*cover bag made by Casey of Rounds and Stitches
Hi again! It's Crystal from the Cloth Albatross. If you've missed the first few days of the sew-along (SAL), you can find them here:
Schedule and Prize Announcement
Day 1: Reading the Pattern, and Cutting and Fusing Pieces
Day 3: Exterior and Strap Assembly
If you still need to get the Dahlia Bucket Bag pattern, you can get it here. Use the code DAHLIASAL for 40% (for the duration of the SAL).
Today we're going to be assembling our lining. As far as how you utilize your bag, linings are really personal. Don't be afraid to take charge and customize your lining. I know one of the things that it took me awhile to be confident in doing is to stray from the pattern I was following. Even just a little bit. Like the sky might fall if I made my zippered pocket 1/2" smaller.
The pattern calls for a zippered pocket and a slip pocket. I usually add zippered pockets to my linings, but on my own bags, I never use them. I am much more likely to use slip pockets in my linings. So if you don't use zippered pockets, don't feel obligated to make one just because the pattern calls for it. If you'd like to make an extra slip pocket instead, just cut double and put it on the side the zippered pocket would be on. Or you could add both to one side. I would suggest not adding any pockets to the sides since they get cinched from the drawstring and they wouldn't be that functional.
If you're adding a logo tag to your lining, remember that there will be holes cut for the grommets, so be mindful of placement. If your tag is on the larger side, you may find it best to center it on the slip pocket.
After you've basted your slip pocket to your main panel and sewn it to the side panel, press your seam allowance towards the side panel and topstitch ~1/8" from the seam on the side panel. This is different from the exterior panel, as it was pressed and topstitched on the main panel.
Top-down view of the lining:
From the other side:
Since there's fleece fused to the lining of this bag, I found it much easier to construct than some other linings. Usually they get a bit stretchy and are more difficult to deal with than the exterior but the added body of the fleece makes it come together a bit more easily.
On Wednesday, we'll be doing our final assembly. Whoohoo!!
There's still plenty of time to finish your Dahlia. The last day to enter for prizes is July 12th.
Thank you for having me and I hope to see you on Wednesday!
Crystal
P.S. Don't forget to post progress pics of your bags in the Blue Calla Facebook group and let me know if you have any questions.