Friday, October 5, 2012

FLIP flap purse SPECIAL NOTES

I am making a  special "flip flap purse" from the pattern by Whistlepig Creek Productions.  http://www.wpcreek.com/
I like the pattern and wanted to use it for the xmas angel fabric but I want the angels to be seen. I am calling it special cause it needs everything turned the right way and I am useing the middle flap as the only flap for the purse. This is to let the angels show on the front.
Every piece needs extra planning to do show the angels upside right and try show them in an effective way. I have photos and some notes to try to document that. It makes it important to make the upper front bag be turned the right way. It makes it important to cut the upper front bag at the top edge of the lower front bag piece instead of the layout for the purse being out of a nondirectional fabric. I have cut the pockets for the hidden front pocket so that the angel shows inside the pocket as the back side of the pocket but I used a solid cream as the piece against the front lower bag.
 FLAP: I am using the  lower flap piece of the middle flap as the purse flap and NOT using the curved flap.
FUSIBLE FLEECE: This is a variation/mistake that turned out to be important to me. I wasn't thinking about the fact that cutting the pieces with the fleece folded gave me a left and right. This worked perfectly for the angel fabric as the main bag cause it gave me left and right flaps and the angels were place on the fabric where it allowed me to use the WOF without really fussy cutting for the bag. The angels show more on the bottom right OR on the bottom left and I have flaps to make that work. The FLEECE looks better for the flap if it is ironed to the outer side of the flap or whatever piece it is. The FLEECE is giving it stability and preventing any looseness or sagging of any of the fabric then.
QUILTING the FLEECE lined flap presented some problems and I love it but the whole fact that I did that was all part of the left/right flap thing. This caused me to quilt it so the fleece is on the under side and the top of the flap would be loose and that is why I wanted it quilted. I also wanted a bit of difference in the purses. The quilting is just straight lines with my sewing machine. It looked nice and then I ironed it. This cause the back side to sort of wrinkle like a washed quilt. The front did NOT wrinkle. I don't really want it wrinkled. If the flap had been done with the fusible fleece on the outer side...I would have had the wrinkles on the top of the flap.
  I am hoping to do a tutorial for the use of such fabrics and this pattern. I have photos of the steps and placement showing directions of the angels. I am not certain the wrinkles show in the top flap but I am tying to note the issues or effects of some of my experience making it. The thickness with the fusible batting is a bit of a problem. I am having a little trouble with that and the machine needs settings changed for it.
  Sewing the fleece strap pieces: glue side is right side and must be together!
* watch for marking and placement of pocket in the lining. The 10.5x11.5 is so similar that I drew the line the wrong way and sewed in one pocket where it would be sideways! I was carried away by trying to have the color and blotches showing the nicest and it was so close to the same size, OOPS, So it pays to pay attention and to use a Frixion pen to mark with.

No comments:

Post a Comment