Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Zipper Bag Extras

I've been working on quite a few new designs for in-the-hoop zipper purses. These will be introduced at the American Embroidery Conference at the end of May and then added to my website the first part of June. Some of the little extras I use in these purses can easily be added to my current in-the-hoop designs so I thought I would share some of my ideas with you.

The Beth purse (released summer of 2014) and the new Kateydid are wristlets. I used a piece of 3/8" elastic to make a loop holding a d-ring. The loop is sewn into the side seams of the bag with the ring already in place. You can then make a wrist strap and clip it to the ring. You can also clip your keys to the ring making them easy to find.


You can find the directions to make the wrist strap in the instructions for The Beth which are downloadable from my website.



Another idea for elastic - I used 1/2" wide elastic to make a loop at the top of one of my regular bags. I slip a key ring (the type that opens up) into the loop. I can put my phone, id and a little money safely inside the zipper bag and clip the ring to a belt loop while I walk. An instant pocket. And if you don't have a belt loop, you can make a quick and easy removable adjustable strap to clip to the ring. You can sling it over your shoulder, or better yet, put it around your waist. My new Sunshine bag will have this feature, but will also have a little credit card pocket inside. It is just the perfect size for an iPhone 6+. It came about because my phone is too big to put in my pocket.


Removable adjustable straps are easy to make with the right hardware. I cut 3/4" or 1" wide webbing extra long and use a tri-glide slider (metal or plastic) to adjust the length. I run the ends of the webbing through the rings on two gate (snap) clips. I like the lightweight poly webbing best. My favorite suppliers are now listed on the Links page on my Pegboard Crafts website.


You can turn some of the larger zipper bags into purses by adding shoulder straps to them. For smaller bags, I like using cording to make loops.


For larger bags, I make fabric tabs. Add them just before you sew the fronts to the backs. The purses I design that include shoulder strap directions add some extra stitching at the points where the tabs are placed, but you can sew a few extra lines across the tabs on regular bags using your regular machine. This will help keep them from pulling out. 

Directions for making the loops are available in the instructions for The Granny. Directions for making the tabs and adjustable straps are available in the instructions for The Terri, The Katey, and The Denise. All are downloadable from my Pegboard Crafts website. 
All of my new in-the-hoop purses will be available the first part of June. I hope you will check them out at www.pegboardcrafts.com. Or maybe I will see you at AEC at the end of May!