Monthly Archives

February 2014

Bags or Zakka Sewing Patterns Book Reviews Japanese Sewing Books

Book Review – Pouches of various shapes and sizes

February 24, 2014

I haven’t been buying many books lately, as most books during the winter season are devoted to knitting and crochet. So I turned my attention to sewing books for bags and purses. I kind of stopped looking for a while because I had too many books on bags already, then I spotted this book with a really cute cover! Look at all these metal frame purses!

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The full title is いろんな形&サイズが作れる がま口がいっぱい which loosely translates to Making pouches of all shapes and sizes. There are 35 projects to be made in all, with 3 lessons covered in full with step by step photos. There are also basic technical lessons ranging from pattern tracing, tools, even embroidery stitching. I thought it would be really useful to have pictorial instructions because I have tried making one of these before but failed terribly. Well, at least in my opinion because my finishing was not perfect and there were dents in the metal frame (which was probably due to using the wrong tools). So I wanted to learn how to do it properly.

Here’s a look at the contents page.

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For each design, there are a few variations, which totals up to 35 different purse designs in all.

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The book starts off with the basic metal frame pouch, in two variations.

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Followed immediately by a detailed lesson on making the basic pouch.

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Close up of the photo instructions.

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Full page view of the step by step instructions.

Now that you know how to make a basic metal frame purse, you can move on to make the following…

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A mobile phone case (with darts at the base)

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Card case, Lip balm/Lipstick case

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Pencil case, Spectacles case

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Gathered pouch

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If you can find these large handbag metal frames, you can make this too! This is so pretty!  I actually saw many of these handbag frames being sold in Japan but as I’m not the type to carry dainty purses, I didn’t buy any. 😛

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Plump purse (the title says that literally!)

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Close up of the base of the “plump” purse.

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There are some very interesting designs, like this box purse, where the clasps meet at the side and the purse is in a box shape. Perfect for storing earrings and rings.

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Or make a larger one like this – Vanity purse

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Long wallets/purses. This pattern includes a zipped coin compartment in the middle which also acts as a divider.

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This purse is cute both inside and out! It uses a mother-daughter type of metal frame. I don’t know what this type of clasp is called in English, but the book says it’s a mother and daughter metal frame.

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A more unique type of frame – the L-shape frame, where the clasps are located in the top corner instead of the middle.

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Another interesting way of applying a simple metal clasp on a handbag.

Other than the 3 fully detailed lessons with step by step photos, the book includes basic technical knowledge lessons such as this one – tracing, cutting and marking the patterns. There are also lessons on embroidery, fabric treatment and even special tools that will help you create a better result when making a metal frame purse.

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The how-to-make pages are located after the lessons, and they look like this.

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Personally, I feel that the layout is a little cramped. See the close up below, the size/materals and pattern info are listed with the 4 lines of text, there are no steps written down in point form as everything is in diagrams. On some pages, they’ve even managed to squeeze two patterns in one page. But I guess this is because most of the projects are constructed in similar ways so there is no need to repeat some of the information.

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1 sheet of actual size patterns attached.

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and for those of you who are wondering where to buy the different metal frames, especially the really pretty ones with colored beads on the clasps, look no further!  http://www.inazuma.biz Website is in Japanese though.

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Title : がま口がいっぱい いろんな形&サイズが作れる (Heart Warming Life Serires)
Publisher : Nihon Vogue
ISBN : 978-4529052344 

Back to School Sewing Patterns Free Patterns Sew-along Sewing Tutorials Sewing Videos

Simple wallet sewing video tutorial with free pattern – Sew-along Day #2

February 19, 2014

Welcome to Day#2 of our sewing video tutorial. Do you have all your materials ready? Let’s start!

To begin with, please refer to the layout diagram below, for the positioning of the different parts of the wallet. You will need to mark the position of the velcro strips on the outer and inner fabrics. Note the orientation of the inner (on top) and outer fabric (below). This is because the two pieces will be sewn with their wrong sides facing.

