Kaffe Fassett: Colorful, round Zipper Bag

• 0.45m (18") total, so called «half-yard-cuts» (or smaller pieces in various fabric designs) is required.

Cut all fabric and all interfacing pieces. Press the interfacings to side fabric and spine fabric pieces.

Fabric Cutting:

• 4x Lid and base, 22 x 22 cm (8 1/2" x 8 1/2")
• 4x Side fabric, 48 x 7 cm (19" x 3")
• 2x Spine, 12 x 14 cm (4 3/4" x 5 1/2")
• 1x Handle, 25 x 7 cm (10" x 3")

• 1x Embroidery stabilizer Stitch-n-Tear, 55 x 35 cm (21 1/2" x 14")
• 2x Volume fleece, 22 x 22 cm (8 1/2" x 8 1/2")
• 4x Vlieseline S 320, 48 x 7 cm (19" x 3")
• 2x Vlieseline S 320, 12 x 14 cm (4 3/4" x 5 1/2")

Setting up the embroidery machine:

• Attach the embroidery module and foot #26.
• Lower the feed dog.
• Attach the straight stitch plate.
• Thread the bobbin with bobbin thread, using the yellow high thread tension bobbin case.
• Thread the upper thread with Poly Sheen embroidery thread in contrasting color.

• Hoop the Stitch-n-Tear embroidery stabilizer.

• Select the embroidery Design – size 100% = 19.18 cm diameter (7 colors).
• The design remains centered in the hoop.

• Color 1: Embroider the placement lines of lid and base.

• Color 2: Place volume fleece and lid fabric onto the front placement line and embroider.
• As you begin to stitch, smooth out the fabrics with your hands.

• Optional: increase stitching speed for colors 3-5.
• Color 3: Embroider the flower.
• Color 4: Embroider the flower wreath, if applicable, thread another embroidery thread color.
• Color 5: Embroider zigzag and seam fixing line (lid).

• Color 6: Place volume fleece and base fabric onto the rear placement line.
• As you begin to stitch smooth out the fabrics with your hands.
• While embroidering, take care not to stitch down the seam allowance of the lid, cut back if applicable.
• Color 7: Embroider zigzag and seam fixing line.
• Unhoop the embroidery.

After Embroidery:

• Attache the 9mm stitch plate.
• Activate the feed dog.
• Attach foot #4D (activate dual feed).
• Set needle position to -3.
• Thread Seralon/Metrosene in the needle.
• Thread Seralon/Metrosene in the bobbin (use the black bobbin case).
• Detach the embroidery module (optional).
• Attach the slide-on table.

Side Fabric

• Sandwich the zipper between the upper side and upper lining, right sides together and pin.
• At seam begin and end, narrow side, leave 2 cm (3/4") seam allowance open, where the spine is going to be sewn on (the zipper is stitched at an exact length of 44 cm / 17 3/8”).

• Starting 2 cm (3/4") in from the edge, stitch the zipper to the upper side and lining, stopping 2 cm  (3/4") from the end (needle position -3).

• Press the side fabric away from the zipper.

• For the lower side, pin the outside fabric (outside only) onto the other side of the zipper (the inner side is later).
• Stitch together, starting 2 cm (3/4") from the edge, stopping 2 cm (3/4") before the end.
   

• Pin the lower inside fabric onto the zipper, while leaving an opening for turning through of approx. 25 cm (10”) in the middle of that seam.
• Stitch the fabric onto the zipper, while leaving the opening for turning open!

• Press the side fabric away from the zipper.

• Attach foot #20C.
• Thread the needle with Silk Finish Cotton 40.
• Select a decorative stitch.

• Stitch that decorative stitch onto one outside (outside fabric only).
• Press.

• If required, cut back the length edge (inside/outside) to an equal width.
• Add the zipper pull(s).
• Cut the side fabrics including the zipper to an exact length of 46 cm (18 1/4"), i.e. on both sides cut back approx. 1cm (3/8") so that 1 cm (3/8") open seam allowance remains.

Handle Strap

• Fold the handle and fold the seam allowance in (like a double fold bias), prepare for topstitching.
• Attach foot #1C.
• Thread the needle with sewing thread.
   

