Skip to main content

Fast Archie


Mini "Arch" pouch, pattern by Diane Spencer-Ogg. 6.5x5x2.5-inches

by Linda Theil

We needed a dozen pencil pouches to put in the backpacks we are filling for the annual "Backpacks for Kids" project organized by the Livingston Educational Service Agency of Livingston County, Michigan. 

I thought Diane Spencer-Ogg's new "Arch Zipper Pouch" would make a cute pencil pouch if I reduced the "medium" pattern option to 80-percent of the original. That reduction made a pouch measuring 6.5-inches wide, by five-inches high, by 2.5-inches deep.

Since I had to make so many pouches, I looked for ways to simplify the already perfect design to reduce the drudgery of so much repetition. Although the pattern has a beautiful two-color option, I decided to make the one-color option, reducing the number of pattern pieces to one piece for the body of each bag, and two identical pieces to construct each zipper placket. I also eliminated the lining, and the interior patch pocket. 

For the bag body, I used a half-yard piece of faux waxed-canvas from Sally Tomato. I was able to jigsaw the main pattern piece across the 58-inch width of the fabric. Using this method, you can cut one body piece for each 10-inches of fabric, and have room to cut the two placket pieces in the scraps at the bottom of each cut. 

After sewing the zipper to the placket pieces, I zig-zag-stitched along the edge of the zipper taoe to finish and secure the inside of the zipper placket. I also bound the seam where the zipper placket is attached to the body of the bag.

Interior of mini "Arch" bag showing zig-zag finished zipper insertion, bound placket seam, and finished interior seam created by reverse seaming of main seams.

To save time and energy, I interfaced the canvas with a woven fusible interfacing before drawing around the main pattern piece along the width of my fabric, then cutting all the pieces out with pinking sheers.

To add a bit of youthful fun and to properly finish the unlined interior, I stitched the two main seams of the bag with wrong sides together, creating raw-edged seams on the exterior. I zig-zag stitched over both exterior seams to strengthen the seams and  prevent fraying.

I included a 3/4-inch d-ring attached with 3/4-inch nylon webbing to which the student might add a carabiner for carry-all convenience.


All these modifications allow this version of Spencer-Ogg's "Arch Zipper Pouch" to be created in about 90-minutes or less for many makers.

Here is the two-color version I made with scraps from my leftover fabric -- the yellow fabric is regular cotton canvas.


Mini "Arch" pencil pouches ready to go back to school!


The secrets of sewing a gusset to a curve
The curves of the "Arch" pouch are gentle, and easy to sew; but, even easily sewn curves demand some attention to detail when stitching a straight piece of fabric (the gusset) to a curved piece of fabric (the front, and back pieces of the pouch). Here are some rules I have often been told, but have had emphasized by my repeated manufacture of this simple "Arch" bag.
  • Shorten your stitch length: I typically sew with a long stitch length of about 10-12 sttiches per inch; shortening that length by even a little bit makes it easier to stitch around a curve.
  • Narrow your seam allowance: a scant 3/8 will make it easier to maneuver a curve than 1/2-inch or larger.
  • Use a narrow foot: I accidentally found that the narrower width of my 1/4-inch piecing foot, as opposed to my regular seaming foot, makes it easier to maneuver around a curve.
  • Use clips, pins, or hand basting to secure your fabrics in correct relation to each other before stitching.
  • Clip your curves: even a tiny clip or two in your gusset at the apex of a curve will ease the straight edge of your gusset into the curved fabric piece.
  • Sew with the gusset side of seam uppermost going through your machine.
  • Use a stylus to control your fabric going through the machine.
  • Go slow.
  • Overcast your finished seams with zig-zag stitching, or bind to finish and secure.
Note:
I have written about this pattern in other AppletonDance posts at:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scrappy log cabin blocks

by Linda Theil Scrappy Log Cabin quilt block by Linda Theil  Next month the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild will host a virtual quilt-along to make quilts for the SafeHouse Center womens' shelter in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One of the suggested blocks to make at the event is a Scrappy Log Cabin suggested by GAAQG member and artist Mary Bajcz. I love the Log Cabin block design and decided to get a head start on next month's event by organizing my materials and develping a process for making my Scrappy Log Cabin blocks. I began by watching Mary's YouTube video: "Scrap Quilt Strategy: The Log Cabin Technique" , and many others available on the topic. What a variety of approaches!   I'm not much of an improvisor and this is the first time I've tried the scrappy approach to quilt making. So It was quite an adventure for me. I pulled out my scrap bin and began sorting for lights and darks. After looking at many videos, I decided to work with a central square of 2.5-i...
1 comment
Read more

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 commentary; your results may vary. ...
15 comments
Read more

Advent star

by Linda Theil Alisa made me a beautiful Advent calendar long ago and every year she fills it with goodies in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. Last Christmas, every pocket contained two rolled-up strips from a "jelly roll" precut package of "Holiday Florish Festive Finery" by Robert Kaufman. I wanted to use the fabric right away and not allow my gift to disappear into my tub of holiday galore. After searching my patterns for a block that could be made with "jelly-roll" strips, I decided to redraw a "Christmas Star" block in a size that would use the 2.5-inch-wide "jelly roll" strips. This redraw resulted in a 10-inch block before finishing, and not including the 2.5-inch sashing I added later. For construction I used the method described by Brigitte Heitland in her "Christmas Star" pattern. This was a free pattern that I no longer find available through her website. The block looks very intricate, but Heitland's con...
2 comments
Read more