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TheDishclothQueen
Chatty Knitter
112 Posts |
 Posted - 04/30/2003 : 12:18:46 PM
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I'm making a felted tote now. I would like to line it so that it won't stretch when I put stuff in it. I also would like to put a zipper in it. (I'm a klutz and drop stuff all the time; i need a zipper!). Should I do all this and sew the bottom seam before or after felting?
My mom and I are in heated disagrement about this, so I thought I'd come to you all for your advice!
TIA!
Amanda
Amanda
Hey Everyone--Go look at my knitting blog! Tell me what you think, give me suggestions, I wanna hear it all!
http://www.blogstudio.com/TheDishclothQueen/index.html |
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achrisvet
Permanent Resident
USA
5986 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2003 : 1:24:27 PM
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quote:
I'm making a felted tote now. I would like to line it so that it won't stretch when I put stuff in it. I also would like to put a zipper in it. (I'm a klutz and drop stuff all the time; i need a zipper!). Should I do all this and sew the bottom seam before or after felting?
My mom and I are in heated disagrement about this, so I thought I'd come to you all for your advice!
TIA!
Amanda
I'm working on my first felted tote. I have the bag done and I need to do the handles. I would say you have to line it afterwards, for a couple reasons. The main thing is that the size of the bag is going to change drastically after felting. My 6 inch swatch shrank to 4 inches! Also, will the lining material stand up to the rigors of felting?
Anita
See my completed projects!
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=977585&uid=619962&members=1 |
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PattiG
Permanent Resident
1119 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2003 : 1:33:34 PM
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I second that vote for felting first, lining later (zipper too) I have no sewing skills, but I stitched up a liner for my felted tote to keep pens, knitting needles etc. from causing injury.
Patti |
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TheDishclothQueen
Chatty Knitter
112 Posts |
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kimmer
New Pal
28 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2003 : 3:58:17 PM
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Yes, how do you do the liner? I makes lots of felted tote bags and would love to know how to line them. Plus, do you have any suggestions on how to make a closure?
Kimmer
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trixie2020
Chatty Knitter
206 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2003 : 5:22:27 PM
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I made a liner for a felted tote, but I didn't have enough patience to sew it into the bag! I sewed the liner by machine -- I made the bottom a rectangle and I sewed one piece to each side and then sewed the seams up. Does that make sense? Then it goes into the tote "inside-out" so that the finished seams are pointing to the inside of the bag. I haven't figured out how to attach it to the tote, though. I'm not a very good hand-sewer. Any suggestions for that part? BTW, Amanda, are you done with the tote already? You are like some kind of knitting maniac? Don't you have finals to study for?!? 
Jen M
"Me, ambivalent? Well, yes and no..."
www.monkeyknits.blogspot.com |
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TheDishclothQueen
Chatty Knitter
112 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2003 : 10:36:48 PM
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First of all, I am certainly not done with the tote! I'm not that productive--and I do have finals to study for...ugh!
Anyway, here's how I'm envisioning doing the lining. I would knit it up, and NOT sew the bottom seams, just felt my handled tube. THen, after it's felted, I'd cut the lining to fit my tube, stick the fabric in, and sew it around the top and the bottom of the bag. THen I'd sew the botom seams and add the ziper. Does that make sense? Would that work?
Amanda
Hey Everyone--Go look at my knitting blog! Tell me what you think, give me suggestions, I wanna hear it all!
http://www.blogstudio.com/TheDishclothQueen/index.html |
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Atavistic
Permanent Resident
6604 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 04:30:21 AM
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quote:
Anyway, here's how I'm envisioning doing the lining. I would knit it up, and NOT sew the bottom seams, just felt my handled tube.
Gah, I would emphatically NOT do that. Have you ever tried sewing up FELTED seams? Excuse my language for a moment: what a damn pain in the ass.
I've only made one felted tote (although I've made several other felted things), and that was thick and sturdy enough to NOT need a liner. Depending on the level of felting, felted things don't generally stretch all that much. But I don't know about handles or straps; the felted bag I made had a drawstring closure.