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Layout and positioning of pockets and velcro. Click on image to zoom in.

How to make

Preparation
– Apply fusible interfacing (if you are not using laminates or thick fabrics)

  1. Make coin compartment – Sew front piece of coin compartment to the bottom edge of the zip. Sew backing piece for coin compartment to the top edge of the zip. Open up the two fabric pieces so that right sides are facing up. Topstitch the fabric onto the zip. Foldover the backing piece so that the short edges are aligned. Set aside.
  2. Make ID holder – Clip the two strips of bias in place to the longer sides of the plastic sheet. Sew down one side, with the bias sandwiching the plastic sheet. Set aside.
  3. Assembling the inner fabric piece. Place coin compartment, right sides aligned (as referred to in top diagram), clip in place. Baste the coin compartment to the inner fabric on the right and left sides, with a 0.5cm seam allowance. Next, place the plastic sheet 1cm away from the coin compartment, clip in place to the inner fabric. Sew the other side of the bias (the side that has not been sewn) so that the bias sandwiching the plastic sheet is sewn down to the inner fabric all in one stitch.
  4. Position Velcro pieces – using the layout diagram above, mark with a washable fabric marker/chalk, the velcro hook and loop tape positions  respectively on the outer and inner fabric pieces. Sew the velcro pieces on.
  5. Attach labels (optional step)
  6. Finish top edge of inner fabric – using the cotton twill tape, cover the edge of the inner fabric and sew down with a 0.7-0.8cm seam allowance.
  7. Assembling the wallet – Place outer fabric with right sides facing down (note orientation of velcro), place billfold lining fabric on top (wrong sides of fabric facing each other), and stack the inner fabric with the sewn on ID holder and coin compartment on top of it. Align the bottom edge of all pieces (the bottom edge is the one nearest to you).
  8. Important! Check the position of the velcro strips. Now fold up the wallet to check the orientation of the velcro. If it is correct, sew a 0.5cm seam allowance basting stitch around all 4 sides to hold all the layers in place.
  9. Finish – Using the cotton twill tape, sew all around the raw edges of the wallet, making sure to sew through all the layers.

I feel a headache reading what I just wrote 😛 It’s hard to imagine orientation and right sides and wrong sides without actually seeing it! So please watch the video, it will make things so much clearer. If you have a fast internet connection, watch in HD!

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy sewing video tutorial. Even if you did not sew along, bookmark the page for you might want to make this one day. Happy sewing and stay tuned for my next sewing video tutorial next month. I will be sewing using a pattern from one of my Japanese sewing books!

Back to School Sewing Patterns Free Patterns Sew-along Sewing Tutorials Sewing Videos

Simple wallet sewing video tutorial with free pattern – Sew-along Day #1

February 17, 2014

This month’s sew-along, or rather, sewing tutorial, is a simple wallet that I made for my girl to carry to school. As she is only in primary school, she only needs to carry some loose change, a couple of bills occasionally, as well as a single student ID card.  So this is a very simple, minimalistic wallet, which I thought will be great for traveling as well.  There is one zipped coin compartment, one ID card holder, as well as an additional card slot (behind the coin compartment). Both card slots are sized to fit a standard credit card size, but in actual fact there’s enough room for a few cards in both slots.

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I am using naniIRO’s Field STAR Hooray_やっほー  laminated cotton. Isn’t it lovely? I bought it last June during my trip to the nani IRO atelier. I wasn’t looking for laminates in particular but there it was, standing against the wall in the corner, calling out my name ;P  I have been keeping it aside to make a bag of my own, but since it was so precious I was always afraid of sewing with it and possibly ruining it! This is a small little project which only requires a little bit of fabric so I mustered up the courage to cut! and I’m so glad I did. 🙂

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It is really a very simple wallet and quick to sew, so there will only be two posts on this sew-along. Today is all about the materials, and I will post the pattern, or rather, the layout diagram, sewing video and how-to-make on Wednesday. This is so that you can have some time to get your materials ready. Please read my notes below with regards to the materials. Making a wallet usually requires interfacing but due to my choices of fabric I did not have to use any. So do prepare some medium/heavy weight interfacing to give your wallet some structure if you are using light/medium weight fabrics.

