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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Ellie Travel Case Tutorial

Ellie Travel Case Tutorial at Fabric Mutt

When I shared my new travel cases last month, I received a lot of requests for a pattern, so I decided to write up a free tutorial for all of you to use. The tutorial bag is sort of a hybrid of the original two bags -- it's the size of the smaller one with the extended zipper of the second one. Because the bag is smaller, you can actually get by with just batting and fusible interfacing to strengthen the sides, but the pattern can easily be enlarged with the addition of a stronger layer of interfacing if you want to go bigger. Play around with it and have fun!

I named this bag after the heroine in one of my favorite old movies, It Happened One Night starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Ellie Andrews (Colbert) is a spoiled little rich girl who recruits a wise cracking reporter (Gable) to help her get back to her gigolo groom against the wishes of her father. This charming falling-in-love-while-on-a-road-trip story was actually the first of its kind and is only one of three movies in history to receive all five of the big academy awards. Don't let the 1934 film date fool you -- the witty dialogue holds up surprisingly well for a modern audience. Give it a try on your next movie night...

Ellie Travel Case Tutorial at Fabric Mutt

The final size of this bag is 7.5" square, but because it's also 4.5" deep, it can hold a ton of stuff. My sister let me enjoy a Yes to Carrots shopping spree for my birthday, and almost all of my goodies were able to fit inside with room to spare. This case makes a perfect cosmetics or toiletries bag and doubles as a cute little purse for a night out. A big thank you goes out to my friends at Riley Blake Fabrics who sent me these beautiful prints from the upcoming Vintage Happy collection by Lori Holt to use in this tutorial. I absolutely love these retro prints!

This bag now has a permanent home with my dear friend Tamie, who actually deserved a gold medal for saying to me the other day, "Just drop your kids off at my house for a few hours so you can work on your book. No problem!" Did I mention that Tamie already has eight children?

Okay, who's ready to sew?

Materials:

(2) 7 1/2 x 12" cotton print for the exterior main panel
(2) 5 x 12" linen for the exterior accent
(2) 12 x 12" cotton print for the bag lining
(2) 12 x 12" fusible interfacing to reinforce the lining (I used Pellon Craft Fuse)
(2) 12 x 12" batting to reinforce the exterior (you can attach regular batting with adhesive basting spray or
                    just use fusible batting)
(2) 2 1/2 x 13" linen for the handles
(2) 2 1/2 x 13" fusible interfacing to reinforce the handles (again, I used Pellon Craft Fuse)
(2) 1 1/2 x 3 1/2" linen for zipper tabs
(1) 16" zipper
coordinating thread
Clover clips or clothespins

*All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.


1. Make the exterior. Stack a 7 1/2 x 12" exterior piece on top of a 5 x 12" linen accent piece with their right sides together, lining them up along a 12" side. Stitch along the 12" side and then press the seam open. Repeat with the other two exterior pieces. Fuse the batting to the wrong side of both these exterior pieces and then top stitch 1/4" below the seam on the linen accent piece. Cut 2 1/4" squares out of all four corners on both exterior pieces.


2. Make the lining. Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of the lining pieces. Cut 2 1/4" squares out of all four corners on both lining pieces.


3. Make the handles. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the linen. Fold the handle piece in half, press, and unfold it. Now fold the two halves in half to meet at the center line, press, and refold on the original fold line. Hold the long edges of the handle together with Clover clips or clothespins, however leave 2" on each short of the handle unfolded (see picture above). Sew 1/8" from the open side of each of the handles, stopping 2" from each short end and backstitching. Fold the short ends of the handles in 1/4" toward the wrong side of the fabric, press, and then fold another 1/4". Clip the short ends of the handles to keep the fold in place until you're ready to attach them.


4. Attach the handles to the exterior. You can change the placement of your handles depending on how narrow a handle loop you prefer. I pinned my handles to the exterior pieces about 1 1/4" from the side of the cutout square and 1 1/4" below the bottom of the cutout square in the corner of each exterior piece (see photo above). Use a pencil or fabric pen to mark a rectangle at the bottom of each end of the handle.


Sew over the rectangle and then sew an X in the middle of each rectangle. Repeat with the other handle and other exterior piece.


5. Box the top corners of the bag. Press the two sides of one of the cutout squares in the upper corners of the exterior together (right sides of fabric touching), and sew a 1/4" seam along that line to sew them together (see the picture above). Repeat with the other cutout squares in the upper corners of the exterior and lining. Do NOT do this with the squares on the lower corners of either the exterior or lining -- those will be a little different.


