Sew Along, Sewing

Haralson Sew-along Part 1

Welcome to the Haralson Bag Sew-Along Part 1! I’m so excited to have you join along! 

Here’s the schedule I’ll be following for the sew-along:
Part 1: February 20th (today), fabric selection, cutting & fusing, sewing the exterior back and inserting the interior zip pocket
Part 2: February 27th, making Front Panel, hardware closures, and assembling the bag
Part 3: March 7th, Black and linen Haralson sample

See? I told you it’s a pretty quick project! I think this schedule should allow for plenty of catch up time if you miss a week. Don’t feel pressured to rush along! But if you’re cruising along and having fun feel free to go at your own pace, too. No rules here!

Haralson Sew-along Part 1

In today’s video (Part 1, linked below) I do an overview and project discussion. I also talk about fabric selection, cutting & interfacing, and then assemble the exterior back and complete the interior zip pocket.

Cutting measurements and cutting layouts are found on pages 3-5 of the Haralson PDF. Templates for the majority of the pieces are found on pages 14-18 of the PDF. There are a few rectangular pieces that will need to be cut. They are to be cut using a rotary cutter, grid ruler, and cutting mat for best accuracy. Don’t forget to use the label sheet (included are both metric and imperial measurements) to help keep you organized!

After this week you should have all the pieces cut and the interfacing fused to all corresponding pieces, the exterior back assembled, and the interior zip pocket completed . Yay!

Watch the video for Part 1 of the sew-along!

Click the image above to watch the video. Or click this link to play the video.


Read a few notes about the project & supplies needed below:

Haralson Sew-along Part 1

I’m including some fabric, hardware, and zipper notes below in case you hadn’t read them in the pattern release post.

Fabric Notes

The beauty of a smaller bag like this is that it can be made using a lighter weight fabric. Check out the materials list for the pattern, you’ll see that the exterior fabric calls for a mid-weight canvas in a 6-8 oz. weight.

Many of your favorite fabric manufacturers print on a canvas within that range (Ruby Star Society, Cotton + Steel, Art Gallery Fabrics, Robert Kaufman (not Big Sur canvas for this one!), and more).

My own fabric collections (Around the BendQuarry Trail, etc. which are printed on Robert Kaufman’s Essexfall on the lighter side of this range, coming in at 5.6 oz per square yard. I think that’s about the lightest fabric weight I’d recommend for this pattern!

Additionally, I would NOT recommend going any heavier than the 8 oz. weight! Unless you have bag making experience with a certain fabric and interfacing combination, I would stick to the pattern as written before making adjustments. The heavier fabric will make the corners and layers more difficult to manipulate and sew through.

Hardware Note

Please note that I give a specific size for the front closure hardware. For the swivel clasp in particular is important to make note of the length of your hardware piece. The pattern is designed for a swivel clasp that is ¾”-wide by 1 ¾” tall. The overall height is important to keep the flap secure. If you end up using a taller clasp, the flap will be looser.

Zippers Used

Lastly, this pattern is written for traditional fixed-length zippers (metal ones are my fave). I also give instructions for using zipper by the yard/continuous zipper.

Haralson Sew-along Part 1

Looking for supplies for your Haralson?

Below are supplies for the Haralson Belt Bag that are available in my shop: 

Project Details

This Haralson sewed up really beautifully thanks to these gorgeous fabrics:

See You at Six cotton twill for Exterior fabric (purchased from Bolt Fabric), waxed twill from AL Frances Textiles for the Accent fabric, and Kitchen Window Wovens by Elizabeth Hartman (doeskin) for Lining (purchased from Hawthorne Supply co.)

Thank you so much for your support! I can’t wait to see Haralson bags! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@noodlehead531) and use #HaralsonBag or #HaralsonBeltBag #noodleheadpatterns

Sewing

New! Haralson Belt Bag Pattern

Happy February! I’m excited to introduce you to my newest pattern, the Haralson Belt Bag!

New! Haralson Belt Bag Pattern

Here’s a quick list of the pattern’s features:

  • perfect for running errands or while traveling, stays close to body
  • back zippered pocket secures your most important items (phone/keys)
  • roomy interior with zippered pocket
  • Instructions included for making closure using leather/cork/faux leather! Plus, instructions for making the closure with different hardware options like a turn lock or a Loxx fastener (all options available in my shop)!
New! Haralson Belt Bag Pattern

The Haralson Belt Bag pattern is a belt bag that’s perfect for everyday use! It is compact and easy to wear across the front or the back of your body. Great bag for travel and security. The pattern includes multiple flap hardware closure options for maximum versatility. The back zippered pocket is perfect for your phone, and it has a spacious interior with zippered pocket inside! I’m excited to see what you make! See? Lots great options!

New! Haralson Belt Bag Pattern
interior with zippered pocket

I hope you’ll love this new pattern. I’ve been using mine daily for the past few months and really enjoy that it carries the basics! My phone, wallet, keys, chapstick, and Airpods all fit with room to spare.

