X-Bag

My boss saw an X-bag on display at the LQS and wanted to buy it, but it was just for display to sell the pattern. I've been wanting to make something for Cindy for a while now, but I couldn't figure out just what to make. After she said she liked that bag, I got the pattern and some coordinating fabric to make one.

The pattern is interesting.. you start with two fabrics and sandwich them so they are double sided. Then by way of folding and flipping the pieces around you get a bag with three pockets on the inside. The fabrics criss cross each other and you get a really neat design.


There is no real lining or anything that gets turned right side out and you have raw edges on the handles that need to be covered with bias tape. I didn't make my own, I bought it at Joanns. It was my first time working with bias tape and I have to say it was a lot easier than I had expected. I'm certain my walking foot was the real solution to what could have been a nasty, puckered problem so I'm grateful I have that.


The inside of the bag also has raw edges. The pattern calls for zig zagging the edges to cover them. Initially I wanted to cover them with bias tape, but after the bag is sewn together you end up with eight layers of fabric, all with interfacing so it's pretty thick. I did go ahead and cover them with a zig zag stitch, but with the stitches very close together so they covered the edges almost completely.






The pattern also called for a velcro dot closure, but I wanted to use a magnetic snap instead. I had to make the tab larger than the pattern because the snap wouldn't fit inside. The tab has one layer of interfacing, but next time I'll add two to reinforce it a bit, although I do use buttonholes when inserting magnetic snaps to make sure the fabric doesn't tear from the stress of opening and closing - especially since these particular magnetic snaps are super magnetic. I also had to insert the snap on the body half way through the project to keep it from showing on the other side. The sample in store had a magnetic snap as well, but the backside was completely visible on the back of the front pocket. Being the perfectionist that I am, I couldn't have that.

Anyway, the bag was fun to make. Not hard at all. You just have to be careful when adding the bias tape and when sewing the bag together along the side edges, making sure you catch all layers. And I think there is a way to cover those raw edges on the inside and I'll have to figure it out when I make it the next time.