Wool Bag Tutorial

I finished a wool bag for a Christmas exchange (and got a great bag in return).

I did remember to photograph the process, so I can write my first tutorial (My mom would be proud-I looked up how to spell tutorial!) Here it goes:

First I started with a piece of wool that I felted and fulled (I'm not describing that process here, there are lots of tutorials-I'm getting my money's worth for looking that up!-out there.) I cut pieces of fabric for lining and some batting for stability. My lining fabric is a home dec fabric so it is a bit heavier weight, but the wool didn't full much, so I needed a bit there. You may not need to add the batting, so in that case skip the instructions pertaining to that. You can choose to make this in any size you want; squar-ish, rectangular-tall or wide, big or small.

Next, mark where you want the handles to go. Place the lining fabric right side down and place the batting on top. Trim 1/4 inch off of the batting on the parts that will be the top. Pin/baste the batting to the lining. Turn over so the lining is right side up. Cut out the hole for the handle. Quilt the batting and lining together. (for the non-quilters, either free-motion sew or sew lines back and forth across the fabric to join them together). Zig-zag stitch around the handles to prevent them from unraveling (we will add a decorative finish later.)

Fold the lining in half and sew the sides together. Fold the bag so that one side seam lines up with bottom fold of the base of the bag, creating a triangle on the corner. Measure how wide you want the base to be and mark, pin and sew the seam to create the triangle "flaps". You can either trim the triangles off or fold them into the bottom of the bag. If there is too much bulk, you can lay the lining triangles down on the base and point the triangles of the bag up along the side of the bag.

Repeat the process from the beginning for the bag. (I created the bag before I fulled (washed) it to decrease the unraveling and create more uniformity.)

My bag needed a little more stiffness in the base, so I cut a piece of Timtex or Peltex to fit the size of the base. (Use the measurement of the last "triangle seam" for the width, and measure between the "triangle seams" for the length.) Have the right side of the bag facing out, and the right side of the lining facing itself. Place the timtex (if you are using it) inside the bag at the base and adjust to get it into the corners. If you didn't trim the triangles, make sure the are laying flat. Slide the lining into the bag and make sure that the points in the base, the side seams, and the holes in the handle line up. Fold the top of the lining down over the top of the batting and pin to the wrong side of the bag.

Use a blanket stitch along the top the lining and bag to attach the lining to the bag. Blanket stitch around the handles as well. You may want to tack the lining to the bag at the base, in the corner points.

Enjoy your new bag!!