Sewing instructions - Good Luck Backpack by Valentina Bukeeva Part One

Difficulty level Advanced
Time to Complete A week or more
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Bee Coin Purse

Materials:

  • Faux leather - 120 cm x 145 cm & Fabric for lining (satin synthetic or dense satin) - 90 cm x 150 cm
  • Coil zipper No.5, with two sliders, 60 cm long & Pocket zipper, 20 cm long
  • 2x D-Rings, 2x metal buckles, 2x carabiner, each is 2 cm wide
  • Cord 1,5 m long, diameter 3 - 4 mm
  • Volume fleece Freudenberg H640 - 150 cm x 90 cm
  • Stabilizer such as non-woven Freudenberg H410 - 150 cm x 90 cm
  • Style-Vil filler, 5 mm high  - 120 cm x 72 cm
  • 3mm scrim foam, 54'' wide or Soft and Stable Polyester Stabilizer, 36'' x 58''
  • Vliesofix iron-on hemming strip, 100cm x 100 cm 
  • Iron-on hemming strip in tape (narrow 1 - 1.5 cm)
  • Decovil Light Freudenberg, a light iron-on stabilizer with a leather-like touch - 35 cm
  • Freudenberg volume fleece (P120) to add volume
  • Embroidery stabilizer Filmoplast

 

Tools:

PLEASE NOTE
 

When you buy faux leather, you should pay attention to its quality and check its tensile strength.
A backpack must be stronger than a small purse, especially in the back and piping area.

Embroidering and quilting the backpack front

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • The front part of the backpack must be reinforced with the non-woven interlining FH410.
  • Iron the volume fleece Freudenberg H640 wrong side on wrong side on the center to fix it. Don’t let the iron reach the estimated edge of the pattern of 2 cm.
  • Hoop the filmoplast stabilizer (FP) up and place the resulting "sandwich" from the previous step onto the stabilizer and embroider the design.
  • You can find this particular design in the folder 3 on your B 770 QE PLUS. Feel free to choose a different design in case you work with a different machine.
  • Remove the excess of the FP, cut the tails and fix them with a lighter.

Make it your own!
 

Valentina's intricate work is beautiful and time consuming. Feel free to reduce the embroidery or quilting especially when it comes to the lining. Save time and give your backpack a completely different look.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

Quilting on the front

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • In the middle of the flower, make echo quilting along the outline of the embroidered roundings and fill the remaining space in the center of the flower with microstitch.
  • Use the BERNINA Stitch Regulator (BSR) to achieve an even stitch lenght with ease.
  • Trim the excess of the volume fleece P120 at a distance of 1 mm from the stitches, be careful not to cut through the stitches.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Place a front pattern piece from the wrong side, outline and cut out the volume fleece Freudenberg H640 1 cm smaller than the pattern piece. This prevents the fleece from interfering with the seam.
  • Iron the piece well and stitch a filler layer to the leather part. Mark the center of the part at the bottom and on the top on the wrong side and transfer them to the right side with a washable marker.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Place the Style-Vil and the lining, which is already reinforced with the volume fleece (FH410), wrong side facing inwards. Fix the layers with clothespins around the edges.
  • Use micro quilting along the outline of the echo quilting by using a simple stitch between the leaves to highlight the volume.
  • Select a simple or a miscrostitch along the edge of the middle of the flower to add some volume in the middle of the flower.

PLEASE NOTE
 

Using regular pins with faux or real leather is not recommended. The pins can create holes in the material which will remain visible. Use clothing pins to keep your pieces from moving.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Then draw pebbles with a washable pen in the remaining spaces and outline the pebble with a microstitch.
  • Fill the spaces between the pebbles with micro quilting until the whole area is filled.
  • After finishing quilting, iron the “sandwich” well.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Trace the pattern piece on the front part, then stitch along the drawn line with a stitch lenght of 2mm.
  • Trim off the excess at a distance of 1 mm from the stitches. To make the edge thinner, use any decorative stitch (6mm width) along the outline.

