1 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,040 OK, so today we're going 2 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,440 to be showing you how to make a basic tote bag. 3 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,880 I've just got some white cotton that I've got precut. 4 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:31,720 I just used an A3 sheet of paper to take my measurements. 5 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:33,720 So it doesn't really matter what size. 6 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:36,240 With the straps. 7 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,120 Again, you can just measure it over your shoulder to see 8 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,280 what length of straps that you want for your bag. 9 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:50,640 So I've got two rectangle pieces for the body of my bag, 10 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:56,880 and then I've got four strips, the same for my straps. 11 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:59,720 And again, it doesn't have to be white cotton. 12 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,000 If you've got any scraps of fabric at home, 13 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,840 you can make some smaller, some larger, tote bags. 14 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:12,320 You can use like old tea towels or old bed sheets are really good to use. 15 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:17,200 So, yeah, so that's my basic tote bag. 16 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:23,360 Other tools I'll be using today is I'll be using a standard sewing machine. 17 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,120 I've got some pins and I've got some snips. 18 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,320 But you can use scissors. 19 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:32,800 It doesn't matter. Thread. 20 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,680 And then I'll be overlocking first. 21 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:44,800 So now I'm by my overlocker 22 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,160 and I'm going to finish the edges first on an overlocker. 23 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,480 If you don't have an over locker at home, it's not a necessity. 24 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,160 But I just want to show you what we would use in the textile industry 25 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,160 to get those really clean finishes. 26 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:06,160 And the reason that we use an overlocker is so that if I got my tote bag grubby 27 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:09,320 or my t shirt grubby, I can bung it in the wash. 28 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:15,360 And what happens is the thread will loop round my material. 29 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,600 So when I put it in the wash, it won't fray. 30 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,000 So that's why we use an overlocker. 31 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,000 So first things first 32 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,240 is we want to keep the top 33 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,160 obviously open so that we can open up our bag. 34 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:37,240 But I'm just going to sew down both the sides and the bottom edge. 35 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:44,360 So I've lifted up my foot at the back. 36 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,680 And what's really neat about an over locker as well is that 37 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,360 it's got a little blade on the sides, so it'll cut off your raw edges. 38 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,880 So I'll just place my fabric underneath carefully, lower the foot, 39 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,560 make sure my tension is even. 40 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,200 OK. And this part is a little loud. 41 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,000 OK, so I've got my two sides 42 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,640 really nicely finished there, so if I was to put that in the wash, 43 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,640 I would have nothing fraying 44 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,040 So I'm just going to close up the bottom edge 45 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:13,640 and then you'll see that it's basically like a small pillow. 46 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,960 OK, so I've got my basic bag shape. 47 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:26,840 There we go. 48 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:31,960 So for the straps, 49 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:37,520 you should have four bits of fabric for your straps. 50 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,040 So what you want to do is very carefully. 51 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,640 Take two pieces together like so. 52 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:51,680 And I'm just going to stitch along the long sides of the strap 53 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:53,600 so I can turn inside out. 54 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,200 OK, this is a really fiddly bit. 55 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:24,640 But basically, if you've got something like a long stick, you can put it 56 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:29,320 through the tube of the fabric and turn it inside out. 57 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:34,320 So that you'll just be left with the right side of the fabric. 58 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,600 I'm over by my sewing machine now, 59 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:46,320 I've turned my straps inside out so the right side's facing 60 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:52,600 and I've got my bag , that is still the wrong side 61 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,120 because you can see the stitches on the outside. 62 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,680 So the first thing I'm going to do 63 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,360 is I'm going to turn the top of my bag 64 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,160 by about a centimeter or so. 65 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,640 OK, just like that, 66 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,960 and then what I'm going to do is I'm going to tuck 67 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:23,760 one of my straps. Inside. 68 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,040 And grab some pins. 69 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:34,160 And just pin it in place. 70 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,920 OK, and I'm going to do the same for the other side. 71 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:03,000 Try and be as even as possible, you can measure, 72 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,920 you can mark the straps with chalk if you like. 73 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:09,840 But I'm just kind of guessing 74 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:11,920 where I want my straps to go. 75 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:17,480 OK, so they're about even. 76 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:22,520 And now I'm just going to sew across the straps 77 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:28,240 and all the way along the edge, and then I'm going to fold it and sew at once more 78 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,640 so that everything is completely encased and there'll be no rawedges. 79 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:40,680 So I've got my sewing machine set up. 80 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,400 And I want to keep the foot. 81 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:48,000 I like to keep the edge of the foot next to my work. 82 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,560 Lower the foot down. 83 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:56,360 And if we're starting a seam, we always go a few millimeters forward 84 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,840 and then go on the back foot 85 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:04,880 and then go backwards on our work a few millimeters, 86 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:07,440 then carry all the way around. 87 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,560 And then again, once we get to the end, we go back 88 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,280 a few millimeters and then it's ready to take out. 89 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,680 So by going backwards on our stitch, 90 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,280 that just ensures that our stitch is actually closed. 91 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:27,800 If we didn't do that, basically you could pull the end of the thread out. 92 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:32,280 OK, so by going backwards, it just locks the thread in place. 93 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,040 Make sure you take your pins out as you go along. 94 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:50,560 You don't want to sew your needle over your pins. 95 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:04,320 OK, now I've reached the end of my work, 96 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:11,120 so I'm just going to go backwards a few centimeters. Open my foot. 97 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:16,320 Roll it up and then grab my snips or my scissors and cut the thread. 98 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:19,680 Now, we could just leave it there. 99 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,040 But I don't like seeing the raw edges 100 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:26,160 and I want to give it a more professional finish. 101 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,840 So I'm just going to tuck 102 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,680 my work under twice. 103 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,200 And again, I'm going to pin it in place and sew over it. 104 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:55,720 I'm ready to finish off my last seam. 105 00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:00,080 Obviously, I folded it twice so you can see there's going to be no raw 106 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,320 edges on the outside. So it's going to be nice and crisp. 107 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:06,720 So again, I'm going to 108 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,680 go forward a little. 109 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,520 Go backwards a little. 110 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:16,960 And then carry on down 111 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:22,280 to the end of my seam taking any pins out as I go along. 112 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:42,720 A little tip as well is 113 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:47,600 I like to take my shoes off when I'm putting my foot on the presser. 114 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:51,600 It gives me a little bit more control, like as if you're driving, 115 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:54,520 please don't drive with your shoes off though. 116 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,520 And it allows me to control 117 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,320 the speed of the machine a little better. 118 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:24,600 OK, and I'm at the end of my seam. 119 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:29,000 So, again, just going backwards and we're done. 120 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,680 So I pull that out again. Snip it. 121 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:40,360 And then the last thing we could do is you can see at the moment 122 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,960 my tote bag is quite flat and we might want to leave it like that. 123 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,200 But what's nice is we can pinch the corners 124 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:54,840 here. And if we so a little line here, that means that the tote 125 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:59,760 bag can stand up when you've got boxes or sketchbooks in them. 126 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,960 It'll help the tote bag stand up. 127 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:37,960 There we go and if I turn it inside out. 128 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,960 There we have our nice finished tote bag.