Welcome to my 3rd Blog of 2018.
For this entry I have decided to make a Squeezy Topped Holdall. I was playing Scrabble with my friend over the New Year and remembered that the bag to hold the ‘letter tiles’ was a bit tatty. I need a bag big enough to hold all the tiles but small enough to fit in the Scrabble box. I plan to make a bag 6inches x 7.5inches, which will be big enough to put a hand in to pick up the tiles.
Whilst in the UK over the Christmas Hols I spent a couple of hours at Oh Sew Crafty and bought loads of fabric…Yummy!! I plan to use a piece of the fabric I bought there…
Requirements:
2 pieces of patterned fabric – 7inches wide by 10inches
2 pieces of steel tape measure – 6inch each in length
4 short lengths of masking tape
Thread to match/contrast
Firstly, you need to cut off the corners from each end of the 2 pieces of steel tape measure and then wrap the masking tape round each end so that it doesn’t catch on the fabric when you push it through the top and doesn’t ‘wear’ through the fabric.…
Take the first piece of patterned fabric and fold over about 5/8th inch, iron it flat and then fold over again – making sure that the steel tape can be pushed into the ‘cuff’ (about 1inch). Iron flat and sew along both lengths, close to the edge. Repeat with the second piece of patterned fabric.
Thread the two lengths of steel tape into the ‘cuffs’ making sure that the rounded side of the tape is on the inner side of the cuff. This is important or your bag won’t squeeze open when completed.
Place the 2 pieces of fabric together and sew round the 3 sides – making sure not to sew through the steel tape! It is advisable to sew the sides at the top (where the steel tape is) a couple of time so that the stitches won’t tear with use.
I then overlocked the sewn seams to keep the fabric tidy and free from fraying. Turn the bag inside out and voila! You have a Squeezy Top Holdall…
You can make these bags any size you like, to accommodate anything of your choice – Clothes Pegs, Children’s crayons, etc etc. You could also applique Names or Initials on the front, remembering to do this before you sew the sides together.
Thank you Corinne for your comment. Make sure you put the tape in the right wasy or it doesn’t suqeeze open. lol !!
I would never have thought to use old metal measuring tapes for squeezy top closures. This is a great idea that I look forward to trying.