Well, it's Monday and I did not burn down the house or burn myself. Phew!
The ripstop needed just the slightest kiss of flame to melt. So, now it's sealed and not raveling.
Besided working with ripstop, the other thing I'm liking about this project and that's changed about my sewing over the years is how much I've come to embrace hardware.
When I first made this diaper bag pattern, I was still at a point in my sewing where I followed the directions to the letter. So, I made the strap out of fabric. It looked nice, but once sewn in, the strap length was fixed. And I used velcro for the closures, as instructed, which I was never really happy with.
In the intervening years, I've learned that there are loads of good hardware solutions available that give a project a much more professional look and finish. So, on this bag, I'm using webbing and hardware to make a fully adjustable and incredibly strong strap. And I'm using magnetic snaps, which are probably my very favorite closure for bags.
Really, this project has excited my inner sewing nerd - the geek that ponders whether it would be better to use sew-in or fusible hair canvas to stabilize the bag (sew-in). It's the kind of project where the technical does make a big difference. What I'm pondering now is which needle to use for the webbing. I'm a bit of a stickler in this department - I'm using a microtech needle and a topstitching needle for the ripstop and have been switching between several different threads depending on the task (basting, seaming, topstitching).
What about you? Do you like to use hardware when you sew? Or do you prefer to sew every feature of a project? How much do you think about the insides or bones of a project?
 |
| Me in the garage sealing the seams of the ripstop over a candle. |
Besided working with ripstop, the other thing I'm liking about this project and that's changed about my sewing over the years is how much I've come to embrace hardware.
 |
| Hardware for the diaper bag |
In the intervening years, I've learned that there are loads of good hardware solutions available that give a project a much more professional look and finish. So, on this bag, I'm using webbing and hardware to make a fully adjustable and incredibly strong strap. And I'm using magnetic snaps, which are probably my very favorite closure for bags.
Really, this project has excited my inner sewing nerd - the geek that ponders whether it would be better to use sew-in or fusible hair canvas to stabilize the bag (sew-in). It's the kind of project where the technical does make a big difference. What I'm pondering now is which needle to use for the webbing. I'm a bit of a stickler in this department - I'm using a microtech needle and a topstitching needle for the ripstop and have been switching between several different threads depending on the task (basting, seaming, topstitching).
What about you? Do you like to use hardware when you sew? Or do you prefer to sew every feature of a project? How much do you think about the insides or bones of a project?
