Frilly Jelly Bag This frilly fun bag is another great one to use up some favourite left-over Jelly Roll Strips (or a bag worth buying a bright new jelly roll for!) Aside from the gathered jelly roll strips, this mid-sized over the shoulder bag also features a magnetic clasp, bought handles and a contrast trim and zippered pocket inside. Bag Dimensions are 12 inches wide x 15 inches high (to base of handle), and 4 ½ inches deep. You Will Need: 7 strips from a Jelly Roll (2 ½ inches wide x width of the fabric) 1 ½ metres (1 ½ yards) plain black fabric for remainder of bag outer and lining 1 ½ metres ( 1 ½ yards) light-weight fusible interfacing
¾ metre ( ¾ yard) light-weight fusible pellon Piece template plastic 12 x 4 ½ inches Magnetic Clasp 6 inch zip in a colour to match Scrap of medium-heavy weight fusible interfacing Bag Construction: Please read all instructions fully before beginning. All measurements are in inches, and unless stated otherwise, a ¼ inch seam allowance has been used. Referring to the attached Cutting Guide, carefully cut the required bag pieces from the bag fabrics, interfacing and pellon as required. Iron the light weight interfacing to the wrong side of all pieces as indicated in the Cutting Guide. Assembly: The first step is to gather and piece the 2 ½ inch jelly roll strips to make the bag outer sides frills. Each gathered strip is sewn to a corresponding strip cut from the bag outer side panel. As shown in the Cutting Guide, mark the points 2 ¾ inches in from each of the top edges on the Bag Outer Side Panels. On the interfaced side, draw a line from each point down to the bottom corner. Mark the horizontal lines at 2 ½ inch intervals also, and cut, so you have 6 tapering strips as shown above. Each of the gathered jelly roll strips is sewn to one of these.
Both sides of the bag are the same, so you will use half (or less) of each jelly roll strip per side. Lay out the strips as shown, and trim the jelly roll strips so that the bottom bag outer strip uses the full half length jelly roll strip, then the next one up uses slightly less and so on, until you reach the top. This just keeps the amount of gathering looking the same in each row. Turn up a scant 1/8 th inch hem along one side of each jelly roll strip and sew. Run a large width stitch along the other edge and use it to gather the strip. Gather to match the size of the top of the corresponding bag outer strip and pin well before sewing together. Sew down the side of each pieced strip also (as shown below) to secure the gathered strip to the interfaced backing strip. Make sure to stop a ½ inch from the lower hemmed edge so you have plenty of space to sew the backing strips together. Repeat this for all strips, then sew them together in order to assemble the frilled bag outer sides. Sew the bottom of one strip tot he gathered edge top of another and so on. Topstitch each seam also on the right side to flatten and neaten the seams. Use the bag top template to cut the bag top pieces from the interfaced panels. Sew a top piece to the top of each pieced bag front panel. Use the template to cut two bag top pieces from the fusible pellon also, and fuse to the wrong side of the bag outer panels as shown. Stay stitch a line of sewing a ¼ inch in from each top edge as shown and snip curves just to that line before folding over the seam allowance, pinning well and topstitching it carefully. Repeat for the other side too.
With right sides together and carefully matching the gathered strips, sew the side seams. Start from the top of the topmost gathered strip as the edges of the black top piece are left open for a decorative side split. Fuse the pellon base piece on top of the interfacing on the wrong side of the bag outer base piece. Lay the un-interfaced base piece on the wrong side of the bag outer base panel, and sew down both long sides with a scant seam, to form a pocket for the template plastic base stiffener. Make sure to leave one end open for inserting the plastic into later. Use a plate or other rounded shape from your kitchen to gently curve the base corners, and trim the curves. (Trim the lining base piece also.) Then, with right sides together, pin the bag base to the bottom of the bag outer sides, and sew together carefully, easing it to fit. Trim the template plastic to size and insert into the pocket before turning bag right sides out. Handles: Fold the pointed top of the bag through the handle loop, and fold it down about 1 ½ inches to the inside of the bag. Sew to secure the handle and repeat for the other three ends. Lining: Fuse the pellon pieces to the wrong side of the bag side lining panels. As you did before, on the wrong side mark 2 ¾ inches in from each top corner (along the 16 inch length) and draw a line to the bottom corner and cut, to angle the sides and leave the top measuring 10 ½ inches across. The first step is to insert the zippered pocket into one of the lining side pieces. To start, mark and make a hole for the zip. Place a pocket piece right side down on the right side of the lining panel. Measure the length of the zip teeth (6 inches) and using a fabric marking pen on the wrong side of one pocket piece, draw a rectangle as wide as your zip teeth and 3/8 inch (1cm) high as shown. This rectangle needs to be drawn at least 1 ½ - 2 inches (5cm) down from the top of your pocket piece. Then draw a centre line along the rectangle, with a 'V' shape at each end.