Preparing the pockets

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Embroider and quilt the top and the bottom parts of the side pockets in the same way as the front. You can use halves of a flower for embroidering, mirror the design for the the top left and top right pockets, do only pebbles for the bottom parts or even embelish the pocket parts asymmetrically.
  • Top and bottom pockets parts are cut like the front part.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Reinforce the lining parts with non-woven interlining FH410.
  • Place the pocket part on the quilted part right side on right side and align the edges.
  • Neaten the edge by sewing along at the distance 0.5 - 0.7 mm.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Fold the lining back to the opposite side, iron it. Neaten the edge by sewing along at the distance of 1 - 1.5 mm.
  • Trim the edge close to the stitch.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Place the same pattern part and outline the folding line, fold the part along the line and iron it.
  • Place iron-on hemming tape between the main part and the lining, and iron that area.
  • Attach the corresponding pattern part, follow its outline with a washable pen. Sew along the edge using a stitch length of 2 mm. 

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Cut off the excess and sew the lining part to the top side pocket parts in the same way.
  • Place the top and bottom side pockets on top of each other and secure them.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Check the symmetry with the second mirror detail.
  • Stitch it, and you finally get a completed side piece with a pocket.

Making the backpack straps

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

You will need:

  • 1 stripe 100 × 6 - 6.5 cm made of leather, bias cut.
  • 4 pieces of 47 × 5 cm made of leather, bias cut.
  • 2 pieces of non-woven interlining (F410) 47 × 5 cm cut along the grainline.
  • 2 pieces of volume fleece (FH640) 47 × 5 cm.
  • Reinforce the main stripe 100 × 6 - 6.5 cm with non-woven interlining (FH410).

  • Press the edges of the strip towards the center and fix them with an iron-on hemming strip (VF). Fold the strap in half lengthwise and iron it again (with or without an iron-on hemming strip).
  • Narrow-topstitch both long edges. The stitch length is 2.7 mm.
  • Select a top/decorative stitch to fill the space between the topstitched lines. Divide the finished strap into two parts of the same length.

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Reinforce 2 pieces 47 × 5 cm with non-woven interlining (FH410).
  • Reinforce 2 pieces 47 × 5 cm with volume fleece (FН640).
  • Place one of the straps in the center of the reinforced part (FH640) and fix it with some stitches.

Back view of the dress

  • Place another reinforced piece right side on right side on top of the strap. Mark the width of the strap on the top layer.
  • Sew along the edges at a distance of 0.7 mm. Stitch the top edge twice.
  • Turn the new part over and pull the strap out. Before ironing, place baking parchment on the strap.

Back view of the dress

  • Sew a reinforcing stitching line at a distance of 0.7 - 0.8 cm from the edge. The stitch must go through all the layers.
  • Select a top stitch or any decorative stitch to fill the space between the topstitched lines.
  • Proceed with the second strap in the same way.

Making the backpack handle and ring tabs

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • Iron volume fleece H640 on the wrong side of the handle part and fold it lengthwise right side on right side. Sew a line of stitches along the long edge at a distance of 1 cm.
  • Iron the piece and let it cool off while pressing it down. Turn it inside out.
  • Cut 1 - 2 strips of Stylevil 3 - 4 mm thick and 4 cm wide to match the width of the handle (the denser, the better for the shape of the handle), stitch them together on the long side and with a help of a chopstick or something similar insert it into the finished handle. In doing so, make sure that the seam runs along the center and not along the edge (see illustration).
  • Secure the Stylevil with some stitches and cut the excess.
  • Select the decorative stitch named "Honeycomb" or any other of your choice to enhance the look of the handle.
  • Bend the piece lengthwise and fix with clothespins, make another reinforcement stitching at the back part of the handle. It is recommended not to stitch the first and the last 5 cm.
  • Ring tabs: Iron the stabilizer FН410 on the two ring tabs pieces. Sew them in the same way like the strap.