Here's what I would do. Finish the bag, sew up everything with the exception of the lining and zipper. Felt it. Flip it inside out (to make measuring easier) and measure lining for it. Sew the lining, leaving enough fabric near the top to add the zipper. Sew the zipper TO THE LINING. Sew the lining in the bag at the top, and only at the top. Invisible thread (aka "wow, this looks like fishing line!") and a STRONG but sharp needle (a leather needle, perhaps?) would make the job easier.
Tada! A lined, zippered, felted tote.
Amanda (one of the other ones, I think I was the second on the board, but I could be wrong)
Mindy to Heidi: Did I tell you she knits in class? She knits away and two weeks later she comes in wearing a new sweater! |
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srenee76
Chatty Knitter
113 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 06:42:34 AM
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I was actually *just* going to post about this. I want to add a lining to my mom's bag and was wondering how I would go about doing it. Thanks Amanda for beating me to it! You'll have to post how your lined felted tote comes out!
Shannon
http://knittinggirl.blogspot.com |
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srenee76
Chatty Knitter
113 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 06:42:34 AM
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I was actually *just* going to post about this. I want to add a lining to my mom's bag and was wondering how I would go about doing it. Thanks Amanda for beating me to it! You'll have to post how your lined felted tote comes out!
Shannon
http://knittinggirl.blogspot.com |
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CatherineM
Permanent Resident
USA
3363 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 07:00:24 AM
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The felted tote addict says don't even think about lining it before felting - in fact, don't even cut the fabric for the lining or buy a zipper before felting, because the size of the finished product is going to change significantly. I don't line my bags, I just turn them inside out and trim up any raggedy ends sticking up inside (from woven-in yarn ends pulled loose during felting), but Amanda's game plan for lining it sounds perfect. A lining sounds nice, but if you're lining it because you're worried about the felted bag stretching out of shape, don't worry - I've loaded mine with all sorts of heavy objects and they haven't stretched. Felt is way, way stronger than un-felted wool.
Catherine
http://www.yorkiedog.blogspot.com |
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CatherineM
Permanent Resident
USA
3363 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 07:00:24 AM
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The felted tote addict says don't even think about lining it before felting - in fact, don't even cut the fabric for the lining or buy a zipper before felting, because the size of the finished product is going to change significantly. I don't line my bags, I just turn them inside out and trim up any raggedy ends sticking up inside (from woven-in yarn ends pulled loose during felting), but Amanda's game plan for lining it sounds perfect. A lining sounds nice, but if you're lining it because you're worried about the felted bag stretching out of shape, don't worry - I've loaded mine with all sorts of heavy objects and they haven't stretched. Felt is way, way stronger than un-felted wool.
Catherine
http://www.yorkiedog.blogspot.com |
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jamknit
Warming Up
USA
96 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 07:53:53 AM
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I'm with Catherine. I have loaded my felted tote with, I would say, 30-35 lbs of books, knitting needles, general stuff...and it has never stretched out at all. I think that's the point of felting in the first place: to create a sturdy fiber.
Not that a liner wouldn't look classy. I make a lot of bags that aren't felted, and I always line those in pretty much the fashoin that Amanda (the 2nd one) suggested, except, ugh, I hate zippers. Well, I like zippers, I just hate sewing them on to anything knitted, so I'm all about buttons.
In any case, I think it would look great lined, but it is definitely not necessary.
Wendy |
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jamknit
Warming Up
USA
96 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 07:53:53 AM
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I'm with Catherine. I have loaded my felted tote with, I would say, 30-35 lbs of books, knitting needles, general stuff...and it has never stretched out at all. I think that's the point of felting in the first place: to create a sturdy fiber.
Not that a liner wouldn't look classy. I make a lot of bags that aren't felted, and I always line those in pretty much the fashoin that Amanda (the 2nd one) suggested, except, ugh, I hate zippers. Well, I like zippers, I just hate sewing them on to anything knitted, so I'm all about buttons.