Sew the pocket to the bag lining piece along the marked outside lines of the rectangle. Taking care not to cut the stitching, then cut along the marked centre line and along the 'V' shapes to the corners of the rectangle. Pull the pocket piece through the hole to the wrong side of the bag side lining piece and carefully press seams on both sides to flatten. With right sides up, then position the zip carefully under the hole, (so that the zip is also facing up), and pin in place. Using your zipper foot, topstitch around all four edges of the rectangular hole to secure the zip in position. To finish the pocket, turn the side panel over so that the wrong sides are facing up, and lay the remaining pocket piece face down on top of the first. Pin all edges together and carefully sew all sides of the pocket together, taking care not to catch the bag side lining panel as you go.
Cut a 10 ½ inch length from the remaining jelly roll strip. Cut that strip in half lengthways and fold in half with wrong sides together. Press. Matching raw edges, sew a strip to the top of each of the bag side lining panels, to make a quick folded contrast trim. With right sides together then sew the lining top piece to that. Open out and topstitch to flatten the seam neatly. Next, insert the magnetic clasp to each side of the lining. From the top of the bag, measure down 1½ inches from the centre point and mark that point with a lead pencil. Cut a square of heavy interfacing approximately 1 ½ inches square and iron it to the back of the lining piece on top of the light weight lining and centred over the marked dot. This will help protect the fabric in your bag and stop the clasp from wearing through with repeated use. (You can use medium weight interfacing here if you do not have any heavy weight, although the heavier weight gives better protection.) Push the two prongs of half of the clasp into the right side of the fabric to create indents, then use your unpicker tool to make two tiny slits in the fabric there, to push the clasp through. Make the slits smaller than the width of the prongs. Push the clasp prongs through to the back, turn the lining side piece over, slip on the 'washer' provided with the clasp and fold the prongs over onto themselves, over the back of the clasp. (If you splay them out, you run the risk of them eventually piercing through the bag fabric.) Cut an approximate 2 inch square of the light weight interfacing and place it over the top of the folded prongs on the wrong side of your lining side. Use the iron again to fuse it in place, as another safeguard to protecting your bag fabric. On the right side then, sew a square around the clasp to finish it neatly, and hold all layers securely together. Repeat this with the other half of the clasp on the other side of the lining panel.
As before, with right sides together, sew the lining bag together down both side seams, leaving the sides of the top piece open for the side splits. Insert the base as before. This bag lining is 'dropped in' to the bag outer, rather than having to sew and turn the bag. Simply place the lining into the bag and then carefully tuck under the seam allowances on the lining and pin the top (and side split) edges together. You will need to snip the curves as you did before to have the pieces sit together flatly and neatly. Also, you can trim about 2 inches from the top of each of the four pointed ends, as they don't need to go through the handles, but just need to reach that seam. Once pinned, you can sew either very carefully topstitched with the machine, or you can slip stitch it together by hand if you'd prefer.
Frilly Jelly Bag Cutting Guide Cut the required number of each piece according to the measurements on each diagram. * Please note all measurements are in inches. Cut 2 black fabric Cut 2 light weight interfacing * Note Interface panels first, then measure and cut as directed into strips. Cut 4 black fabric Cut 4 light weight interfacing Cut 2 pellon Cut 2 black fabric Cut 2 light weight interfacing Cut 2 pellon Cut 3 black fabric Cut 2 light weight interfacing Cut 1 pellon Cut 1 template plastic Cut 2 black fabric