Parker on the Porch
Clutch 2020 and Honeycomb Alpha Mini Monogram Charm Set Supply List
Posted by Jenny Chesnick on
The Clutch 2020 Top Zip Zipper Bag joins the popular Clutch lineup, and we think its fun detail stitching will make it stand out in a crowd! There's also a new monogram charm set, the Honeycomb Mini Monogram Charm Set, that's perfect for adding to the new Clutch 2020 (or maybe the Hexagon Zipper Bag from last week or the Honeycomb Zipper Bag?)
Supplies used:
- Vinyl from MyPunkbroidery and JoAnn remnant.
- Plaid fabric is from the depths of Jen's stash. It's a scuba knit from Zenith & Quasar Fabric from 4 years ago, and we can't find anything remotely similar to link. However, she highly recommends trying scuba knit (with woven interfacing!) for the Clutch bags and applique pieces.
- Zippers from Zipit (join our FB group for a discount code!) and Wawak
- Gold Keyfob Hardware
- Gold Ball Chain Key Chain
- Gold Lobster Clasps
- Gold Split Rings
- Warm Metal Eyelets
- Tassels with Gold Caps
- Ball Chains
- Ripstitch Tearaway Stabilizer from Allstitch.net
- Transparent Medical Tape
- Tape Dispenser for 1" and 3" Rolls
- Janome Thread Stand
We can't wait to see what you create with our designs. Come share photos, ask questions, and chat in our Facebook group!
Hexagon Basic Zipper Bag Supply Post
Posted by Jenny Chesnick on
POP is celebrating 20,000 members in the Facebook group with the new Hexagon Basic Zipper Bag.
Supplies used:
- Origami Illusions Vinyl from MyPunkbroidery
- Zippers from Zipit (join our FB group for a discount code!) and Wawak
- Ball Chains
- Stabilizer used was tearaway; I buy in bulk HERE or from Allstitch.net
- Transparent Medical Tape
- Tape Dispenser for 1" and 3" Rolls
- Janome Thread Stand
We can't wait to see what you create with our designs. Come share photos, ask questions, and chat in our Facebook group!
Kitty Fanny Pack Zipper Bag and Winter Charm Set 1 Supply List
Posted by Jenny Chesnick on
Supplies used:
- 1" Cotton Webbing from AGraffSupplies on Etsy
- Dual Side Release Buckles with Adjustable Slides
- Vinyl from MyPunkbroidery
- Felt from Benzie Design (White, Lilac, Thistle, and Swan)
- Fabric from Kammie Lou Lou's Custom Fabric Shop
- Zippers from Zipit (join our FB group for a discount code!) and Wawak
- Gold Keyfob Hardware
- Gold Ball Chain Key Chain
- Gold Lobster Clasps
- Gold Split Rings
- Warm Metal Eyelets
- Tassels with Gold Caps
- Ball Chains
- Stabilizer used was tearaway from Amazon; I buy in bulk HERE
- Transparent Medical Tape
- Tape Dispenser for 1" and 3" Rolls
- Janome Thread Stand
We can't wait to see what you create with our designs. Come share photos, ask questions, and chat in our Facebook group!
How to BOX an ITH Zipper Bag Tutorial
Posted by Jenny Chesnick on
One of the most requested designs we get is a boxed-bottom bag. Trust me, if this could be done 100% in the hoop, I would have done it by now! However, it simply isn't possible. You can find bunches of complete sewing patterns and free tutorials online if you would like to create this bag completely on your sewing machine. We are going to show you how to use our Center Zip bag set to create a box zipper pouch. Written tutorial follows, and I have a (formerly) live video in our FB group if you'd like to follow along with a video.
Supplies Needed:
Recommended supplies in your PDF tutorial
Sewing machine
Lighter (optional)
Clips
Vinyl, Fabric or Ribbon strips for pulls. I added two 1" wide strips of vinyl, folded in half to make a tab, to each end of the zipper during ITH construction. Length of the strip depends on how long you want the finished tabs to be.
Create your bag according to the instructions from the pattern you chose. I stitched the POP Center Zip Zipper Bag in size 8x14 (newly added!). Remove it from the hoop, remove stabilizer, and trim around the bag according to the instructions.
Now here comes a little math... To make a square-ended box, measure the shorter end and divide by 4. This bag is 8", and 8 divided by 4 is 2, so I measured out 2" x 2" squares on each corner of the bag. For the 6x10, my corners are 1.5" x 1.5", and the 5x7 has 1.25" x 1.25" corners. A larger square creates a deeper box, and a smaller square results in a more shallow box.
