I do love that Piece-of-Cake Shopping Bag. It's a must make on my sewing list.

drmithome said...

Working on Piece of Cake shopping bag today.

RaspberrySunshine said...

I cut out my pieces last night and am starting on them today :) Your bag turned out fabulous!! Cindy

Amy Friend said...

You did a great job on that bag Krista! And wow, it holds a lot!

Missenota aka Kristin S. said...

Your bag looks great! Thanks for posting the sewing tips; I'm just about to cut into my fabric and I know it will really help.

Jacklynn Grimm said...

I love the idea of a drawstring at the top of my shopping bag - if it tips over in the car everything will be contained. Thanks for the give away!

Anonymous said...

Cute bag! I love the fabrics you chose. Thanks for the chance to win.

Anita said...

I love your bag. I really want to make one.

Lori said...

I am so loving this hop. Your bag is fantastic. I do so also love the drawstring on top. I am the same as you, I always put too much in my bags and they tip all over the place. With all the great things that have been shown I really need to get this book. Thanks for the great tips on sewing it also.

Melissa at My Fabric Relish said...

Great job making this weeks bag! Looks like it holds a lot of groceries! Thanks for sharing and the giveaway!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Thanks for the tips on making the shopping bag!

Debbie said...

Great fabrics for your shopping bag-Thanks for sharing.

Vera said...

Your version looks pretty! I turned mine into beach bag. I just need to take more pics of it.

Renee said...

What an awesome bag! I love the fabrics you chose!

Rachel said...

This would be a great bag for a small picnic as well.

momma said...

Thank you for the tips, I'm sure this bag will be very useful.

Marci Girl said...

Oh your bag turned out fabulous, love the fabrics you picked too!

Michele said...

Your bag is great! I love the drawstring closure.

mary moon designs said...

This bag is so big! I LOVE it! took mine to IKEA yesterday for my purchases!

SIMPLESEW said...

I picked up Linen at a resale shop, well they are big skirts and hope I have the luck you have.. really cute

Carmen N said...

What a great looking bag - I love the colors too!

Kadybug said...

What an adorable bag! Love your fabric choices.

Tennjenny said...

I didn't think that bag was very big at first, so the pic with it filled up with groceries kind of blew me away. That thing is pretty big! And very cute.

Ella and Nesta said...

I love your choice of fabrics! Thank you for the tips too! I'm in Italy but I could definitely find a friend in the States!

Anna said...

oh I love this bag so much!!! Looks so good for loading up!!! great tips too!

Alli said...

Thanks for the tip!

Just yesterday, my grocery bag tipped over on the way back to the car, and I tripped over my poor mushrooms. This bag would've been so much better!

LJ said...

I agree that the drawstring is a great idea. Cute bag; thanks for the heads up on the bag lining.

trudys_person said...

Great bag! I like the drawstring top too! I just don't like having things stick out/fall out. I'm going to have get this book ... great projects! Thanks Krista!

Stephanie @ Quarter Incher said...

your bag turned out great!

Pamela said...

I love the drawstring feature of your shopping bag! I've never seen anything like this, and what a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

Patti said...

Fabulous tote, and thanks for the construction tips! I plan to get started on mine tomorrow!

Melissa said...

I love the fabrics you chose for your bag. I bought the book several weeks back and am looking forward to making my own creations:) Thanks for the chance to win!

andri. said...

Thanks for the tips!;D

Unknown said...

Your bag turned out adorable. I am going to take the advice and decrease my lining. Good thing I read your post before chopping into my fabric this morning :)

ErikaC said...

Love following this sew-along! What a great all-purpose bag. :)

Allison Sews said...

I just got my copy of Patchwork Please so I'll have to try sewing along with you this week. Thanks for the extra tips!

mailergoat said...

Cool bag! I've seen this done in a lunch bag size too, love the idea...

Anonymous said...

What a great bag and thanks for the giveaway.
smjohns63 at yahoo dot com

pat said...

Love the drawstring top this had moved to the top of my to do pile thanks for the great directions pat

Joy said...

Your bag looks great! I really like the fabric mix you chose.

Laurel said...

Oh I have just the fabric for this!

Pattie Crum said...

Great idea with the drawstring, looks so cute.

Sophia1 said...

Thanks for the tips! Am going to attempt this one and, hopefully, this week so I can enter the giveaway!

Sophia1 said...

Thanks for the tips! Am going to attempt this one and, hopefully, this week so I can enter the giveaway!

Rozina D. said...

I love the colors on your bag! Thanks for the tip on the lining fabric.

Rozina D. said...

I love the colors on your bag! Thanks for the tip on the lining fabric.

Amy DeCesare said...

Your bag turned out super cute, and thanks for the details.

Quilting Tangent said...

I like the drawstring top you put on the bag.

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SuzyMcQ said...

So pleased to see you back. The bag and the quilt are sensational. Please count me in for the giveaway.

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