Understanding Tutorials

Most bag makers need tutorials to make their own bags, at least in the beginning. But for the real beginners it might be hard to understand those tutorials. So let's make it easier for those of you who are having trouble understanding what the hell the tutorial maker wants to say.

Here are some terms from the sewing world that will help you understand certain things if you've never learned how to sew.

(If you have more terms to add to the list, please let me know so I will add them. These are many of them, but I'm sure there are more I couldn't think of!)

Pattern – the template of a bag (or other items) that you cut the fabric by, once you place it over the fabric (and mark and cut it). There could be a number of pattern pieces for one bag (there are pattern tutorials in the blog).

Right side/wrong side – the right side of the fabric is the side that you want to be seen in the end. It's the prettier side usually, or the printed side. The wrong side, as you can understand, is the other side. The less pretty side, the side you don't want to see when finishing the bag (or other fabric items).
When you read in a tutorial that you need to sew "right sides together", it means placing both right sides of the fabric/s on top of each other and sew. Same for the wrong sides.
And when it says to turn right side out, it means to turn the bag (piece) that has its wrong side out, so that its right side will be out and wrong side will be inside and unseen.



Gusset – part of a certain type of bag; it's a long piece of fabric that connects between the front side and the back side of a bag. It add dimension to a bag and is also a way to seal a bag at the sides and bottom.





Pin/clip – when it says to pin or clip something it means you should secure (fabrics) together so (they) won't move while sewing. A pin should be removed right before the machine's needle reaches it.


Boxing – is a method to make dimensions to the bag, so it will stand on its own better, and be expended. It's when you make triangles in the corners of the bag's full body (before exterior and interior are sewn together), and then sewn horizontally (better cut off the corners beyond the seam). It creates a "box" out of the corner.
The boxing element can be made to the pattern piece so all you have to do with the piece is pinch corners and sew.

Lining – the inner fabric of a bag.

Exterior/interior – exterior is the outer part (whether it's the fabric or another material) of the bag. Interior is the inner part of the bag, usually the lining itself.

Backstitch – a very important term in sewing, any sewing. It's when you reverse the needle, back and forth, the stitching while sewing over the stitch you've already made. When it says to backstitch, it means you should go over the stitches a few times to make it more secure, so it won't get loose (the seam).

Base – simply the base that is at the bottom of the bag that usually makes it stand on its own better. You can insert a base to a bag instead of sewing it as part of it, and there are materials for that.

Trim off – references to the excesses you should cut off or take down from a fabric piece or something else.
Piping – sort of trim strip that has a tube that a cord has been inserted into it (cord cannot be seen, it's sewn inside). It decorates edges of bags and garments in a fine line. Can be purchased as premade or be made at home easily.





Piping – sort of trim strip that has a tube that a cord has been inserted into it (cord cannot be seen, it's sewn inside). It decorates edges of bags and garments in a fine line. Can be purchased as premade or be made at home easily.




Fold – besides the obvious meaning of the word, sometimes in sewing it means to fold the fabric in half, usually wrong side of the fabric facing outside, placing the pattern on the fold, mark and cut out the fabric. This way you don't waste fabric and time.

Magnetic snap – a magnetic closure that has two halves – male (flatter one) and female (deeper one). You don't have to sew it to the bag's lining, but you make holes for its prongs, insert through holes, bend down the prongs and that's all (there's a tutorial in this blog).
Leaving a gap – you start sewing, then stop, skip a few cm/in, then put the needle back in and keep sewing. There's no need to pull out of the machine when skipping, just trim the thread once you're finished. You're usually asked to leave a gap (like in the lining) so you could turn inside out the bag's body through it, and sew it closed once the bag is finished.

Interfacing/stabilizer – meant to make the bag's body stiffer and more stabilized, sometimes enough to make the bag stand on its own. There are many kinds, you should pick the right one. There are stiffer ones, thicker ones, fabric and paper ones. Some you sew in, some you fuse to the fabric, some you fill the bag's body with, etc.