Curious about the name? Haralson is a variety of apple (developed by the University of Minnesota) and grown in my hometown! We picked and ate them all last fall!

TODAY through February 12th only (ends Sunday, February 12th at 10 pm CST) purchase your PDF for 20% off! No code needed!

Construction Notes

The Haralson Belt Bag features a fun construction method and a unique corner pleat! I did include a couple of short videos within the pattern for two of the steps. Sometimes you just need video! I’ll be doing a full video sew-along in the next week or two as well (keep reading for more information on that!).

Fabric Notes

The beauty of a smaller bag like this is that it can be made using a lighter weight fabric. Check out the materials list for the pattern (see the product description here), you’ll see that the exterior fabric calls for a mid-weight canvas in a 6-8 oz. weight.

Many of your favorite fabric manufacturers print on a canvas within that range (Ruby Star Society, Cotton + Steel, Art Gallery Fabrics, Robert Kaufman (not Big Sur canvas for this one!), and more).

My own fabric collections (Around the Bend, Quarry Trail, etc. which are printed on Robert Kaufman’s Essex) fall on the lighter side of this range, coming in at 5.6 oz per square yard. I think that’s about the lightest fabric weight I’d recommend for this pattern!

Additionally, I would NOT recommend going any heavier than the 8 oz. weight! Unless you have bag making experience with a certain fabric and interfacing combination, I would stick to the pattern as written before making adjustments. The heavier fabric will make the corners and layers more difficult to manipulate and sew through.

Zippers Used

Lastly, this pattern is written for fixed-length zippers (metal ones are my fave), but I also give instructions for using zipper by the yard/continuous zipper.

New! Haralson Belt Bag Pattern
single exterior fabric option with turn lock closure
Can be worn across the back, too!

Pssst….

  • I am very excited to show you more samples! I’ll be diving into the details of each of the samples that I’ve made – so be sure to stop by my blog in the coming weeks for those!
  • For those of you who prefer paper patterns, I’m hoping to have those ready in a month or so. Thank you for your enthusiasm & patience!

Sew-along

  • Lastly, I am planning on having a short and sweet sew-along for the Haralson! It’s a fairly quick make, so I think we can cover everything in 2-3 installments.
  • I will be changing things up and hosting the sew-along here on my blog instead of an email based sew-along.
  • So keep an eye out here for more details coming next week!
Loxx fastener closure option

Click here to purchase the pattern!


Supplies used:

I will be blog about these samples individually, but here’s the basic rundown as noted below.

Waves/waxed twill flap sample:

front closure options from top (Loxx, turn lock, leather/hardware)

All blue dry oilskin sample:

Black flap/birds sample:

Hope that covers everything! I’ll be blogging about the floral version separately! A huge thank you for being here! I’m so excited to see what you make.

Sewing

New fabric collection! Riverbend

Hello! I am excited to share a new project that I worked on for most of 2022! It’s finally time to share a glimpse of my next fabric collection with Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Riverbend & Riverbend Big Sur!

New fabric collection! Riverbend
Riverbend fabric collection, Essex and Big Sur Canvas

About the Collection

Riverbend is a collection of 18 prints overprinted on Essex, Essex Yarn Dyed, and Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun as the base cloth. And NEW!!!! with this collection is a group of designs overprinted on Big Sur Canvas! All are printed in the USA which is awesome!!! I’m pretty pleased with how the fabric turned out and excited to finally be able to share it with you.

New fabric collection! Riverbend
Riverbend Essex Collection

Here’s the super important part – it’ll be shipping to stores in August of ’23! Yep, it IS a ways off, but I hope it’ll be worth the wait! If you’re interested in any of these fabrics, please share this with your local quilt shop and ask if they’ve ordered. That way they can be sure to get some!

New fabric collection! Riverbend
Riverbend Big Sur Canvas collection

I hope this quick glimpse of the collection will stir up some inspiration and get you excited about sewing with it – when it does arrive in shops.

I’ll be writing more about my inspiration and sharing some fun pictures, too. In the meantime, here’s a little hint. I’ll be posting about the individual projects when it gets a bit closer to the release date (so maybe sometime starting in July?!). I know it’s hard to be inspired to make something yet not have the fabric available, so please hang in there!

Thanks so much for your support and encouragement! These past few years especially! I’m so excited for this collection! It is always an honor to see my fabric designs being used in your projects. Thank you so much for joining along in this journey. I love being able to share sewing with YOU!!!

Looking for past collections?

If you’d like, my past fabric collections might be available still at your local shop. Around the Bend should be available at most shops as of right now. You might even be able to snag some Quarry Trail or Driftless (if some is left)! Or try searching Etsy or google “Around the Bend Robert Kaufman” or “Quarry Trail Robert Kaufman” or Quarry Trail Anna Graham” or “Driftless Robert Kaufman” or “Driftless Anna Graham”.

I hope your new year has started off well. We’ve got a full schedule for our family, but I’ve been plugging away at a new pattern that will be available in a few short weeks. Thanks as always for reading.