This may be the best Too Cute Tuesday project ever. It may even surpass the duct tape wallet in awesomeness.
I involved my friend Dorrie again, asking her if she had any ideas for this week. She sent me a link to a Martha Stewart craft that involved making hand bags with fabric, duct tape, and staples. Now does that sound up my alley or what? WARNING: That last link launches right into a video so beware of sound that will be playing when you click.
Holy cow, I'm just realizing as I'm writing this out that I got so excited while crafting and I forgot to make myself a cocktail! Perhaps I was anticipating New Years Eve tomorrow. Maybe you should save your festive midweek drinking for tomorrow night also. Just a thought.
Materials: 1 yard fabric (though you can use less, you'll just have a smaller bag)
1 yard Pellon (basically, it's sold by the yard and has a smooth side and a side with little dots that adhere to whatever fabric you're ironing them too)"
Ribbon (go thick), for strap material
Scissors
Stapler and staples
Iron
Duct tape (to be an overachiever, use a color that matches the "bad" side of your fabric like white)
Cocktail of the Day: Water (stay hydrated, tomorrow is the party!)
1. Go to the fabric department of your favorite crafting store. Whatever you do, don't ask them for "iron on vinyl" like Martha Stewart talks about; the person will have no idea what you are talking about. Instead explain that you are looking for something that you can iron on a fabric to make it thicker. You will have some choices: I went with the one for lightweight to medium fabrics. (Remember you are going to be stapling through this stuff). You can buy it by the yard for less then $2.
2. Watch the Martha Stewart video on the subject to get you pumped. Realize that this is a rushed version of what you're going to do so eat dinner first.
3. Cut your fabric into a nice rectangle to work with (you bag will be about 2/5 of the length,you'll understand in a minute).
4. Cut the Pellon to fit. Iron on with the little dots facing the "bad" side of the fabric. You can put the iron directly on this and it won't burn. You will have to spend extra time ironing the corners to make sure the Pellon is adhering.
5. Fold a flap down towards what will be the inside of your bag. Staple the straps to the flap and reinforce the seam with duct tape. (This whole project will be "sewing" with the staples and duct taping the seams to reinforce.) Measure where you put your handles and do the same on the other side so that the handles match up.
Tip: If you are having a hard time with your stapler, use the thumbs of both your hands to push down on either side of the stapler. It's what I call the Dorrie Double Thumb Method and it works a lot better then just pushing with one hand.
6. Move your project so the inside is facing out. Fold your project in half so the sides of the bag line up. Staple and tape.
7. To make that boxy bottom (so the bag can sit on a surface without tipping over), make a triangle on the bottom corner where your duct taped edges meet (well there will be a triangle on each side). Staple and duct tape. Duct tape the triangle corners flat against the inside of the bag for further support.
8. Turn the bag inside out and realize how super-professional it looks. You're so crafty!