Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Felt Messenger Bag Tutorial- Part 2 (of 3)

Applying the striped silk rectangle.

 


The bag flap, prior to trimming, but after cutting and hand-sewing the handle.

 


The bag flap after trimming into a rectangular shape.

 


The 'extra-flap-turned-pocket' (shown with the bag turned inside-out).

 


After applying three layers of wool roving to each side of the resist...

...plus the layer of cotton gauze to the bag bottom on both sides...

...I applied the rectangular piece of silk to the surface of one side of the bag.

Because I wasn't sure how this particular silk would 'felt in'...

...I added roving around the perimeter, plus several wispy bits
over the surface of the silk as insurance.

I trimmed out the handle, like I did here...

...and hand stitched it together, prior to further felting.

This time, I designed the resist to allow for a longer bag strap...

...so it could be worn 'cross-body', like they do with most messenger bags.

I also made it bulbous enough to allow for trimming...

...so that the bag flap could mirror the shape of the bag itself.

The 'extra flap' became an interior pocket (like this)...

...by sewing a layer of cotton cloth to the back side of the flap...

...and then sewing divided pocket sections for a cell phone, keys and pens.

All that was necessary was a careful trim with small, sharp scissors...

...and voila...inner pockets!

Next time: the finished bag.

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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Certainly looks interesting. I'm looking forward to the finished piece.

Nancy said...

I love this bag and you are so generous to give the details....For those of us who are new to felting, it helps so much......

I hope you have a great day...Thanks for stopping by my blog....

Marushka C. said...

I can't begin to tell you how fascinating I am finding this 3-part series. Wow!

Anonymous said...

I like your blog - nice bag too :D It's a pity the IFA don't showcase more work from across the pond.

vilterietje said...

looks promissing:)

Heather Woollove said...

Rachel--Thanks!
Nancy--I'm so happy to be of help!
Mary--Yes...is it starting to look familiar?!?! :)
Frances--What a lovely comment.. I'm so happy to hear from you!!
Riet--Hope you like the finished project!

WonderWhyGal said...

I still don't understand the round to rectangular part...argh! I think I would trim too much.

I am taking Suzanne Higg's Bag class at Fiber Festival this year. I want to learn her technique. Then I want a play date with Dawn and you and...

Heather Woollove said...

Andrea--The 'round to rectangular' thing was just a recent modification to fix the handle problem I had with my other messenger bag. If you do a regular peanut shaped resist bag, you'll follow the shape and won't have to change anything. That way, you'll know what to do when you move onto something bigger like this.
...but yes...a play date is definitely in order!! XXO-

Voie de Vie said...

Love, love, love how this turned out! Marushka C's bag is the bomb!

You're a felting genius.

Heather Woollove said...

Awwww, shucks, Denise! :)