Sewing For Boys Pump Up Series: Blue Susan Makes

Onto Day 5 of the Sewing For Boys Pump Up Series.  Please help me welcome Sarah.  You may remember her from the Wednesday's Wickedly Awesome post.  I first stumbled upon Susan when I was searching for ideas for C's, Ben 10 party.  She'd made the perfect Ben Ten jacket for son and as I browsed through her blog, I was just blown away by the MANY handbags and sewing projects she'd completed.  I really do need to sew myself a bag.

Sarah is joining us today to share her experience with the Sewing For Boys Carryall Bag.  Just wait to see how these turned out.  Fab-u-lous!
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Hi there! I'm Sarah from BlueSusan Makes.  What a fun opportunity to get to help "pump you up" for the Sewing For Boys Sew Along.  I have 3 little boys (and 1 big girl) that I would love to sew more for, so I'm excited to sew along this year and make them some stuff.  If you zoom over to my blog you'll see that I make a bunch of random things to give as gifts or for my house and family. But what I'm most obsessed with sewing is handbags.  I have a seasonal business/hobby of sewing and selling them at craft fairs and farmer's markets.

Since I've made so many bags, it's what I'm most comfortable with.  So when I saw the pattern for the Brick Bag Carry All in Sewing For Boys, I just had to try it...all the zippers and pockets, I love a good challenge.   Of course, it helped seal the deal when my 9 year old picked up the book, saw the brick bag, and asked with excitement,"Mom can you make me this??" He's all about Lego these days. Actually I have 2 Lego fanatics here so I made TWO.  I plan on having the boys use these as travel bags for our airplane trips as well.

 Here they are looking "tough".

 I freezer paper stenciled minifigure heads onto the fronts.

For supplies, I chose heavy black canvas for the outside, Osnaburg for the lining, and "jacket" zippers.  I like the easy double zipper closure and there is a large outer pocket as well, for building plans or coloring books.

 This a great pattern and produces a very solid bag with major "wow" factor.  You can customize your pockets and elastic strips.  I made one elastic strip with larger sections so they could slide their small ships in as well.  Cars fit in the loops too.

Actually the brick bag can hold a variety of toys for on the go fun.

As far as constructing the bag goes, it actually sews together pretty smoothly as you build all the components. There are a few tricky spots though, so I took some pictures of the process and compiled some general tips to make it easier for you all. These may make more sense when you are actually making the bag. 

TIPS and SUGGESTIONS

• First of all when cutting out your pieces, you will need 2 of each of the zipper panel fabric instead of one.  (I chose not to interface the Zipper panels to reduce bulk since the canvas was so heavy) 
• You'll read on and see that you'll need to interface your lining pieces as well as backing them with flannel.  Stack them up in this order (flannel, interfacing, then lining) and treat them as one piece the whole time. Basting if necessary.

• When it came to creating the casing for the elastic I used single fold bias tape. I opened it up and sewed alone one of the folded creases. Then pressed it over and stitched it down (see pattern instruction #7, p.107)

• I thought the final construction phase was the trickiest part, possibly making the authors categorize this pattern as advanced. I wouldn't consider my self advanced, I think an intermediate sewist could handle it with a little patience.  Here are a few tips.  (Pattern instruction #22-28 p.109)

Pin the bag at the centers of the long sides first. I found that my zipper panels would not quite make it all the way to the corners.  It's okay, just center the short sides so your corners are even.  I found it easier to pin if I unzipped the zipper.

• To conquer the zipper bulge at each corner, sew until the bulge gets in the way and then, with the needle down and the presser foot up, re-adjust the bulge so it is out of your way as you sew around the corner.

• I took a little liberty with the way I attached the lining. First I pinned it all around, making sure my pin heads were sticking outside the edge of the fabric.  (Those boys will never see those flannel flowers He He!)

Then I flipped it over and sewed along the same stitching line.  You can easily clean up any wobbly seams as you go.

Using a zipper foot, with the needle positioned all the way to the left, allowed me to get around the corners cleanly with out my needle jumping around too much, you'll see what I mean.

I hope this helps.  You'll be so impressed with yourself when you finish making this bag.  I hope you'll try it!

Thank you, Sewing For Boys team, for such a great pattern!

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Wow, aren't those some tough looking boys?  Ha, ha!  The bags look wonderful, Sarah.  Thank you so much for sharing with us today.  I now know what my oldest is getting for his birthday!
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