Bag of the Month Club 2016........August......Swim Gym Bag by Mrs H

I feel like I've been unfaithful as I've been testing for another designer........its an interesting experiment since every designer does things a little differently.

So what have I been testing? The August bag for www.bagomc.com ..........never heard of it???? have a look at the website, its a fab club that up until now has run for 6 months of the year. You pay one subscription and get six patterns, one a month from Jan to June of the year..... Unseen.......so you never now what your getting. The designers are all well known so you can expect quality patterns.

"2016 is the first year they have run two clubs.....so July to December has a new set of patterns. I have been playing with August.

So what is she??? August is a Swim /Gym bag, something a little off beat....if like me the very mention of the word 'GYM' sends you to lay down in a darkened room , please don't worry, this is a bag that wont make you break out in hives or even break a sweat! She's large and functional.........and made in different fabrics from the ones you normally use for bags. The lovely Samantha of www.mrs-h.co.uk has been bold in her design, using fabrics and materials that some may find frightening, simply because they are not 'the norm'............embrace the differences ladies...........this is a fun sew with new skills to learn.

so lets start with the materials...........Cordura.....described by the manufacturers as follows

''1000 denier Cordura, Nylon, PU Coated (polyurethane coated) to be waterproof. It is very hardwearing fabric and has excellent anti abrasion properties. Whilst a heavy duty material it can still be sewn with most domestic machines.''

If you have never sewn with it before try it......its similar to sew to faux leather, but thinner.......so you can sew through more layers. I use it quite a lot and always use a long stitch length and Teflon foot...... The main thing it needs to be for the pattern is waterproof. The pattern tells you how to double turn all the seams to create a totally waterproof bag......no more wet patches down your leg or in the car when you've been swimming!! Cordura is also fantastic for embroidering, but like faux leather is better to float over the hoop and use lighter designs.

Mesh.........I have mesh in my stash but found it wasn't sturdy enough, you will need something with a little 'body' to it.......Byannies mesh from either http://emmalinebags.com/search?type=product&q=mesh or from https://www.sewhot.co.uk/?s=mesh&post_type=product works a treat and comes in an array of fantastic colours....I used white as I wanted to be able to use the same mesh on different bags.....

So.........the bag........

The bag is big enough to carry everything you'll need for a day at the beach, a trip to the pool , mesh pockets for creams and all the smaller bits you need, sunnies, flip flops iPod.............and a cavernous inside that will quite literally hold water as the seams are all sealed to prevent leakage. I managed to fit three large towels into mine with room to spare so this is a great size for me. The one thing I always struggle with at the beach is where to put my car keys and valuables......there's a clever little zippered pocket tucked away inside for those. the mesh top keeps the bag light to carry, and its comfortable to either pop on your back like a ruck sack or sling over your shoulder.........the whole thing is finished off with a drawstring  that threads through grommets on the top band........now I know some people are worried about grommets......my only advice is ......don't make your holes too big, I try and always make mine slightly smaller than the grommet I'm using......add a tiny bit of glue around the edges of the hole before fitting the grommet......I've never had one fail on me yet.

I added an embroidered panel to the front of the bag, just because I liked the idea of it.

My second bag I made for my grandson.........so he got to choose the fabrics. This one is made in cotton on the outside, I used fusible fleece and no mesh. This is at 80% and the ideal size for a child.

I used waterproof vinyl (the thick tablecloth type) to fully line the bag and used the same sealing technique on the seams to ensure the outside part stays dry. I added some straps for his shoulders rather than the rope as he's better with something that's a little thicker.....

The pattern is unusual, with the seams being front and back rather than at the sides where you might normally expect to find them and the construction and materials are different from those you might normally use, but as always with Samantha's patterns, its well written with lots of pictures to help explain what you need to do for those who don't read.......guilty as charged..........working with waterproof fabrics is something I'm fairly familiar with but for those of you who aren't......its not as hard as you think.......and I think this pattern makes a refreshing change to making bags with fabric......lol

Buckles and Grommets.......the mystery unravelled

My latest pattern test was a fab bag with an unusual strap fastening......with a buckle.

Doesn't sound scary? To me it wasn't as I've fitted buckles before but some may find it easier with a few instructions........so here goes.........

You will need the following things.......a buckle......mine are 'roll buckles' so you will also be adding a loop for the strap to go through once its been through the buckle.........grommets........and a tool to fit them. I get mine from ebay, costs no more than £5 for the tool and 200 grommets. I buy 4mm grommets for belts. Something to make holes...I like a punch and hammer but a leather cutting tool works just as well.  Rivet and rivet setter to hold it all together.

So lets begin.........

Take your grommets and hole punch.......mark in the centre of the strap and create a hole

then take your grommet and grommet pliers........push the grommet through the hole with the rounded edge on the right side of the strap. don't make your holes too big or the grommet will pull straight through, I use a 3mm hole for a 4mm grommet and fiddle it through so its a tight fit.

then take your grommet pliers........make sure you have the pointy side of the pliers at the rear of the grommet.......this will curve those sharp edges over

and PRESS!........Hey Presto!.......you have a perfect hole with a metal grommet in place.

Fitting the buckle.....

Thread the buckle prong through the strap from the rear of the strap......then poke the top of the strap through the top of the buckle and fold it over ........its starting to look like a real buckle now. You will need to mark where you want the rivet and loop to go now. We will fit the loop with the same rivet as we secure the buckle with.

Take you loop......I make mine by cutting faux leather/vinyl approx. 3/4 inch wide then turning both sides over and top stitching to create a thin strap.......nobody will see the back of it so its not important to make it perfect at the rear. wrap the loop around the strap to see how long it needs to be, overlap it by approx. 1/2 an inch then make a hole at each end 1/3 inch from the end of the strap.  I use longer double capped rivets for this part as there are a lot of layers to get through....I found 8mm stem rivets work just fine..........This is where it gets fiddly..........from the rear of the strap (if you have double capped rivets you can do this from the front of the strap, single caps will need to be done from the rear)  thread the rivet through the hole......then through the loop strap.......

Your going to need to pull that loop over the front of the strap and thread the other end onto the rivet stem, then the top part of the strap........sounds complicated but it really isn't.......just a bit fiddly

You end up with the loop part sandwiched in between the straps..........all threaded onto one long rivet stem.......you can see the end of the rivet stem sticking out in the picture........it will sit under the loop so it won't show on the finished bag...... you will need to push the loop out of the way slightly to set the rivet.....

Take your rivet setter and hammer and bash that baby into place.......

 You have a buckle........and isn't she beautiful. For the strap that goes through the buckle you fit the grommets in the same way as you did to fit the buckle grommet....... You end up with a very professional finish. Grommets come in many colours to suit most tastes, I also have some coloured ones but beware, the lacquer they use on them chips off....so anything that might get rubbed I would avoid coloured ones.....

adding some links for some of the tools I used for reference

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grommet-Eyelet-Setting-Setter-Pliers-Tool-Set-for-Bags-Shoes-Leather-Punch-Belt-/252253806254?hash=item3abb7f9eae:g:x6cAAOSwUV9WmsSK

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leather-Rivet-Setter-Tool-Anvil-Die-Set-Punch-Tool-100-FREE-Double-Cap-Rivets-/281638231255?var=&hash=item4192f25cd7:m:mTQTjwotEF5J1kkd-wI9b5w

You will not need the additional loop for the strap if you buckle is this shape though

 I hope this helps you to be able to confidently use small grommets and buckles on your future makes.........I'll be blogging about the bag when its released too........keep your eyes peeled.......x