I’m thrilled that it’s finally time to sew a Field Study Tote together! Welcome to Day 1 of the Sew-along: Prepare fabrics, cut and apply stabilizers. By now you’ve probably gathered your fabrics and hardware together and you’re ready to get started.
Cutting
The Field Study Tote pattern has no templates to print. You’ll be following the cut list to measure and mark each piece with the grain of the fabric. The first measurement given is the height, which should be cut parallel to the fabric’s selvedge.
For example, the front of the bag is 13″ x 17″ cut from the Main fabric. Using a ruler, rotary cutter and mat, cut a rectangle that is 13″ high by 17″ wide. Remember to make note of directional fabrics, especially for the Main front and back that will be folding over.
Labeling
As you cut out each piece, be sure to label them! There are a lot of rectangles that could be confused, so do yourself a favor and pin a little note to each piece.
Fusing
I admit, fusing stabilizers to my fabrics is probably my least favorite part of the whole bag-making process! But it must be done for a great-looking bag. I have a little shortcut that I shared in this post a while back:
Later this week we’ll get sewing on the lining! I always do my cutting/fusing in one day then wait at least until the next day to start sewing. There are a lot of parts to prep and it’s best to start sewing when you are fresh!
See the rest of the Sew-along posts here:
Announcement
Supplies
Schedule and Prizes
We’d love to see your progress! Show us your photos in the Facebook Group. You can also share photos on Facebook and Instagram tagged #fieldstudysewalong