PRO TIP with lined bags: no matter what pattern you use, make sure to leave yourself room between the liner turning hole opening and the corner cut outs. If the hole opening is a touch too large, close it slightly it on your sewing machine on each end of the opening before you cut out the corners. If you are not lining your bag, this isn't an issue!
Measure and mark the corners.
Cut out the corners.
Refer back to the zipper bag's instructions. Turn the bag through the liner, close the liner hole, and turn the bag right side out.
METHOD 1: FRENCH SEAMS. (This is EXTRA FANCY but very easy! Don't be afraid. If you don't want to be extra fancy, skip ahead to Method 2.)
You will lose some width with French seams, so it is important to take the smallest seam allowance possible to close the corners.
With your bag RIGHT SIDES OUT, take the corners of your bag and pinch them together as shown below. You're flattening the square corners into a straight line for sewing. Match the seams in the center, smooth out to the edges, and clip as needed (my clips are *not* extra fancy).
Take the bag to your sewing machine, and set the stitch length to a small, secure straight stitch. I set mine at a 3.0 stitch length. Close all 4 corners of the bag by sewing a straight line across each flattened corner square. I use about 1/4" seam allowance if I am NOT doing french seams. If you are going to use French seams, you want a very scant seam allowance!
Extra, extra fancy tip: Start at the center where the seams meet, lower the needle into the very center of the seams, and sew out to the folded edge. Flip the bag, and repeat from the center to the other folded edge. This method ensures that the center seams don't "scoot" and stay lined up during sewing.
Once your four corners are closed from the outside, flip the bag inside out--back to where the liner is showing. Take a corner and pinch it flat again, enclosing the previously sewn seam inside the pinch. Clip as needed.
Sew the flattened corner using a 1/4" seam allowance, which should CATCH the existing seam and conceal it inside the bag. (I used white thread for this tutorial so it would be visible in photographs, but you should use thread and bobbin that closely matches the liner fabric.) Check each corner to make sure the previous seam was completely enclosed by this stitching.
One end, all sewn up!
Once you have all four corners complete, turn the bag right side out and push out the corners.
From flat to 3D! MAGIC!
METHOD 2:
If you don't care about the fancy French seams, that's ok! We are completing an unlined vinyl bag, but if you chose to line yours, the process is exactly the same for boxing the corners. Create the bag as per the PDF tutorial. If you have a lined bag, turn the bag through the lining hole, close the lining hole, and press it neatly.
Measure and cut the corners.
Pinch the corners closed as shown in Method 1. The only difference is that you will be closing up your corners on the INSIDE of your bag, NOT the outside. Match the center seams and clip there, then smooth and clip to the folded corners. Sew the flattened corners with a 1/4" seam allowance.
If you have lined your bag, the lining will cover the other inside seams of the bag. If you lined the bag with a polyester fabric, you can clean up the edges with the lighter. You can serge or zig zag the raw edges if you prefer, or you could encase them in bias tape. I personally like the vinyl as is, simply neatly trimmed.
Turn the bag right side out and you are done!
Box all the bags! Come show off your projects, ask questions and chat with us in the POP Facebook group. We can't wait to see what you create.
Rope Bowl Tutorial
Posted by Jenny Chesnick on
Today our Handmade Holidays gift idea is a rope bowl that you can customize with scraps of fabric and fun thread colors. Julie Forster shows us how:
Materials:
Clothesline Cotton Rope (3/16" diameter)
Thread and matching bobbin
Fabric Scraps (if you want a POP of color)
Sewing machine with a zig zag stitch
Instructions:
Start a small coil of clothesline. Glue in place with the glue stick until the coil is about the size of a quarter.
Select the zig zag stitch on the sewing machine. Set the width of the zig zag wide enough to catch the center of two strands of rope side by side (on my Bernina, it is a 5).
Start in the center of the coil, backstitching to secure the thread. Sew around the coil, making sure that the zig zag stitch catches both strands of rope. If not, widen your zig zag stitch and start again from the center of the coil.
Continue winding the rope around the circle with the strand of clothesline on the right hand side of the presser foot. Once your circle gets to the size you want the base of the bowl to be, start tilting your circle towards your machine. This will create the walls of the bowl.
When your bowl is the size and height you would like, stop sewing and back stitch several zig zags to secure the thread.
Embellishment ideas:
FABRIC SCRAPS
Wrap a scrap of fabric around the clothes line and secure with the glue stick. Continue to zigzag stitch your coil and the pop of color from your scrap will be secure.
KNOTS AND TWISTS
Backstitch several zig zags to secure the thread, add a knot or twist to the rope, then start stitching again. Or add a knot and a loop to make a handle on your bowl.
ITH CHARMS
Another embellishment you can add is eyelet charms from your favorite embroidery designer, like Parker on the Porch, and secure using a chain and clasp through an added loop or knot.
