Downtown Bags by Linda Lee

Downtown Bags
By Linda Lee
What's a Downtown Bag?
What it is NOT!
A small "ladies-who-lunch" Saint
Laurent Betty bag with gold studs
and a delicate chain handle for
$3450.00 (no kidding!)
What it is!
A workhorse bag that has no
extraneous hardware, holds a lot,
and has sturdy handles. Looks
great, too! (Bottega Veneta for a
mere $4050.00).
2
Style Inspirations
So how does a sewer who has
yearnings for a great all-purpose bag
get the look without the price?
It’s called “snoop shopping” on the
internet and in fashion magazines.
My favorites online sources are
Neiman Marcus and Saks. Might as
well start at the top!
I buy an Elle or Vogue magazine
every time I fly, and I subscribe to the
Wall Street Journal and the Sunday
New York Times to get their special
style magazine inserts.
Pinterest.com is the site I use
to record what I find that I like.
3
Style Inspirations
A flat bag that hugs the body is
appealing, especially when carrying
a laptop, notebooks and files. Items
stay more organized and don’t get
lost in the bottom of the bag.
I like the utility of a crossover
without all of the straps and
doodads that come with a
traditional backpack.
So Central Belted Backpack
Mandarina Duck Crossover
4
My Interpretation
This new Downtown Bag pattern
from The Sewing Workshop Pattern
Collection is flat with small boxed
bottom corners, has both inside
and outside zip pockets and can be
carried as a shoulder crossover or
gripped by the shorter handle.
Downtown Bag
in faux leather
Downtown Bag in red doublefaced wool from The Sewing
Workshop Pattern Collection
5
Style Inspirations
London-based bag designer,
Orla Kiely, has produced this
shape for years.
These bags inspired me to look
for laminated fabrics in cool prints
and colors.
Orla Kiely Classic Shoulder
Bag in laminated cotton fabric.
6
My Interpretation
The L² Bag was the first bag
pattern that I produced. I still love it.
It's a shoulder bag, but feels
secure under my arm. It has a flat
bottom but flexible bottom. And it
holds my computer, which I
sometimes wish it didn’t.
Bag Front —Japanese fabric by Kokka
There are more and more vinylcoated fabrics on the market today.
Amy Butler, Moda and Kokka are
three of my favorites.
7
Bag Back —same fabric as the front
Style Inspirations
Israeli designer, Yael Rosen,
established Kisim in 1999 and is
know for his clear-cut but elegant
bag designs described as both
flowing and fitted.
This style is inspired by a
traditional Japanese folded bag
called Furoshiki.
Original Kisim bag
8
My Interpretation
The Kisim bag inspired this
Village Bag pattern from The
Sewing Workshop.
Deep and slouchy, this makes
the perfect bag for carrying
workout clothes or knitting and
craft projects.
Village Bag in laminated linen
and Ultrasuede handles
9
Style Inspirations
The Salvor Studio in New York
City designs a line of Bebetan
bags in beautiful hand-dyed
fabrics and suedes.
The architectural shape consists
of simple shapes — a rectangle on
a base that is a box, like a
Japanese Bento box.
Original Bebetan Bag by Salvor
10
My Interpretation
The bottom that is shaped
like a box is the most interesting
feature on the Salvor Bag.
That detail was used to
inspire the Daily News Bag by
The Sewing Workshop.
Upholstery fabric scraps
make great and serviceable
bags. Trim them with
Ultrasuede®, and you’ve upped
the ante on quality.
Daily News Bag by The Sewing Workshop
11
Unexpected Materials
Look for fabrics with a texture
that will be durable but fun.
I have carried this metal-coated
fabric Village Bag for years and it
looks as good today as the day I
made it.
Henry Beguelin woven leather bag
The fabric seemed expensive at
the time, but I've gotten my
money's worth.
Note the animal print lining!
Village Bag in Heavy
Metal woven fabric by
Casa Bini Textiles
12
Unexpected Materials
Fendi’s 2013 spring bag,
for $4990.00, is a beautiful
patchwork in leather.
