Tote Bag!

Project 6: Tote Bag Cut three pieces: 1 rectangle 15 inches wide, 34 inches long, two straps, 4 inches wide by 24 inches. Iron your pieces. Take the rectangle with the wrong side facing up. Fold up the top short edge by .5 inch, iron. Fold it over another .5 inch and iron. Repeat for the bottom short edge. Take your straps. Fold them in half long-wise and iron. Take the long edges and fold them in to meet the middle fold. Iron. Fold the whole strap along the middle fold, iron. Repeat with the second strap. Take the end of the strap, open it up and fold up the end by 1/4 and iron. Repeat for the other end and on the second strap. You should now have a strap with no rough edges showing. Take your rectangle. Top stitch along the edge of the top fold. Repeat for the bottom fold. Take your straps. Starting at the short end, top stitch all the way around the strap including the folded edge. With wrong side facing up, place your rectangle down. Pin your straps on the rectangle. Measure 4 inches from the left edge. Place one end of your strap with 1 inch over-lapping the edge of the bag. Place the other end of the strap 4 inches from the right edge. Pin the strap making sure you haven’t twisted your strap. Repeat with the second strap on the bottom end. With the right sides facing, fold the rectangle in half, lining up the top edges with the straps. Sew the sides up with 1/4 inch seam allowance. Finish your edges with a zig-zag stitch. Turn right side out, using a turning tool to get your corners pointy. Lesson 4 Skills: Sewing inside out, seam allowance, finishing edges, pinning.

Lesson 3

Project 5: Pin Cushion Trace four 2.5 inch squares onto wrong side of scraps. Cut around the squares, leaving at least 1/4 space around the traced square. Cut one 5.5 by 5.5 inch square. Lay out your small squares in the order you want them, making a square with two small squares on the top and two on the bottom. Take the top two squares. Place them with the right sides facing. Sew them together, stitching on the traced line. Repeat with the other two squares. Iron both sets flat. Take the two pieces, place them right sides facing. Line them up along the long side. Match the two seams together. Sew them together on the traced line. Iron. Take the pieced square and the plain square. Place them right sides facing. Pin them together with the pieced side facing up. Start sewing on the side, not the corner. Stitch on the outside lines, all the around the square, leaving a two inch space open for turning. Clip the corners, careful not to clip the stitching. Turn right side out, using a turning tool to get your corners pointy. Stuff. Stitch the opening closed. Add a button if desired. Pointers: Remember when sewing something you are turning inside out, sew RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER!! If you thread gets caught when you are trying to remove your project, toggle your hand wheel until the thread comes loose.

Lesson 2

Project 3: Key Chain Cut one piece of ribbon, 16.5 inches long. Fold two inches down from the top and iron. Fold the bottom up at 6 inches and iron. Open up the top fold. Fold again 1/4 inch towards the inside. Iron. Fold the bottom up under the top fold. Cut off the extra, leaving enough ribbon to fit under the top fold. Slip the ring under the top flap. Pull the ring to the top end. Stitch the top flap down, securing the ring. Either use a big zig-zag stitch, or make a square at the bottom of the top flap. Project 4: Ouchy Pouch Cut two pieces of fabric, 5 inches by 5 inches. Pin the pieces together. Starting 1 inch from a corner, sew all around the square with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave 2 inches open for turning. Clip your corners, careful not to clip your stitching. Turn your pouch inside out, using a turning tool to get your corners pointy. Iron. Fill with rice, or flax seeds. Sew the opening closed, being very careful not to sew over rice or flax seeds. Lesson 2 Skills: Pedal control, seam allowance, turning inside out, sewing inside out, measuring. Things to remember: Hold onto your needle thread for your first couple of stitches. Check to see that you are sewing through both layers and don't have holes! Practice filling your bobbin- be sure to come every day with a full bobbin so you don't have to fill it during class.

Lesson 1

Project 1: Note cards Choose your note card. Cut out shapes of varying color. Glue your shapes onto your card. Be careful to leave enough room for writing on the card! Sew across your shapes, securing them to the card. Lesson 1 Skills: Safety, back-stitching, foot pedal speed, pinning. Back-stitching- A handful of stitches made at the beginning and ending of your line of stitching which serve to lock in your stitching so they don't come undone. You backstitch by pushing the backstitch button. Project 2: Bookmarks Take your piece of denim, fold it in half long ways. Iron it and pin it folded. Cut your fabric (denim) 9 by 2.5 inches. You will have two pieces the same size. Choose your embellishments. Pin them onto one piece of the denim. Sew the embellishments onto the denim. Put both pieces of denim, right sides facing, and pin. Sew around the edge of your fabric with 1/4 inch seam allowance. Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end. Leave a space about 2 inches wide for turning. Clip your corners, careful not to clip your stitches. Turn inside out, using a turning tool to get your corners pointy, and iron. Top-stitch around the edge. Lesson 2 Skills: Safety, back-stitching, top-stitching, seam allowance, foot pedal speed, pinning. Top-stitching- Stitching made at the edge of your project with the purpose of either closing an opening or finishing off your project for neatness. Seam- allowance- The distance between your stitching and the edge of the fabric. HINTS! If your child is having difficulty, here are some things to keep in mind: Always remember to put down your presser foot. Hold the needle thread while doing your backstitches. This prevents the thread from being pulled up into the machine. Practice going s-l-o-w-l-y!