This time I am making 10 small kannel bags for a nursery.
Just in case, I set about sewing 12 bags, so that two would be spare if something went wrong with any of them.
Constructing the model, designing the decorations, choosing and getting hold of materials took a good few weeks.
The pieces for the fabric and polyester layer of the bag's cover. Drawing the pieces onto the material, cutting them out one by one and sewing the two layers together took the following week. To decorate the cover I made coloured ornaments in patchwork, each in different colours. I also sewed reflective tape onto the front pieces. They gleam splendidly even in indoor light.
Drawing and cutting out the polyester and stiff material pieces for the back panels, fixing the two layers together and sewing the straps, clip loops and clips onto them took the following weeks.
For the corded binding I first had to cut a total of 42 m of 3 cm wide binding fabric. Then I sewed corded binding from that 42 m strip of fabric and an equal length of cord, and sewed the binding in turn into the edges of the bags' front and back pieces.
The side pieces, drawn onto stiff material and polyester and cut out. The total length of the side pieces is close to 2 m, and the side piece of one bag consists of 4 parts. Then the zips were sewn on and 2 pulls fitted to each zip. The zipped side pieces were then attached to the reinforcing stiff material.
The webbing, measured and cut into shoulder straps and handles, the ends of the webbing melted shut (to stop them fraying), the clips sewn on. Altogether 30 m of webbing went into it.
Sewing the pockets, zips as fastenings, and sewing the pockets onto the inside of the bag.
Sewing the back and side pieces together.
Quite a tough bit of handwork, sewing together two pieces reinforced with stiff material that meet at a 90 degree angle. A notable battle with the material. Fingertips worn down and cuticles in shreds.
And here is where it happened.
Unlike the previous kannel bags, the front and back pieces of this model are not symmetrical. The back end of the bag is a straight line, the front end curved. The front and back pieces should be mirror images of each other in order to be sewn into a bag. And only now, sewing the first front piece onto the bag, did I realise with horror that this time both the front and the back pieces face the same way. Oops.
So much for precise measuring, careful planning and quality sewing.
Happily the client took it calmly: the nursery is closed for the summer and can manage without the kannel bags.
Now there was nothing for it but to prepare to sew 24 bags instead of 12.
I bought materials for 12 more bags: 10 m2 of outer fabric, 10 m2 of reinforcing material, 42 m of binding cord, 30 m of webbing, 4 m of reflective tape, 96 clips, swivels and eyelets, 14 m of zip. And started again from the beginning.
By autumn I will try to finish 24 kannel bags, 20 of which are now reserved.
The pictures show the design of the front pieces of the first 12 bags.
Bag dimensions: length 78 cm, width 18 cm, depth 10 cm. The bags are sewn to the measurements of the small kannel made by Kristo Koop; here is a picture of the kannel.