My spring Daily News Bag
using scraps from my
daughter’s high school
graduation quilt perhaps has
$30.00 worth of materials in it,
and that may be a stretch!
Fendi Spring 2013
The technique is raw-edge
appliqué using overlapping
cotton prints channel stitched
to a muslin base.
Lee Spring 2013
13
Unexpected Materials
Animal prints and textures
never go out of style, even
though the style predictors
say they will.
Used in moderation in
accessories and details,
leopards and cheetahs will be
classics forever.
Alexander Wang — $1100.00
L² in upholstery scrap — $50.00?
14
Unexpected Materials
I hope you agree that this
version of the L² Bag by our
customer, Wendy Hill, is a
much better option than the
expensive Nancy Gonzales
bag from Neiman Marcus.
Wendy chose a Japanese
fabric for the bag and sewed
the facings to the outside of
the bag in a contrasting
fabric. The red accent pops
the look.
Nancy Gonzales — $2950.00
L² by Wendy Hill, home sewist
15
Unexpected Materials
Handles can be nontraditional, too. Charlotte
Olympia uses bamboo poles
in her scenic travel bag.
I used wooden dowel rods
from the hardware store and
spray-painted them white for
my large all-purpose tote bag.
Charlotte Olympia
Discover Brazil Bag
Linda Lee
Oversized Carryall
16
Unexpected Materials
Coated fabrics have an
industrial look.
You get the look of linen,
but a matte or gloss finish
coating protects the fabric,
extends the life of the bag
and adds an element of
modern chic.
Downtown Bag in Coated Linen
17
Techniques—Top Zipper
Securing a bag with a
zipper at the top makes good
sense.
Finishing the ends neatly is
the trick. It takes a little
practice to perfect this detail.
The ends are neatly tucked
into the ends of the bag.
18
Techniques—Top Zipper
With the zipper down, baste the
zipper to the top of the bag front.
Begin and end the stitching just
shy of the side seam allowances.
With right sides together, sew
the lining to the bag front, also
beginning and ending the stitching
just shy of the side seam
allowances using the previous
stitching as your guide.
This is the key to
this technique.
Stop and start
the stitching ⁵⁄₈"
from each end.
Repeat to sew the bag front and
lining to the other zipper tape.
19
Techniques—Top Zipper
Lay the bag and lining flat with the two
bag pieces together and the two lining
pieces right sides together.
Open the zipper about halfway to be
able to turn the bag later.
Fold the lining seam allowances out of
the way towards the center of the bag.
Sew completely to the top
just skimming the last stitch
that holds the zipper tape.
Using a zipper foot, start at the bottom
of one side seam and sew the seam.
When nearing the top, open out the top
seam allowances, pull the zipper tape
ends and the lining out of the way and
sew to the top raw edges of the bag.
This step is the key to ending the zipper neatly.
20
Techniques—Window Opening Zipper Pocket
This technique places a
zipper within a seam and
exposes the zipper teeth and
some of the tape for a
decorative look.
Use this technique on the
outside of the bag or in the
lining.
Zipper is centered in a seam.
21
Techniques—Window Opening Zipper Pocket
Center the zipper on the
right side of the pocket with
the zipper pull showing.
Flip the zipper up and
press the pocket away from
the zipper.
Right side of pocket
Wrong side of pocket
The distance you stitch from the
zipper teeth determines how much
tape is exposed.
22
Techniques—Window Opening Zipper Pocket
Staystitch the seam
allowance of the cutout
opening at the top of the
lower lining. Clip to each
corner
Lower Lining
Press the seam allowances
to the wrong side.
With wrong sides together,
place the lower lining over the
zipper.
Use Fusi-Web tape to keep the
zipper from moving during stitching.
23
Techniques—Window Opening Zipper Pocket
Turn the work to the wrong
side. Fold the pocket in half
and stitch the sides.
Press the seam allowance
under on the upper lining.
