Skip to main content

Baseball bag

 

by Linda Theil

I just finished my second "Starborn Crossbody" bag, a new design by Diane Spencer-Ogg. Since I previously had some difficulty stitching the final top seam, I used a lighter cotton fabric and cut the interfacing one-half inch from the edge of each pattern piece to cut down on bulk, I used a vinyl faux leather to make the D-ring attachment instead of the multi-layered fabric piece I used in the first bag, but I still had a hard time inserting it cleanly because of the bulk. In the future I would attach a wristlet, or carabiner to the zipper pull instead of adding D-rings for a strap; or I would try to find a 3/4-inch light but tough nylon webbing to hold the D-rings.

The cotton I chose to use is from the "Gnome of the Brave" collection by Shelly Comiskey for Henry Glass & Co. as a tribute to baseball fans.


The interior features a zip-pocket with credit-cards slots incorporated into the lining.


The front of the bag has a zippered pocket with a covered zipper.

I used rivets to attach a vinyl faux leather cover to the unbound end of the zipper.
Before closing the pocket that was used to turn the bag after stitching the top seam that attached the lining to the bag exterior, I reached into the still accessible unfinished interior and matched up the lining bottom seam with the exterior bottom seam and stitched them together so that the lining would be held snugly inside the bag. This seam is invisble from the exterior of the bag and is enclosed when the bottom of the pocket is sewn to finish the bag interior.

This pattern is well engineered and well designed with outstanding step-by-step instructions and full-length video accompaniment, but I still found it very challenging While none of the process is difficult, every aspect -- the body darts, the covered zipper, the top insertion of the main-access zipper, the interior zippered pocket -- demands attention to detail that I found very challenging. I really love this bag!

Update March 12, 2024: "Starburn" bag in Mora faux leather and interior from "Filagree" collection by Zen Chic

Interior

Exterior






Comments

Cathy said…
You are such an excellent seamstress, paying such attention to every tiny detail! It is beautiful and I love your choice of fabrics.
caj

Popular posts from this blog

Notes on Purl Soho Cross-back Apron pattern

Purl Soho Cross-back Apron, regular sized,  front view Purl Soho Cross-back Apron, regular sized,   back view by Linda Theil This is the Purl Soho Cross-back Apron featured on their website at  https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2015/11/20/cross-back-apron . Their page includes complete directions for making this one-size-fits-most apron with large, side-pockets and cross-back straps. This retro apron is so nicely made and looks so much like the apron my grandma wore in the Nineteen-fifties that I had to make one for my friend who appreciates the nostalgia and the beauty of this design. Although this apron pattern, as published, can adjust to several sizes from 2-10; I also made a larger option, adjusting the width of the pattern pieces to accommodate up to size 16 and up. Size adjustment may also be made by varying the length of the straps. These notes are a record of my experience with the pattern, and should only be viewed as...

Sujata Shah's no-template piecing

16-inch, four-patch "pinwheel" block designed by Sujata Shah, pieced by Linda Theil 2016 Fabrics:  Sturbridge line by Kathy Schmitz for Moda and Daily Zen line by Michael D'Amore for Benartex. I attended quilt artist Sujata Shah's "Pinwheel" class sponsored by the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild  at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor  on July 17, 2016. Shah is inspired by the work of Gee's Bend quilters and has developed a no-template method of piecing to emulate their unstructured designs. Shah's book, Cultural Fusion Quilts , is available at Amazon.com.  Shah's uses four 11-inch squares to make each block, but she said a quilter could use any size base they choose. Since I had a package of precut 10-inch squares in the "Sturbridge" design by Kathy Schmitz for Moda, I based my block on that size. We were instructed to bring a variety of backgrounds in one color and brights in another color. Since I signed up late for ...

Notebook cover from Arabesque

by Linda Theil I just finished making the "Crafted Life Companion" notebook-cover designed by Australian Ali Phillips of Arabesque Scissors . I've made several of Phillips' patterns and have come to experience Phillips as creating at the same stratospheric level as English designer Diane Spencer Ogg for brilliant design innovation and attention to minute specificity in their patterns. Both creators are also highly professional and skilled presenters in their step-by-step demonstration videos for every design. Please see Phillips' video at the end of this post. The Arabesque notebook cover is designed to fit an A5 notebook size, and includes a sleeve for notepads up to 4 x 8-inches. Other pocket options are included in the pattern -- most of which I left out in my first version. I did take advantage of a marvelously useful innovation Phillips provided: a beautifully designed "coloring page" that helped enormously to keep all my pattern pieces organized....