Flaps

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • One of them is reinforced with nonwoven interlining FH410, the second with volume fleece (Fh640). Place both parts right side on right side on top of each other and sew along the edge leaving an opening of 8 - 10 cm.
  • Sew a second line of stitches at a distance of 1 - 1.5 mm parallel to the first line. Secure the stitches at the beginning and at the end.

Back view of the dress

  • Trim back the excess material up to 1 mm to the stitched seam, only leaving the allowance along the opening.
  • Turn the flap over through the opening, pull out the material at the corners and fold the edges of the opening inwards. Iron the flap having a sheet of baking parchment on top.

Making the piping with appropriate cord

Picture: Quilted Backpack Part One

  • The side parts of the backpack are edged with piping made of 2 bias tapes, 50 x 3 cm each, and cord with a diameter of 3- 4mm.
  • Wrap the cord in leather (already interfaced with FH410), pin the edges of the bias tape with clothespins to avoid shifting. Use a special presser foot to sew piping, e.g. Piping Foot #38.
  • The length of the needed piping which covers the seams of the main parts comes up to 110 x 3 cm.

Tip

It is recommended not to stitch the first and the last 7 - 10 cm.
This will make overlapping the piping a lot simpler later on.

Zipper

Back view of the dress

  • Cut four straight strips 66 × 3 cm, reinforced with non-woven interlining FH410.
  • Fold back one long edge of each strip and sew in the coil zipper No. 5 with two sliders between these folded edges.
  • Topstitch along the fold on the right side at a distance of 0.1 mm. Then select a decorative stitch to enhance the look along the zipper.

Bottom edging without zipper

Back view of the dress

  • Reinforce the parts cut from the main fabric and the lining with FH410.
  • Place the following layers on top of each other and clip them together for convenience: main fabric + FН640 + Style-Vil
  • Draw a line along the center.

Back view of the dress

  • Sew along this line with a decorative stitch, e.g. Slightly increase the stitch length for this step.
  • Trim the volume fleece from the wrong side for about 1 cm at both ends (see the photo).

Back view of the dress

  • Place one end of the bottom edging right side on right side on the top edging with the zipper and transfer the positions of the outermost lines of stitches.

Back view of the dress

  • Sew along these markings parallel to the decorative stitches on both sides.
  • Trim the volume fleece from the wrong side at both ends.

Back view of the dress

  • To reinforce the bottom edging, cut 3 pieces from Decovil light (Freudenberg). Place them as shown in the picture. The edges of the Decovil must not reach over the interlining at both ends.
  • Fix it with the iron.

Back view of the dress

  • Place one end of the bottom edging right side on right side on one end of the top edging with the zipper, sliders up.
  • Sew twice along the edge of the interlining and the Decovil.
  • At a distance of 5 mm, sew another line of stitches, sewing in reverse in the zipper area.

Back view of the dress

  • Trim the excess at a distance of 1 mm from the outermost line of stitches.
  • Fold back the lining, iron it, pin it with clothespins and stitch the seam at a distance of 1-1.5 mm from the edges.

Back view of the dress

  • Now measure the length along the edge of the back part, transfer the length to the top edging with the zipper and the bottom edging and pin them together.
  • Attach the ring tab to the back of the backpack. Adjust its position if needed.

Back view of the dress

  • Hide the open cut of the zipper and the bottom inside the top and bottom edging, repeat all operations performed earlier.
  • Fix it with clothespins and sew stitches parallel to those already made at the distance 1 - 1.5 mm from both sides.
  • Go on sewing on the top edging with the zipper and cut off the excess.

This marks the end of part one!

Congratulations, you are already half way through!
The next part will guide you through making the lining & inside pockets, how to reinforce your backback and how to piece everything together. Click on the button below to get to the second part!
 

Perfect Match for Quilters

The B 770 QE PLUS unique features that make quilting and embroidering easier.

The three BSR modes provide Total Stitch Control when quilting, the KickStart takes the strain off your foot and the machine's advanced embroidery functions provide new possibilities to edit your designs on the 7'' touchscreen.

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