Sew this gorgeous puffer tote bag, perfect as a stylish and practical accessory. Sewist and designer Anna Alicia shows us how.
YOU WILL NEED
■ Fabric 1 − lightweight water-resistant fabric: 12x40cm
■ Fabric 2 − plain quilting weight cotton: 54x37cm
■ Foam interfacing: 112 x 40cm
■ Matching 3cm webbing: 180cm
■ 250g polyester toy stuffing
■ Matching sewing thread
■ Basic sewing kit
NOTES
■ We used Showerproof Lining in pale lilac from raystitch.co.uk.
■ Tailor’s chalk isn’t effective on water-resistant fabric, so we used an alternative way to mark the lines that will be sewn. Pin holes may show in the water-resistant fabric, so be careful to pin exactly where you will sew, or where holes won’t be visible.
CUTTING OUT
Step one From Fabric 1, cut:
Outer: Two 40x56cm pieces
Step two From foam interfacing, cut:
Two 40x56cm pieces
Step three From Fabric 2, cut:
Lining: Two 37x54cm pieces 01
QUILTING THE FABRIC
Step one Lay out the interfacing pieces in landscape position and lay one Outer piece on top of each one, right sides (RS) up.
Step two Pin along the top long edge of each pair, about 0.5cm down.
Step three Measure 8cm down from the pinned edge and pin all the way across the fabric, using several pins to form a row.
Step four Pin another parallel line 7cm below the first, a line 7cm below that, then a final line 7cm below that. 02
Step five Sew along the pinned lines, removing the pins as you go. Also remove the pins from the top edge. 03
Step six Trim the bottom and sides so the finished panels measure 37 x 54cm. 04
Step seven Lay the two panels RS up, in landscape position, making sure the 8cm wide strips are at the top.
ADD THE LINING
Step one Cut two 90cm lengths of webbing. Pin one end of one strip 14cm in from the right hand edge of one panel, with the cut end overlapping the top edge by 2cm. Pin the other end of the strip 14cm in from the left hand edge of that panel, again, overlapping the edge by 2cm. Check the strap isn’t twisted, then repeat on the second panel. 05
Step two Place a Lining piece on top of each Outer panel with RS together, then pin along the top edge. Carefully remove the pins from the webbing and repin back through all the layers, keeping the straps in place. 06
Step three Sew along the pinned edge on both pieces, 1cm down, then open them out so the lining and the outer are RS up.
Step four Lightly stuff each of the rows between the stitching on the