Pocket folded up
Place the upper lining over
the seam allowance of the
lower lining and zipper tape.
Edgestitch along the fold of
the seam.
Upper Lining
This technique requires a seam
in which to insert the zipper.
Lower Lining
24
Techniques—Free-Hanging Zipper Pocket
The window technique can
be used to make a separate
pocket and then sew the
pocket to the bag at the top
only, allowing the pocket to
hang free.
Using a fabric that doesn’t
ravel, such as Ultrasuede®,
makes it easy to construct
this pocket—no edges to turn.
The stitching line that attaches the pocket
shows on the outside of an unlined bag.
25
Techniques—Corners
I saw this technique on
a bag at an outdoor
market in Orvieto, Italy
and loved it.
The bag was nicely
finished in every way
except the outer edges
were left raw.
The bag is lined with a
contrasting fabric, so
when both the bag and
lining edges are left raw,
the lining peeks out.
A wide seam allowance
enhances this look.
26
Techniques—Boxed Corners
Boxed corners can be any
width, from very small to
extra wide.
Leave the bottom soft or
fill it with something that
helps to hold its shape.
A crisp boxed corner
on a small wristlet bag.
27
Techniques—Boxed Corners
The corners may be premarked in your pattern, which
makes it easy to know where
to fold and sew.
Most cut-outs are a
perfect square. This L²
Bag has a different look.
Sew the side and bottom
seams first.
Open these seams and
match the bottom seam with
the side seam with right sides
together. Stitch from diagonal
fold to diagonal fold.
If your pattern doesn’t have the pre-cut
corners, determine the total width of
the box that you want, divide that by 2
and use that measurement as the
amount to remove from each corner.
For example: For a 4" box, cut
out a 2" square from each corner
(the back and front of the bag).
28
Techniques—Outside Boxed Corners
Some bag designs have the
construction detail of the
boxed corners on the outside
of the bag.
L² Bag with outside boxed corners.
29
Techniques—Outside Boxed Corners
Sew the side seam, stopping
the stitching at the top of the
pleat opening.
Sew the bottom seam and
press open.
To create the outside pleat,
pinch the corner of the bottom
seam and bring the seam up to
the end of the stitching of the
side seam encasing the seam
allowance between the folds.
Leave the side seam
open for the tucked pleat.
Continue sewing the side
seam, ending at the bottom of
the bag.
30
Techniques—Tucked Corner
This is a unique way to
create fullness in a large
hobo bag.
The Village Bag pattern is
a one-piece bag. A fold and
a tuck create the soft, full
corner.
Tucked corners on the Village Bag.
31
Techniques—Tucked Corner
The lining is first sewn to the
outer bag and turned through
an opening in the side. This
makes a nice seam finish on
the inside of the bag.
Fold the bag in half with right
sides together and sew the
side seams.
At the bottom of the bag,
fold the side edges toward the
center of the bag about 1½".
Stitch the folded sections 1"
above the bottom of the bag.
1½" folds
32
Techniques—Round to Straight Bottom
This Courier Bag has an
oval bottom inset into a tube
of fabric that has straight
edges.
Use this same technique to
make bolster pillows and hats.
Courier Bag from The Sewing
Workshop book
33
Techniques—Round to Straight Bottom
Make a pattern piece for
the shape of the bottom.
To determine the size of the
rectangle to sew to it,
measure the circumference of
the shape along the seamline
and add 1" (two ½" seam
allowances).
Use that measurement to
cut a rectangle that length by
the desired height of the bag.
Measure along the
finished seamline.
34
Techniques—Round to Straight Bottom
Sew the rectangle
together to make a tube.
Staystitch along the
bottom edge at the
seamline.
Staystitching
Clip to the seamline about
every ½".
With right sides together,
sew the straight edges of
the tube to the shaped
bottom, letting the clips
spread around the curves.
Stitch just inside the staystitching.
35
Techniques—Round to Straight Bottom
The clips allow the bottom
to fit nicely without puckers
and pleats.