In any case, I think it would look great lined, but it is definitely not necessary.
Wendy |
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PattiG
Permanent Resident
1119 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 08:01:01 AM
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Hey everybody,
I lined my tote (a free-form, original quote-unquote design) because I wanted to use it as a knitting bag and the knitting needles poked through. Perhaps I didn't felt it enough. Also I didn't double-strand when knitting it or use the dreaded seed stitch, two strategies to get a tighter felted fabric, maybe??? The liner was not hard at all. I used some leftover fabric from curtains, cut it to size with a little extra, turned the excess under and pressed it for a quick faux hem. Then I hand-stitched the liner in place. It gives the bag more shape, especially when it's not full, so I would consider it on your finished product, even if you don't have pointy items sticking through. I agree that the liner is a good place to sew on the zipper. I wouldn't have thought of that...
Good luck!
Speaking of totes, I'm almost through with Suki on knitty.com. I haven't felted it yet, but so far I'm very pleased. A perfect gift for the drama queen in your life...
Patti
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PattiG
Permanent Resident
1119 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 08:01:01 AM
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Hey everybody,
I lined my tote (a free-form, original quote-unquote design) because I wanted to use it as a knitting bag and the knitting needles poked through. Perhaps I didn't felt it enough. Also I didn't double-strand when knitting it or use the dreaded seed stitch, two strategies to get a tighter felted fabric, maybe??? The liner was not hard at all. I used some leftover fabric from curtains, cut it to size with a little extra, turned the excess under and pressed it for a quick faux hem. Then I hand-stitched the liner in place. It gives the bag more shape, especially when it's not full, so I would consider it on your finished product, even if you don't have pointy items sticking through. I agree that the liner is a good place to sew on the zipper. I wouldn't have thought of that...
Good luck!
Speaking of totes, I'm almost through with Suki on knitty.com. I haven't felted it yet, but so far I'm very pleased. A perfect gift for the drama queen in your life...
Patti
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katxena
Chatty Knitter
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 08:38:28 AM
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Some notes about sewing the lining to the bag:
Like Amanda said, sew the lining to the bag at the top only. If the handle extends down into the bag, sew the lining to the handle as well.
My handsewing is UGLY, but I do it anyway and my bags always look great. Here's what I do:
1. When I make my lining, I fold over about an inch of fabric at the top (from the inside to the outside) and sew it down by machine. This is a good time to try the lining in the bag and make sure it fits lengthwise -- you can fold over more or less to get the right length.
2. Then I iron the lining and put a hard crease in the top of the bag, where the fold is, so that the lining is flat. Then I machine sew around the top, about 1/8 of an inch from the top, with a very fine stitch (about 12-13 stitches per inch). This will hold the fold at the top and make a nice edge for the lining.
3. Then I pin the lining in the bag and start handsewing, with a doubled length of the same color thread I did the machine stitching with. I run the thread through some beeswax or a candle to strengthen it a bit, and tie a knot in the end.
3a. With my needle, I take a bite of the purse, then a very small bite of the lining right where the small stitches are at the top of the bag. Then I take a bite of the purse and make a sewn knot -- I do this by making a stitch in the purse, then before pulling it tight I run the thread under it. I usually do this every 2-3 stitches, so that if any stitch ever breaks, the rest will still hold without unraveling (none of my stitches have ever broken, but I feel better having taken out some insurance).
3b. When I take a bite of the lining, I try to bite only the outside layer of fabric. This way, my ugly stitches will be inside the purse when it is finished. I'm not very good at this though, so I frequently bite through both layers. But because the machine stitching is there and I'm using the same color of thread, the messy stitches don't really show up.
4. When I want a zipper in the purse, I usually make the whole lining out of two layers of fabric. I sew the two rounds of machine stitching as described above, only the top round is where I want the lining attached to the purse, with extra fabric left at the top for the zipper. Then I sew the zipper in, and handsew the lining as described above, only I sew through both layers of the lining, because the stitches will be inside and under the zipper and won't be seen.