• Topstitch the handle near the folded edges, for example with needle position -2.
• Press.

Combining the back and side pieces

• Now the outer and inner bag are constructed as separate pieces, which will come together perfectly at the end with no hand stitching. Trust the process.
• Pin the outer spine fabric onto the outer zipper side fabric, right sides together, including the zipper.
• Do not include the inner fabrics!

• Stitch together with a seam allowance of 1 cm (3/8").

• Pin the other side of the outer spine fabric onto the outer side of the zipper side fabric, including the zipper.
• Do not include the inner fabrics.
• The spine fabric shall have a width of exact 10 cm (4").
• You produce a circle of 54 cm (21 3/8").

• Stitch together with a seam allowance of 1 cm (3/8").

• Open the zipper up to approx. 2 cm (3/4") away from the seam.

• Pin the inner spine fabric onto the zipper side fabric, do not include the outside fabrics.
• Pin the other side too.

• Stitch together with a seam allowance of 1 cm (3/8").

• Turn the circled side right side out.
• Press the seam allowance towards the spine.

• Spine, trim both sides to fit.

Lid and Base

• Cut the lid outer fabric (embroidered) and the base outer fabric (padded) 1 mm outside of the cutting line.

• Cut the inner fabrics of lid and base, using the embroidered lid as a template.

• On all four fabric pieces, mark quarters.

• On all side parts (inside and outside, upper and lower edge) mark quarters.

• Place the handle over the lid and cut back to the desired length.
• Baste in place with a few stitches.

• Increase the straight stitch length to 3.25.

• With the zipper open, turn the bag that the right side is outside.
• Work from the inside out, add soft pieces before adding the stiff embroidered lid.

• Pin the lid inner fabric onto the inner fabric sides, right sides together. One pin at each quarter and one pin between the quarter marks.
• Tip: Pin with the circle on top.
• Experience has shown that fewer pins make this sewing process easier.

• Stitch the lid onto the side fabrics with a seam allowance of 1 cm (3/8") (stitch length 3.25).
• Tip: while sewing, have the lid fabric on the underside, running on the feed dog.
• Finger-press the seam allowance towards the side fabric.

• Pin the base inner fabric onto the inner fabric sides, right sides together.
• One Pin at each quarter and one pin between the quarter marks, same as with the lid.

• Stitch the base inner fabric and side fabric together.
• Finger-press.

• Turn the bag as far as needed so that the base outside can be pinned easily to the outer side fabric.

• Pin the base outer fabric to the outer side fabric, right sides together, same as the base inner fabric.

• Stitch the base outer fabric to the outer side fabric.
• Finger-press.

• Turn the bag as far as needed so that the outer lid can be easily pinned to the outer side.

• Pin the outer lid onto the side fabric, right sides together. (We do this last, because this is the stiffest piece, and it would have made it difficult to handle the other parts.)

• Stitch the lid outer fabric onto the side fabric, same as the other three parts.
• Finger-press.

• Turn the bag, right side out.
• Pin the opening for turning to the zipper to close it.

• Attach foot #4D.
• Activate dual feed.
• Set the needle position to 3.
• Stitch the seam on the right side along the zipper.
• Tip: detach the slide-on table and use the freearm.

• Optional, topstitch the other zipper side also.

• Creative tip: for more hatbox effect, cut one inner/outer side fabric wider than 48 x 7 cm (19 x 3"), for example 48 x 10 cm (19 x 4").
• Then align the spine fabric size, for example to 12 x 17 cm (4 3/4" x 6 3/4").
• Of course you can adjust the height of the zipper bag to your liking. The embroidery design is based on using the Maxi Hoop to the max, but there are no limits to your creativity.

• Bag circumference finished 54 cm (21 1/4").
• Lid finished diameter 17.18 cm (6 5/8").
• Lid cut diameter, the cutting line of the embroidery design, is 19.18 cm (7 1/2").
• Lid and base fit together in the Maxi Hoop.
• A circumference of 54 cm (21 1/4") minus a spine of 10 cm (4") = 44 cm (17 3/8") side.
• We recommend cutting the side fabric 48 cm (19") to have some spare seam allowance to ease sewing in the zipper and adding the zipper pull(s) and cut the zipper side back to fit.