I’ve been thinking about laundry bags this week. I was having a bit of a tidy up and found a bag of UFOs (unfinished objects). In amongst them were some net curtains. Years ago (I dread to think how long they’ve been waiting) I bought some net curtains. They were the wrong length but a bargain price. I altered them and this was what was left. I hate throwing anything out if I can find a use for it and the time had come. I decided to make a bag to put my delicate underwear in when it goes in the washing machine. You can buy these bags everywhere but the quality is usually very poor and they don’t last very long. I decided to make a posh version. This bag has my own appliqué design and French seams. It’s also just the right size for my needs.
Obviously, I
didn’t want to ruin my delicate items by using a fabric where the colour runs
in the wash, so I washed my fabric first to make sure that it was colour fast.
Instead of
needle turn appliqué where the fabric shape is sewn on by hand, this could
easily be machine appliquéd to save time and give a different look. To machine appliqué, there is no need for
freezer paper. The quickest way is to
draw your design on heat n bond, iron it to the wrong side of your fabric, cut
round the design (no need to leave any extra for a hem), peel off the backing
paper and stick it in place on the plain background fabric. Then sew round the edges using your chosen
stitch – fancy or plain. It takes no time at all, so this is ideal if time is
short or for anyone who isn’t enamoured of hand sewing.
The finished
size is 13½”/34 cm long and 8½“/21.5 cm wide. However, you can easily make your
bag as long and wide as you want because the technique will be the same. Just remember to cut your net fabric twice as
long as you want the bag to be and allow for a generous seam allowance because
French seams take more fabric than a normal seam.
I used a
stitch length of 3 throughout which is slightly longer than my normal stitch
length and seemed to work better on the net.
I have
included metric and imperial measurements but they are not exactly
interchangeable, so you should stick to either one or the other.
Skills used in this project:
- Needle turn appliqué
- French seam
- Working with net
- Using stitch n tear
Step 1: Cutting out
Cut out the
following:
28” x 10” (71
cm x 25 cm) bag body (cut 1 net curtain fabric)
2” x 3” (5 cm
x 7.5 cm) zip tabs (cut 2 plain fabric, 2 lightweight iron on interfacing)
6” x 5” (15
cm x 12.5 cm) appliqué background (cut 1 plain fabric)
4½” x 3½”
(11.5 cm x 9 cm) appliqué image (cut 1 patterned fabric, 1 stitch n tear, 1
freezer paper )
10”/25 cm zip (I used an N3 zip cut from a continuous roll)
Step 2: Making the appliqué panel
Fold the edges of the plain appliqué background under (towards the wrong side) by ¼”/6mm and press.
Pin the stitch n tear to the back.
Draw your
chosen design onto freezer paper (I drew knickers and bra). Cut it out.
Iron the freezer paper onto the right side of the patterned fabric,
shiny side of freezer paper to right side of fabric. Cut around the freezer
paper allowing at least an extra ⅛”/3 mm of fabric all the way round for
turning under. Leave the freezer paper
on the fabric.
Pin the
patterned fabric/freezer paper to the right side of the plain appliqué
background in its final position. Sew all round, turning the edges under as you
sew and using the freezer paper as a guide.
Clip any corners/curves where necessary to achieve the desired shape.
When all
parts of the appliqué have been sewn in place, gently tear the stitch n tear
from the back of the appliqué pattern. Press.
Pin the
appliqué panel to the net, approx 3”/7.5 cm from one of the short ends of the
net fabric. Topstitch all round the
panel to attach it to the net. You could use a decorative stitch to do this.
Step 3: Making the zip tabs
Attach the
interfacing to the wrong side of the plain fabric.
Fold in half and
then fold the short edges under and press.
Fold a zip
tab around each end of the zip with the zip end pushed firmly against the
fold.
Topstitch across the open end of the tab to attach both sides to the zip.
Step 4: Inserting the zip
Pin one short
side of the net to one edge of the zip, right sides together. The right side of
the net will be the side with the appliqué panel on and the right side of the
zip will have the slider. Sew.
Fold the net
back so that the other short side can be pinned, then sewn to the other edge of
the zip, again right sides should be together. Make sure that the fabric is not
twisted.
Topstitch
along both edges of the zip for a professional finish.
Step 5: Sewing the side seams
With the right side facing out, decide where you want the zip to be. Mine was approximately 2¾”/7 cm from the top.
Pin the sides
together and sew down each side, close to the edge. Trim so that the raw edges are no more than
⅛”/3 mm from the stitching.
To create the
French seam, turn the bag so that the wrong side is facing out. Sew down each side seam again but with a
slightly wider seam allowance so that the raw edges are encased within the new
seam.
Step 6: Finishing off
Topstitch
along the seam edge of each zip tab to hold them firmly in place and reduce
their bulk.
Your
delicates will now be much safer in the washing machine and laundry day will be
a pleasure because you’ll get to use your beautiful and unique bag.
In this project I learnt:
- I have done needle turn appliqué which is sewn by hand before. In fact, I have been to a workshop on it, but I found it really daunting and didn’t try it again until bag #1. With a simple shape, it was really easy as long as I chose fabric that didn’t fray too easily and left sufficient fabric to turn under. I learnt from that first bag and wanted to try it again. This time I chose a more complicated shape but choose the fabric carefully. It was really easy, although I need more practise to make my stitches smaller and less visible. I now feel confident enough to try it on a bigger and more intricate project such as a quilt.
- When I started this bag, I hadn’t planned to have French seams. Instead, I intended to bind the raw edges. It was only as I put the zip in that I had a light bulb moment and realised that French seams would be easier and neater, although I they made the bag narrower than originally planned as they are wider than normal seams. They were really easy to do as I’ve used them in some of my shopping bags. The result is a very professional finish with minimum effort.
- I’m not sure what the ‘rules’ are for sewing net. I used my normal needle for woven fabrics (should it have been a ball point needle?) and it worked really well – no snagging at all. I found that a slightly longer stitch length gave a neater result than my normal stitch length. I always practise on a scrap of fabric before I sew a bag and find out what works best with it. This has served me well during this project. I’m lucky that I have a sewing machine that can sew almost any fabric and most weights/thicknesses. Having the right tools for the job makes it so much easier.
- I used stitch n tear for the first time when making this bag. I wanted the appliqué design to sit neatly on the background but without the weight of an interfacing. This was really easy to use and achieved exactly what I wanted. I just pinned it to the wrong side of the background fabric, sewed my appliqué shapes to the front through the background fabric and stitch n tear, then gently tore the stitch n tear away, leaving the design intact. It couldn’t have been easier, although if I had torn it too roughly it had the potential to damage the stitching.
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