6. Prepare the zipper. Trim your zipper down to exactly 16" in length, discarding the ends and making sure that your zipper pull is still in the middle. Mark the halfway point on your zipper (8" from the ends) and the halfway point on the top of the exterior and lining pieces (about 3 1/2" from the seams on either side of the top).


7. Make the zipper tabs. Fold the zipper tab pieces in half so that the short ends meet (wrong sides together) and press. Unfold and then fold the short ends in toward the middle about 1/2", pressing them in place.


Place one of the short ends of the zipper right on the middle fold and refold the tab on the original fold, sandwiching the end of the zipper inside the tab. Stitch along the smaller fold of the tab, 1/8" from the zipper (see photo above). Repeat with the other tab on the other end of the zipper.


8. Attach the zipper. Pay careful attention to the photo above during this step. Stack the exterior (right side up), zipper (right side down), and lining (right side down) along the upper edge of the exterior and lining pieces. Match up the center dots on all three pieces and the boxed seams on the exterior and lining. Looking at the photo, you'll notice that this stack looks a little different because the upper corners are boxed, but it's the same concept as stack pieces for a regular zipper installation. Use Clover clips or clothespins to clip the edges in place and sew 1/4" from the edge of the zipper. Where you start sewing will depend on whether or not you want the zipper tabs to show on the sides of your bag. If you want them to show, start sewing about halfway down the zipper tab, all the way around the top opening and stopping about halfway down the other zipper tab. If you'd rather not see the tabs, start at the very top of the tab where it touches the zipper. Backstitch at both ends.


Fold the exterior and lining pieces back from the zipper and press along the zipper (being careful not to melt the zipper itself). Repeat this step on the other side. It will be a little harder this time with the bulk of the other side of the bag getting in the way, but if you go carefully and clip securely, it should be fine.


9. Sew the lining and exterior together. This step sounds strange, but try to keep in mind the image of finishing a typical zipper pouch where you have the lining on one side of the zipper and the exterior on the other side. Refer to the photo as you go along. Unzip the bag at least halfway. Arrange the pieces of the bag so that the lining is sitting with right sides together and the exterior has right sides together as well. There will be an odd looking "crater" in the middle where the zipper is, but don't let it worry you. Start clipping or pinning the lining pieces together, making sure that the cutout squares in the lower corners match up. Do the same on the exterior side of the bag.


10. Start on the lower opening of the lining (between the two cutout squares) and follow the sewing path on the photo above, stitching 1/4" from the edge. Do NOT sew on the cutout squares -- we'll get to that next. The tricky part is where the lining and exterior meet, but don't let it throw you. The zipper tab will stick out a bit between the two sides of the bag. Just stitch along the lining and make a right angle at the turn to the exterior so that you maintain that 1/4" seam there as well. Travel all the way around until you get back to the lower edge of the lining, leaving a gap in the bottom of the lining for turning. Backstitch at both ends.


11. Box the bottom edges of the bag. Take one of the cutout squares in the lining or exterior and press the opposite corners together so that the side and bottom seams match up. Stitch 1/4" from the raw edges. Repeat on the other three cutout corners.


12. Put your hand in through the gap in the lining and through the zipper, grab the exterior, and carefully pull it out through the gap so that the bag is right side out. You can reach through the gap in the lining to poke out the bottom corners of the exterior. Tuck the raw edges down into the gap in the lining and sew the opening closed, about 1/8" from the folded edge.


13. Push the lining into the bag and press the bag as you are able. Fill it up with goodies and enjoy!

If you have any questions about this tutorial, please feel free to send me an email at hjstaples@gmail.com. If you make one of your own, send me a photo or add it to the Inspired by Fabric Mutt flickr group. I'd love to see what you make!

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday for the first time in ages!

74 comments:

  1. What a great pattern and brilliant tutorial- I will be making one of these! Thank you so much

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  2. Thanks Heidi - I can't wait to make this :)

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  3. Wow, it's a fab bag, and thx for the free tutorial, add that to my list of must do bags, i adore the look of it! :o)

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  4. This is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing---I can't wait to try out this tutorial!

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  5. Love this! Adding it to my list of must makes before my vacation this spring! Thanks for sharing.

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  6. It looks great! I can't wait to give the tutorial a try. Thanks.

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  7. I'm lovin' this bag! Thank you for the tutorial :)
    Fabulous lining choice!

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  8. Good Morning Heidi, I am delighted to have found your amazing blog. I love this bag and your tutorials are awesome. You are so talented and generous to share your patterns with us. What a sweetheart :)
    I am your newest follower and I would love to invite you over to visit my blog.
    Your blogging sister, Connie :)

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  9. Very cute Heidi! Pinning this one for sure.