Materials

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About the materials

Outer fabric
I am using laminated cotton fabric, which is great because it can stand up to dirt and stains. It is also quite stiff and sturdy thanks to the laminated layer. If you are using normal cotton fabric, you can use normal fabric reinforced with medium-heavy weight fusible interfacing. There are also iron on vinyls like those from Heat ‘n’ Bond if you have a favorite print you want to use that does not come in laminate options.

Billfold lining
I used an upholstery weight fabric (for cushions and curtains) for this, so I didn’t need to add interfacing. If your fabric is light weight or medium weight it will be a good idea to reinforce this layer with interfacing.

Plastic Sheet
The plastic sheet was actually salvaged from the plastic cover of an old diary. It is slightly frosted which is great because I find that glossy plastic tends to be sticky and sometimes printed cards will get stuck and leave marks on the plastic piece as well. Look around you for something you can recycle, like an old clear plastic file or old book covers. You can even use vinyl sheets (available in some fabric stores), although I must say that cards tend to stick to vinyl.

Cotton Twill Tape
These tapes come in both polyester and cotton options. Both are fine, but try to get one that is not so thick. I found mine a little too thick for my machine to handle, especially around the folds and overlapping bits, I had to manually maneuver my stitches over the thick areas.

Zip
In the list of materials I mentioned a 12cm zip. I chose a metal zip that was slightly longer because the metal zip stoppers on both ends would have made it difficult for me to sew the twill tape over. So I chose to use a slightly longer zip and cut off the excess.

Ok, time to go shopping for your materials! If you have them ready, move on to the next post for the tutorial – Simple wallet sewing video tutorial with free pattern –  Sew-along Day #2

 

 

Japanese Sewing Books Japanese Sewing Magazines New Releases

New Releases – February 2014

February 13, 2014

From this month onwards, I will  be blogging once a month about new releases in Japanese Sewing Books. 🙂

The books I have listed are based on their release dates in February. Some of the new magazines due for release in March have already been listed on some online sites, I want to share them too but I have decided that I will leave them for the next month’s so that the content is more organized. Some of the books/magazines listed below have already been released and available for order, while some are due for release nearer the end of the month so you can only pre-order them.

Click on the images will bring you either to the publisher’s page, or amazon.co.jp. Whenever it is possible I will link it to the page which gives you the most information about the book so that you can search for it from your favorite bookstore. Some publishers also provide sample preview pages so if it is available I will link to those pages so that you can see what is inside the book.

Happy Browsing!

 cottonfriend

Cotton Friend Spring 2014

cottontime

Cotton Time March 2014 Edition

nihonvogue_foreignstylebags

外国のおばあちゃんが作ってくれたみたいなバッグの本 おうちの小物やスカートも。
Bags,Small Goods, Skirts etc in Foreign Granny style 

pattern

誌上・パターン塾 Vol.1 トップ編
Pattern drafting for Tops with 22 bodice styles, 26 sleeve styles and 40 collar styles

shufu_babygoods

新米ママもらくらく作れる かわいいベビーグッズ
Cute baby goods for new mummies to make

taka_straighlinesewing

月居良子の かんたん、かわいい まっすぐソーイング かぶる、まく、はおる
Easy, cute, straight sewing by Tsukikyo Ryoko
(Tip : Click on the image above and you can see some screenshots inside the book by the publisher)

bunka_pochhari

ぽっちゃりガールのソーイングブック
Pochhari Girl’s Sewing Book (L-5L sizes)

boutiquesha_hajimete

はじめてのソーイング
First time sewing

 More books and magazines coming your way in March! From next month onwards, I will post the new releases on the first week of the month. Stay tuned!