Bags and contest

So, have you seen a few of my new bags already? If you haven't, here they are:

#1 - In real life it looks much better. The floral fabric is really beautiful. Two pockets in the front, and two more in the sides.

#2 - My favorite so far. When I ordered the 2 fabrics, I knew I want them together. And they're such a nice couple! They're meant for each other, and not just 'cause of the colours. There are 2 pockets inside - one regular and one zipper. This bag is very roomy. Closes with a magnetic snap, and surrounded by the black faux leather fabric, all the way.

#3 - The second version of the last one, with different fabrics, and well, different size - this one is smaller, but still roomy. And like the other one, it has the same pockets and everything.

#4 - I just finished it yesterday. I think this is a super cute bag, thanks to the fabrics combo. It closes with a bin buckle (holes and everything!), and pretty small (smaller than I planned, actually...)

If you were wondering (and if not, that's okay too), it takes me about 8-10 hours to finish a bag. It used to be 5 hours. I sometimes work on a bag 8 hours straigh. Addiction like any other addiction. Fun addiction.

Another thing is, I was looking lately for a contest I could enter. Contests are good, and not only because of the prizes. I don't really care about the prizes. I'm talking about the reward to yourself. If you're in a contest, it gives you drive to try harder and really put work into your work. It's a challenge. And during that, you will come up with the best of the best. I mean, if you really want to win, you will challenge yourself into doing something really dazzling. Then even if you don't win, you've made a great piece.

Where I'm getting at is, I was looking for the kind of contest where I could design a bag to be proud of (and to die for). I like contests, I believe it's a healty thing.

Yesterday I got an email about Amy Butler's (http://www.amybutler.com/) contest, a very famous designer who also has a line of fabrics. Anyway, she's launching new sofwares - a CD of her sewing projects. Plus, she's celebrating the one year anniversary of the Midwest Modern fabric. She celebrates it with a contest, which is what I'm babbling about.

The only rule of this contest is to create any project you want, using the Midwest Modern fabrics. So if you're interested (I know I am), enter (I know I will). The contest opens on June 1st and ends on September 15th. You have a lot of time to think, create and send a picture to the email: contest@amybutlerdesign.com . Details on the website (enter the NEW page, and download the PDF file).

Just to make sure, those are the fabrics you can use (there might be more I'm not aware of) :











If you want, I can help you if you decide to make a bag for the contest (the contest rule is that it can be anything, not just bags, but I understand bags at the moment...) So please feel free to ask
(if you want help with making a pattern, fabric stores, how to, anything that is something like that, except finding a design for you and the actual work). I can't promise winning though, this is up to you and only you.

So good luck to those who decide to participate!!

Making Your Own Pattern

So this is the situation. I see people around looking for patterns for bags, meaning someone else's patterns. And people keep asking me where I get my patterns from. I always tell them I use my own, I made them by myself. I don't like doing something that someone else did, even if I credit them. This is just not me. Then I ask myself, why people use already made patterns that someone did, why can't they do their own? Well, the answer for this would be, very simple, they don't know how.
Now I gotta admit, I'm not sure if the way I make my patterns is the ordinary way. But this is my way of work, you will see. In this post, which is a very important post, I want to teach you a bit about how to make your own patterns, the way I do it, so you will learn how to make them by yourself, and therefore invent your special designs. Some secrets, some tips. Wanna? Keep reading then.

First I will start with something familiar, and a little tip. You know when you make boxing (which is a way to give a bag its space and bulkness, you see it a lot) in the bottom of the bag, and then the bag gets a shape of wide in the top and narrow in the bottom? Like this:





That can be nice, but sometimes it's not the way you want your bag to be. So how do I deal with it? Well, first option is the make the bag with "walls" instead of boxing. But if you want less work, which is by doing the boxing thingy, you need to make a pattern that will "cancel" that affect. The thing that happens when you do the boxing, is the bottom of the bag slims itself inward. Less room already. So you will need a pattern that will look like this:

After you create the bag and make boxing, the bottom of the bag will slim inward, but this time, there is more material in the bottom edges (it will be wider), so even if it slims, it won't slim too much; it will create a straight square, and will not get the shape that would have turned out to be if you didn't do this pattern. Of course you need to pick the ratio of the pattern by the size of the boxing. You don't want it to be too much or too little!

Hope that was clear enough.

How will you make this pattern?

I'm creating a pattern out of a large Bristol paper that is thick enough. I would suggest getting a rotary cutter and a good ruler. You will need the ruler for the pattern making. You don't have to have a rotary cutter, but it's just easier and faster (you'll be surprised!).
So it will be symmetrical, we will do this by folding the Bristol to half – the middle will be the fold line. Now we will need to mark the borders, like this:

The shape doesn't matter yet. Take the ruler and draw a straight line for the bottom of the pattern (bottom of the bag). Now do the same for the top border. This is where you choose the size of the pattern – the maximum and the minimum - height. (let's get something clear, the boxing will take a few inches/centimeters, so the pattern should be longer in the bottom, take a few extra more).

Now we will mark the border of the side(s) with a straight line that starts with the maximum width of the top part of the pattern. Do the same with the bottom part of the pattern - mark the maximum:

Okay, now we have the borders. Now we will need to draw a line between the maximum of the top and the maximum of the bottom, right from the points of connection:

Ready for cutting! This is what you need to cut:

If you want to make the bottom edges rounded….
Do the exact same thing, and this time, you can take a glass or bowl or something rounded that fits the size and place it in the margins.

And how will you make an addition like:

After your pattern is ready, you will cut another piece for the example above (let's focus on the top part, not the bottom one, but it's the same). Mark the line you want on the ready pattern with a ruler. Take another piece of the Bristol and fold to two again. Attach the folded piece of the bag pattern to the fold of the additional part Bristol, middle to middle (fold line to fold line when it's closed). Like this:

Mark a line around the particular part (see picture), and continue the line of the pattern a little:

Then you can remove the bag's pattern and complete the line:

Cut, and there you go, it fits:

This is the basics. This is how I do it. From here, you can make pockets, flip over or other additions. Of course you need to measure and stuff, but this is how you can make your own patterns!
The question remains, do you want to know more? More examples maybe? More information? Let me know!
Anyway, if that wasn't clear you can contact me and I'll try to help.