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  10. This is SO awesome! Love it! That is also one of my fav movies...I love them both - great witty pair together!

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  11. Thanks so much for the beautiful tutorial! I am going to make one of these... it looks so cute!

    susie

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  12. Thank you for sharing this tutorial with us! The bag is adorable!
    xo jan

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  13. Love this. It would make a perfect little bag for my baby's things for childcare every day. I haven't made a bag in ages. Think I might give it a whirl!!

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  14. so sweet - and a great tutorial. On my list of must-makes!! Thanks for generously sharing with us :-)

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  15. Putting this on my "want-to-make" list :) Thanks for sharing a great tutorial!

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  16. What a cute bag. There may be one in my future. Thanks for taking the time to share a tutorial. Please tell your friend that I have never found anyone who spells her name the same as I do but now I know that there is someone out there who does.

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  17. This is the cutest bag ever!!! I may have to watch the movie too hehehe;) Thanks for sharing!

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  18. Love the bag and the tutorial. Thanks from the Netherlands. I hope my English knowledge is good enough to make it :)

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  19. So cute Heidi! I am pinning this to make for this summer.

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  20. Yay I was hoping there would be a tutorial for this! Love it and can't wait to try it! Also, I love that movie :)

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  21. Love this, Heidi! I'll have to make one. It's too cute not to!

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  22. Okay, I have to eat lunch and dash to my sewing machine right now to make this. Love love love it! The size is just perfect. I hope I have a zipper on hand so I don't have to get out in the cold and hit Hobby Lobby today. Thanks so much!

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  23. Love it! Can't wait to give it a try!

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  24. Heidi, I had to print this one out ... great bag and tutorial. Thanks. Greetings from Oklahoma, USA crystalbluern at onlineok dot com

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  25. Hi Heidi, This looks awesome. I am thinking of using an inuslating lining and using it for a awesome lunch bag. Thank you for posting the tutorial.

    Jan

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  26. I love this tote and you did a great job making it. I'm going to try one!

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  27. Heidi, thank you for sharing this tutorial. -Vontina

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  28. That bag is so awesome! I love the one that you have on the blog in the article.....
    Anyone that knows me knows I hate making bags....so many steps and UGH...zippers and handles LOL
    I am going to print off the instructions and if I can hook up with a friend that LOVES to make bags I'll have to ask her to help me :)

    I'm enjoying following you on Instagram! I too am doing the counted cross stitch blocks!

    Peggy in NJ

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  29. Thank you for the tutorial! I have made one! Mine is not perfect, but that is not your fault :) I like it very much. The tutorial was easy to follow. Maybe I will make one more later, then I have learned from the mistakes I did this time :) you can see it here http://maritshobbyblogg.blogspot.no/2014/02/ellie-travel-case.html Greetings from Marit Johanne in Norway

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  30. Thank you so much for this amazing bag tute!

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  31. Love this bag! Came across it on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing!

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  32. This is fabulous. Must make. Thanks

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  33. Great tutorial, thank you so much! This is on my list right after I finish sewing up a couple suitcases

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  34. Es perfecto, gracias por compartirlo, :)

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  35. I finished my first one this afternoon! Great tutorial. The zipper gave me a few issues too, but I reverse-sewed it a couple of times, reread your instructions, and figured it out! Here's a link to my post about it: http://musingsofamenopausalmelon.blogspot.com/2014/03/ellie-bag.html
    I will post a couple of pics on your Flickr page too! Thank you!

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  36. Thanks so much for this sweet bag tutorial ~ love it! I'll be making a few as gifts and, of course, one for me!

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  37. This is really cute. A great gift idea for me, and my DILs, too!

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  38. How have I missed seeing this before now? I adore this bag style and can't wait to try one out for myself soon! Great instructions, and you make it look easy.

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  39. Such a swell design! Thank you for the terrific how-to.

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  40. Thanks for this tutorial! What is the brown fabric you are using for the bottom/straps? Thanks! you can email me at thebajemas(at)hotmail.com

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  41. i love love LOVE this bag! i was thinking about making it a little bit bigger, maybe like a 10in square instead of 7 because i am definitely not a light traveler. Do you have any suggestions on how i should adjust the measurements or directions? Thanks so much for the tutorial

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  42. Adorable!! I've got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for tomorrow evening that links to your tutorial:
    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-the-ellie-travel-case/2014/05/12/
    ---Anne

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  43. Love!!! It's a beautiful bag!!! Thanks for this tutorial!