Use this method for any
curved shape — circles,
ovals, etc.
Use a contrasting fabric to
accent the bottom for fun.
36
Techniques—Bottom Insert
Rather than sewing a
permanent stabilizing material
into a bag, make a removable
bottom insert.
Use #7 Ultra Stiff Clear Plastic
Canvas from Joann Fabrics. Cut
it to the shape of the bottom of
the bag.
Make a fabric sleeve out of
washable fabric or Ultrasuede®
to cover the plastic canvas. Use
it in more than one bag.
When using Ultrasuede®, leave
the edges raw, making it easy to
trim to the exact size.
37
Techniques—Handles and Hardware
Upholstery weight
Ultrasuede® is called
Ambiance. It is a wonderful
material to use for trims,
handles, as well as the whole
bag.
Make the whole bag in Ultrasuede®.
It is durable, doesn’t pill,
and is washable. It also
comes in 96 colors!
Buy it from your local
interior designer who sells
Knoll Textiles or on eBay for a
fraction of the original price.
Ribbon trimmed Ultrasuede® strap.
38
Techniques—Handles and Hardware
To make Ultrasuede® straps and
handles, use two layers with the
wrong sides together. Cut the pieces
slightly larger than the finished size.
Before sewing, use strips of craft
tape, a double-sided tape that will
hold the layers together while sewing
to prevent shifting.
Use polyester thread and an
80/12mm universal needle.
Sew a ¼"-wide seam allowance
and trim close to the stitching.
Use a clear ruler and rotary
cutter to cut the edges evenly.
39
Techniques—Handles and Hardware
Webbing is available in
man-made materials such as
nylon and polyester, and
usually has a limited range of
solid colors only.
Cotton webbing is the most
desirable and is available in a
variety of colors, widths and
patterns.
Etsy.com has the largest selection
of cotton webbing by the yard in
solids and other fun patterns.
40
Techniques—Handles and Hardware
A continuous drawstring
has the advantage of never
pulling out of a casing.
The technique to make it is
the same as constructing a
traditional drawstring, except
the ends are sewn together so
that there are no loose ends.
Sew the ends together to make
a continuous drawstring.
41
Techniques—Handles and Hardware
Tote bags are for toting lots
of stuff around, and the
handles carry all of the strain.
To make sure that the
handles are sturdy and don't
separate from the bag, design
the bag in such a way to be
able to sew the webbing or
straps to the face of the bag
and end them in the bottom
seam of the bag.
These handles are completely
sewn to the bag on both sides
of the webbing.
42
Techniques—Handles and Hardware
Great hardware is hard to
find and is especially difficult
to match with other elements
such as hooks, D-rings, and
bar slides.
Build the design of the bag
around simple but elegant
hardware that does the job
and adds a designer touch.
Less is more!
Chrome "rings" from Italy.
43
Techniques—Handles and Hardware
Use disc magnets rather than
prong snaps or magnets which
tend to pull out with use.
Make a pair of "pocket" tabs
to encase the magnets and sew
to the top of the bag.
Disc magnets between two
layers of Ultrasuede®
L² Bag in a Paul Smith stripe
fabric purchased on eBay with
vintage Waverly lining fabric.
44
Techniques—Underlinings
Underlinings can change the
character of the outer fabric
and completely alter the look
and use of a bag.
Organza
Linen
Muslin
Flannel
Experiment with silk or
polyester organza, linen,
muslin, and cotton flannel.
To create firm shapes, use
Soft and Stable by annie.com.
Make small samples to see
which one works for the look
of your bag.
Featured in Sew News
April/May 2013
45
The Sewing Workshop Book
Some of my favorite bag
patterns are in my new book,
Learn to Sew with 30+ Easy
Pattern-Free Projects.
Or check out the four bag
patterns available at
www.sewingworkshop.com
L² Bag
Village Bag
Daily News Bag
Downtown Bag
Available at www.sewingworkshop.com
$17.95
46
Downtown Bags
By Linda Lee