Flap – a bag's flap is like a wing that shuts over the bag's top as a closure. It can make the stuff you put in a bag safer because it closes the bag's top better. Better install a magnetic snap, twist lock, a swivel hook or any other method in the flap, to make sure it really closes it and not just lays over it.
O-ring/D-ring/ring – they can come in metallic or plastic and even wooden material, and in many sizes. They mostly decorate bags, for example you can sew them to a bag's straps. The O-ring is in a shape of 'O', the D-ring in a shape of a 'D'. And there are rectangle rings and square rings. There are times where you can also find different shapes of rings, like hearts. They're still counted as rings.

Leaving a gap – you start sewing, then stop, skip a few cm/in, then put the needle back in and keep sewing. There's no need to pull out of the machine when skipping, just trim the thread once you're finished. You're usually asked to leave a gap (like in the lining) so you could turn inside out the bag's body through it, and sew it closed once the bag is finished.

Iron/press – when making a bag and asked to iron/iron flat/press, it means to press the fabric/s with an iron, not so it will be wrinkle-free, but so it will be flatten and more "attached to the ground". It makes the fabric/s sit better. For example, when making a strap, it's always better to iron it flat, it looks much better.



O-ring/D-ring/ring – they can come in metallic or plastic and even wooden material, and in many sizes. They mostly decorate bags, for example you can sew them to a bag's straps. The O-ring is in a shape of 'O', the D-ring in a shape of a 'D'. And there are rectangle rings and square rings. There are times where you can also find different shapes of rings, like hearts. They're still counted as rings.






Eyelets/grommets – they're rings, in different sizes and colors, rimmed with metal, that you install into the fabric as holes. There are also tools to install them at home. They can have many uses, imagination can take you far,


Clip corners – sometimes after sewing, the outer part beyond the seam is a little thick and we will have trouble turning inside out those corners. So you can cut little triangles along the seam with scissors, carefully without cutting the seam itself. This is good when you make a curved piece, or a sharp piece (which in this case, you better trim off a little of the tip).

Topstitch – just like it sounds, it's a stitch you stitch at the top. Sometimes it's a visible stitch, so you need to make it not only straight and even, but also pretty.



Twist lock – a lock closure for a bag's flap that you turn to shut/open the bag. It can easily be installed into a bag's flap at home (there's a tutorial in the blog).



1/4" – is the ordinary measurement that tells you in which width you should sew. It's the width between the machine's foot and the edge of the fabric – the distance between the foot and the fabric's edge.

Unpick – needs to be done sometimes, even though it sucks (I HATE it!). If you've sewn something wrong, not pretty, crooked or anything else you're not satisfied with, you should gently pull out the seams by unpicking them carefully with a picker. Although, sometimes you might be asked to unpick something that's meant to be unpicked in the first place, because that's just a step in a tutorial.

Pleats – mostly a decorative thing, a design element. It's when you fold in the piece of fabric in a few places (or just two), usually from the top and toward the middle; then you sew in place as close to the edge as possible. Then you usually sew another piece of fabric on top of it (right sides together), at the edge, and then reopen it, so that the stitches don't show (and iron). That's just an example, there are many designs and you do with it.
When you see "pleated bag", it means it's a bag with pleats that decorating it.

Fat Quarter – not so much of a bag thing, but sometimes it is, because sometimes it's made out of fat quarter pieces. That's a piece of fabric that its dimensions are 18x22 inches. Usually a piece of fabric that is used in quilting. You can sometimes buy those pieces instead of cutting them out from a larger fabric yourself.


Bias Tape – used as a decoration for the edges of a fabric, or as a concealer for the seams that don't go into the bag (or other fabric products). It's made of a strip of fabric that is cut on the bias of the fabric. There are different kinds, different widths; some are single folded and some are double folded.


Vinyl – a fake leather fabric that is based on high-tech plastic material. It comes in many thicknesses and colors and textures. Also known as vinyl sky and faux leather.

Teflon foot – is a sewing machine foot that is made of Teflon (plastic) so that your sewing of a material such as vinyl will go easier (or at all), it slides on the vinyl that regular foot cannot.

Zipper foot – sometimes when you try to sew a zipper to a bag, the zipper's pull is on the way, and doesn't let you sew beside it. So the right solution for that is a zipper foot. You install it in the sewing machine, and then can easily sew beside the zipper.