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  44. Awesome pics and very nice tutorial to aware many girls how to make their travel plan.


    snowboard and ski

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  45. Hi dear, thankyou so much for sharing this wonderful tutorial...it's not only described well..but also picturised perfectly! I trie this one and trust me..it came out wonderful ..I want to make two sze bigger in the same one..can u help me with the dimension? And the zip size??

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  46. Because the bag is smaller, you can actually get by with just batting and ... ibabybag.blogspot.com

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  47. Wow what a goregous bag! Thank you very much for sharing your design Heidi. I'm new here my name is Julie and I hail from Adelaide, South Australia. I've just started getting your blog to because of the free pattern you shared with Pat Sloan and I believed your someone who I should get to know! I've decided to make your bag for a birthday present for someone I love dearly. Thanks again Heidi and will be happy to show you my pictures once made. Being on a resticted budget I have to get things slowly as budget allows and put them all away until I gotten everything to start sewing. Will email you again as I grow to know you! So far so good great tutorial will also help me when I start making your bag it's now a favourite!!!!! Happy quilting Julie Beard.

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  48. Hi, I'm from Brazil, I loved your blog, made two travel grants based on its own tutorial. Thanks for sharing.
    http://artesanatocandido.blogspot.com.br/

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  49. This is too adorable! I have to make one of these. Thank You for the tutorial.

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  50. Heidi! I just finished my first bag and although it was a bit fussy, I did expect that, it turned out wonderful!! I will make more and each one will get easier!! Thank you for this wonderful tutorial!!

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  51. Thank you for the well illustrated pattern, I intend to make one very soon.

    I hope moving house went well and wish you all a very happy life in your new home

    M

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  52. Nice!! Will have to buy more fabric before making this!!! Thanks for the tutorial!!

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  53. Any suggestions on how to scale it for a bigger bag?

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Rachel I am in the process of making one today. The finished dimensions will be 9.5" high x 9.5" wide and 6 inches deep.

      My exterior fabric upper panel is 15" w x 9.25" high.

      The bottom panel (lower accent piece) is 15" w x 6.50" tall. Next time I will make this panel 1 inch wider than the top panel to compensate for the zipper tape width on the top panel (you'll see what I mean after its sewn together).

      I used the same 2 1/4 inch squares for the boxed corners as in the tutorial. You could go with 2.5" or up to 3" cut squares if you want the bag to sit deeper and lower. I wanted mine tall enough to fill with my bottled hair products.

      The lining is 15" w x 16" high. I'm adding an elastic band to the interior panels to hold my bottles in place.

      I am using a 22" zipper which is perfect - this will start and end at the lower accent bottom panel on the sides. I'm actually going to sew two zippers together making the same 22" size so it's more like a two way zipper at the top since there are no zipper pulls in this design and I want my zipper pull to sit at the top of the bag and not the side. I think fabricmutt did this with some of her bags.

      My handles are 24" long but probably could be a few inches longer -- I sewed the bottom of the handles under the bottom accent panel (like a tote bag) and all the way up instead of just attaching them at the top.

      I'm also going to "stitch in the ditch" at the top boxed seams once the lining is sewn in to keep the lining attached to the top of the bag. And I plan to wax
      it so its waterproof for all my goodies.

      Great design, and I'm excited to make more and play around with different sizes.

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  54. Love it!!!! Thanks for sharing:)

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  55. I love it!!!! I am very gratefull for your fantastic tutorial. Thank you!!!

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  56. Thank you for the tutorial. I finished mine yesterday. Now I'm off to make the Ellie Overnight case and a matching zipper pouch. A cute 3 piece set.

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  58. Excellent incredible blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make running a blog look easy. The overall glance of your website is magnificent, let alone the content!
    hand made

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  59. I've just made one of these and can confirm the instructions and easy to follow and accurate. I'm very pleased with my make.

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  60. I am very much pleased with the contents you have mentioned. I wanted to thank you for this great article. I enjoyed every little bit part of it and I will be waiting for the new updates. travel toiletry bag

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  61. This is a very useful post, thank you! I agree that innovations are the most important thing for most businesses, because with today’s fast changing world we need to stay on top of the changes, if we want to survive.
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  62. With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement? My website has a lot of exclusive content I've either written myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my permission. Do you know any methods to help prevent content from being ripped off? I'd really appreciate it. messenger bags

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  63. Great idea. Well done! Thank you. Have a fabulous month.

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  64. Hi there. I was wondering if you happened to have a pattern for a hanging toiletry bag or if this can be converted. I cant find one that fits all the things I need in one so I just wanted to know. Thank you

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Aren't you the sweetest for leaving a comment! Due to all the ads that bombard this section, I have to moderate everything first, but look for your comment to post in a day or two. Thanks so much for writing!