I should comment that I'm really, really slow at this and I hate doing it. I usually only do it for 10 minutes or so a night, then put it down and work on something else. Unless I'm really motivated to finish a project quickly, it sometimes takes me a week or two to sew a whole lining in.
I hope this helps!
Kris
http://www.papaya-palace.com |
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katxena
Chatty Knitter
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 08:38:28 AM
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Some notes about sewing the lining to the bag:
Like Amanda said, sew the lining to the bag at the top only. If the handle extends down into the bag, sew the lining to the handle as well.
My handsewing is UGLY, but I do it anyway and my bags always look great. Here's what I do:
1. When I make my lining, I fold over about an inch of fabric at the top (from the inside to the outside) and sew it down by machine. This is a good time to try the lining in the bag and make sure it fits lengthwise -- you can fold over more or less to get the right length.
2. Then I iron the lining and put a hard crease in the top of the bag, where the fold is, so that the lining is flat. Then I machine sew around the top, about 1/8 of an inch from the top, with a very fine stitch (about 12-13 stitches per inch). This will hold the fold at the top and make a nice edge for the lining.
3. Then I pin the lining in the bag and start handsewing, with a doubled length of the same color thread I did the machine stitching with. I run the thread through some beeswax or a candle to strengthen it a bit, and tie a knot in the end.
3a. With my needle, I take a bite of the purse, then a very small bite of the lining right where the small stitches are at the top of the bag. Then I take a bite of the purse and make a sewn knot -- I do this by making a stitch in the purse, then before pulling it tight I run the thread under it. I usually do this every 2-3 stitches, so that if any stitch ever breaks, the rest will still hold without unraveling (none of my stitches have ever broken, but I feel better having taken out some insurance).
3b. When I take a bite of the lining, I try to bite only the outside layer of fabric. This way, my ugly stitches will be inside the purse when it is finished. I'm not very good at this though, so I frequently bite through both layers. But because the machine stitching is there and I'm using the same color of thread, the messy stitches don't really show up.
4. When I want a zipper in the purse, I usually make the whole lining out of two layers of fabric. I sew the two rounds of machine stitching as described above, only the top round is where I want the lining attached to the purse, with extra fabric left at the top for the zipper. Then I sew the zipper in, and handsew the lining as described above, only I sew through both layers of the lining, because the stitches will be inside and under the zipper and won't be seen.
I should comment that I'm really, really slow at this and I hate doing it. I usually only do it for 10 minutes or so a night, then put it down and work on something else. Unless I'm really motivated to finish a project quickly, it sometimes takes me a week or two to sew a whole lining in.
I hope this helps!
Kris
http://www.papaya-palace.com |
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TheDishclothQueen
Chatty Knitter
112 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 11:06:59 AM
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Kris:
Thanks so much! That made perfect sense! Actually, everyone's explanations made perfect sense.  From what everyone has said, I don't NEED to line it if I'm worried about stuff poking thru, but since I want a zipper, I will want to line it. Thanks so much guys! Big  for all of you! I'll post pics on my blog and let ya all know on here as soon as it's done!
Thanks again!
Amanda
www.blogstudio.com/thedishclothqueen/index.html
Amanda
Hey Everyone--Go look at my knitting blog! Tell me what you think, give me suggestions, I wanna hear it all!
http://www.blogstudio.com/TheDishclothQueen/index.html |
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TheDishclothQueen
Chatty Knitter
112 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 11:06:59 AM
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Kris:
Thanks so much! That made perfect sense! Actually, everyone's explanations made perfect sense. From what everyone has said, I don't NEED to line it if I'm worried about stuff poking thru, but since I want a zipper, I will want to line it. Thanks so much guys! Big for all of you! I'll post pics on my blog and let ya all know on here as soon as it's done!
Thanks again!
Amanda
www.blogstudio.com/thedishclothqueen/index.html
Amanda
Hey Everyone--Go look at my knitting blog! Tell me what you think, give me suggestions, I wanna hear it all!
http://www.blogstudio.com/TheDishclothQueen/index.html |
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