The Drawstring Bag
Process –
To accurately obtain the measurements for the drawstring bag, I first ironed the muslin to smooth out any wrinkles or folds.
To start the process we had to measure out 54″ x 28″. The desired dimensions for the completed bag were 26″ x 26″, however, these exact measurements were difficult to obtain due to it being my first experience sewing a hem.
After measuring and cutting the muslin, we then folded the raw edge about 3/8″, pressed and pinned every 3″ to prepare to create a hem. This was done on the side of the fabric which was not the selvage, to protect the sides from fraying or unraveling.
To add in the nylon cord, another fold at the top edge was put into place about 3/4″ over the same place as the hem we created. During this process, I made a few mistakes, as I made some of the folds too large, which altered the overall dimensions of the bag. One difficulty I had during this project was sewing straight and parallel to the previously created hem, which meant for one small section I had to seam-rip and re-sew to create a straighter line. Another challenge I faced was sewing too close to the edge, causing the seam to be less strong.
After adding the nylon string, I burnt the ends because when the end of the string is cut, it becomes frayed. Burning the ends melted the material and allowed it to become sealed. Another human error occurred during this process, as I cut the string too short, and it barely came out of the opening s of the bag.
After pushing the nylon string with a safety pin through the newly sewn cavity, I added a cord lock to fasten the ends of the strings for the drawstring bag.
Overall I had many really great learning experiences while starting my journey into the world of sewing and altering! This project had a lot of trial and errors, but a good intro to sewing!
The Mobile Phone Bag
Sketches –
Phone measurements + othorgraphic drawing:
First idea:
Before finding the pants I used to create the phone bag, I had the idea to add a flap with button fasteners.
Hand-sewing idea:
Second idea:
Using the recycled pants to create fasteners on the phone bag.
Third idea:
Creating a clutch bag with a phone pocket.
Recycled Fashion –
To make my phone bag, I decided to used recycled materials! To start the process I cut up an old pair of pants that were too big for me and decided to use the already sewn details to fasten an opening and closing feature to my bag.
Process –
The first step I took was cutting the fabric, although this presented challenges as I wanted to keep the fastening details already sewn into the pants. I also had to remember to cut enough to sew the pieces together on the inside. In doing so, I made the measurements too large for the phone, although I think it was overall successful, just a tad too big!
After, I hand sewed the pieces together to create a bag. I also put in some additional stitches to the button fasteners, to make it stronger. Hand sewing the whole phone bag was a mistake. I spent a lot of time putting in the work for every stitch, and it was extremely difficult to make the line straight and tight at the same time.
First Result –
I was really excited about finishing this piece although I wasn’t completely satisfied with the fit to the phone! After the fact, I decided to create a second phone bag, which acts as a clutch, with a specific phone pocket hand-sewn into the side of the bag.
To create the second phone bag, I again used the recycled material from the pants. This time I purposely cut it larger so it could have space to put other things in it!
I hand sewed the sides and cut an extra piece of fabric to accommodate the size of the phone!
Second Result –
I had a lot of fun creating these bags, and it made me appreciate the work of people who can hand sew perfect straight lines and made me realize what a gift sewing machines are!
The Alteration
Process –
For my alteration, I decided to alter a pair of pants that were too big on the waist for me! Learning how to alter clothing was extremely useful for everyday things! It was really interesting learning the different ways you can mauver clothing and sew it to make it more functional!
Because there was a lot of fabric on the sides, I decided to fold the sides of the waist inside. To sew this I pressed the folds and pinned the folds to sew it on the sewing machine. This created an interesting pleated look on the side of the pant.
It was difficult using the sewing machine on the waist of the pants because the material was folded, making the tension on the sewing machine difficult to handle. I had to go over one side multiple times, which had to be seam-ripped. This created holes on one side.
Result –
Overall I had a really great time learning about hand-sewing, using the sewing machines and how to do waist alterations! I found it alterations had a lot to do with creativity, as it could be done in many ways. In order to save the most material in the pants, I chose to alter it by folding the sides rather than cut the fabric, to leave the intricate details on the pants!
