The Handle

The binding didn't take nearly as long to do as figuring out the handles. I thought the bag would be finished last night. Not. There's one handle and a bit more to go. Since I'm busy all day today, it may not be finished until later tomorrow. I'll post when I'm done - either late on Friday or early Saturday - so you can see the final version.




The bamboo color of the handles that came with the kit didn't seem to go with the fabric very well right at the beginning and even more so with the added detail. I started by painting them gold (above left) and then rubbing them with black (above right) and then I ignored all that and painted them red with touches of gold. The red is more a blue based red than the orange based red in the fabric. Oh well. That spray can was here and paid for and I wasn't buying more for just a few spritzes. It works.




It's always a good idea to play with paper prototypes until you get the handle format that you think will work best. It wasn't this one. I decided I was getting way too complicated and needed to simplify and went with a basic rectangle.




Six inch squares of interfacing were fused to the wrong side of the handle fabric and then trimmed with 3/8" all around. The edges were pressed toward the interfacing and then the square folded wrong sides together to create a 3" x 6" rectangle that was then edge stitched.




The rectangle was folded over the handle matching the edges carefully and then basted as close to the handle as possible to hold it in place and to allow for positioning on the bag.




The bag is sandwiched between the two sides of the rectangle. It's pushed up tight to the basting stitches. This method matches up both sides of the rectangle as close as possible. It's never perfect but it's as good as it gets.




The first row of stitching is not hard although it's the most difficult. It holds everything in place. Once the pins are gone, stitching is easier. The stitching is not as close to the handle as the basting stitches. It is just over the edge of the bag securing that edge and on top of the previous edge stitching. That sounds complicated. Hopefully the picture clarifies.

All of the weight of the bag is supported by these stitches so stitch around and around three or four times and then back stitch to hold securely. With this variegated turquoise thread, the stitching has highlights like the fabric. I like that.




Once the basting stitches are removed, the first handle is complete. I finished it later on Wednesday night and didn't have time to do the other side. BUT... this one worked. There are pictures. Good and enough and more later.

This morning, I'm off to a doctor's appointment. Technically, it's Kyle's appointment only I'm not taking him. I'm taking all his data and will discuss a plan of action with his doctor. After that, I have some errands and then I'm visiting a friend, three hours away, unless the fires are too bad for me to travel. I'll call her right before I leave. Her town was on the news last night and there is a large fire fifteen kilometers away and headed toward the town. Luckily, there is also a large river in the way so unless it's super windy, the fire is not likely to jump the river. But it could. All very interesting. She might end up coming here.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - projects to puzzle out. This is good for my brain