Sewing School Bags for Lutheran World Relief

If you have some of the patterned materials that were cut from the upholstery donated samples, then you may need to make an extra seam at the bottom of the bag.  In some cases we could not cut a piece of material 13 “ x 30” so we cut 2 panels that were each 13” x 15½”.  So if you have some of these smaller pieces please be careful that you stitch a seam at the bottom of the 13” side with a ½ inch seam allowance.  The other 13” is the top of the bag.  (Don’t make your bag wider than it is tall!)

school bag for Lutheran World Relief

Finished bag should measure 12” wide x 14” tall. If your material has a design to it, make sure that you sew it such that the design is not upside down.

If you’ve done this before you probably have a method that works for you.  If not, here’s what I do or look at the PDF file from LWR:

  1. Do side seams (1/2 inch seam allowance) on all bags.  Zig-zag the edges or put another row of stitching closer to the edge.  (A few pieces of material are very wrinkled and it might be easier to stitch if you ironed the material first.)
  2. If you want to make a small flat bottom to the bag, now is a good time to do that.  I’m not sure I can describe that process quickly with words, but could show you quickly.  Turn the bag inside out and that will probably help – but this is not a necessary step.  If you do “flatten” the bottom, make it small, not more than one inch.
  3. Hem the top of the bag.  I usually turn down the top about ¼ inch then turn it down again and stitch, so there are no raw edges at the top. (Some of the upholstery fabric is too thick for this so I zig-zag the edges, turn down 1/2 inch, then stitch 3/8 inch from the edge, attach the handles and then stitch again about 1/8 inch from the top edge of the bag.)
  4. For each bag, you’ll need to two 1-foot sections of twill tape for the handle.  I mark the middle of the bag and then just position each end about 1.5 inches from the middle.   I zig-zag the ends of the twill and then attach with 2 rows of stitching.

Hopefully you’ll have enough twill tape for all your bags.  If not, just let me know.  Call or email if you have any questions.

You can also find instructions on the Lutheran World Relief web site or under Misc. Info on the church web site, www.faithlcortn.org or  http://www.faithlcortn.com/totebag.pdf, but they make straps out of fabric, rather than the tape that we use to save time.


Thanks,
Betty Lou
alspaugh77@comcast.net
482-2174 (home)  
310-1672 (cell)