20
With right sides together, pin
a side pocket assembly to the
left and right edges of the centre
panel. Sew them in place and press
the side pockets outwards.21
Layer the 8^1 ⁄ 4 x 16in rectangle
of lining fabric, right side
down, the 8^1 ⁄ 4 x 16in rectangle
of batting and the front pocket,
right side up, and pin all the layers
together.22
Fold one 2^1 ⁄ 2 x 16in binding
strip in half, long edges
matching and wrong sides together.
Pin the raw edges along the top of
the front pocket and sew it in place.
Fold the binding over to the back of
the pocket so that its folded edge
just covers the line of stitching
you’ve just sewn. Slip stitch it in
place. Top stitch^1 ⁄ 1616 in up from the
lower edge of the binding on the
front of the pocket.23
Position the front pocket on
the bag front rectangle 1^3 ⁄ 4 in
down from the top edge with the
side and bottom edges matching.
Flip the feature fabric pockets
towards the centre panel. Measure
41 ⁄ 4 in down from the binding on each
side pocket and rule a horizontal line
on each one. Sew from the stitchery
edge along the horizontal line to
the edge of the pocket to make a
shorter upper pocket above the
feature fabric lower pocket. Flip the
feature fabric pockets back in place
and machine stitch^1 ⁄ 8 in from the
side and bottom edges to keep the
layers in place. Stitch vertically in
the ditch either side of the centre
panel to divide the pocket into three
sections, making fi ve front pockets
in all – one large and four small.Back pockets
24
Layer an 8^1 ⁄ 4 x 16in lining
rectangle right side down,
an 8^1 ⁄ 4 x 16in batting rectangle and
then the 8^1 ⁄ 4 x 16in feature fabric
rectangle, right side up on top of
it. Bind the top edge as described
in Step 22.25
Place the bag back rectangle
face up on the table and
position the back pocket over it,
also right side facing up, side and
bottom edges matching. The bound
top edge should be 1^3 ⁄ 4 in down fromthe top edge of the bag back. Pin
it in place securely.26
Measure and rule a vertical
line halfway across the back
pocket. Sew along the line from
the binding to the bottom edge,
backstitching at the top as you
begin for a secure hold, to make
two back pockets.Assembly
27
With right sides together,
sew a 2^1 ⁄ 4 x 10in side panel
rectangle to the left and right edges
of the bag front and back and press
the seams outwards.28
Sew a 4^1 ⁄ 2 x 19^1 ⁄ 2 in dark fabric
rectangle to the bottom edge
of the bag front and back, right
sides together, and press the seams
downwards.29
Iron the 13^3 ⁄ 4 x 19^1 ⁄ 2 in
rectangles of fusible fl eece
to the wrong sides of the bag front
and back panels according to the
manufacturer’s instructions. Top
stitch^1 ⁄ 4 in from the side panel seams
from top to bottom.30
Iron a 1^1 ⁄ 4 x 21in strip of fusible
fl eece to the centre of each
handle strip on the wrong side. Fold
the long edges in towards the centre
over the fl eece and press the folds.
Cut the twill tape in half, centre a
length over the raw edges of the
handle strips and top stitch down
each long edge of the twill tape.
The raw edges of the handle fabric
should be covered by the tape.31
With right sides facing,
match the bag front and back
panels and sew around the side and
bottom edges.32
Referring to Diagram 2,
measure and mark a 2in
square in the two bottom corners
of the bag. Cut on the drawn lines.
Bring the raw edges together with
the seams aligned and sew along
the edge to box the corners of the
bag. Turn the bag right side out.33
Measure and pin mark 5^3 ⁄ 4 in
in from the side seams on the
top edges of the bag front and back.
Align the outer edges of the handle
strips with these marks, as shown
in Diagram 3: the raw edges of the
strips should be level with the top
edges of the bag, the right sidesBag backDiagram 22in2inDiagram 353 ⁄ 4 in 53 ⁄ 4 in98 Homespun