S & S Tote Tips and Tricks

Hello bag makers! With the Andrie Designs Bag Gift Event happening, we thought we would round up some tips and tricks for the S & S Tote that is included with the event! Check out all the pattern hacks, tutorials and more below to help you out on your bag making adventure!

Not familiar with the S & S Tote tote bag pattern? Not to worry! You can find it here. Plus! There’s also a full length video tutorial available for this pattern as well! Click here to find out more!

 

Pattern Hacks

The first pattern hack we have is to show you how to add an adjustable removable strap to your tote. This makes it into a perfectly slouchy cross-body bag! Check out the S & S Tote – Adjustable Strap post today!

The next pattern hack we have is all about adding a magnetic snap to your front pockets. While the tote is meant to be soft and slouchy, some might find that front pocket a little too open for them. This will fix all of that! So head over to S & S Tote – Magnetic Snap Pocket to check it out!

Video Tutorials

First, we have a quick little video for you on how we like to stitch curves – both when joining panels together and when top stitching them. The video is full of lots of little tips and tricks which will hopefully help next time you have to tackle stitching a curve! Check out the Stiching Curves free video tutorial!

The next free video tutorial for you is all about both installing AND attaching rectangular rings! With so many variations on how to attach them to bags, this video shows just a few of our favourites but will give you some great tips and tricks on how to install them securely and accurately, each and every time. Check out the Installing & Attaching Rectangle Rings free video tutorial!

Here’s a lovely wee run through of how to create an adjustable cross body strap! Although, at first, it can be a little confusing trying to visualise how to make a slider, two swivel hooks and one LONG length of fabric work together, once you’ve done it a few times, the penny will drop and you’ll wonder why you haven’t made them sooner! Check out the Creating an Adjustable Cross Body Strap free video tutorial!

In this free video tutorial, we’ve popped up a video on how  to create zipper pockets. There are several different ways to do this, however after a bit of trial and error, we’ve found over time that our method seems to be the easiest to follow, and the most fail safe as well. Check out the Creating a Zipper Pocket free video tutorial!

Heres a quick little tutorial for you on how we like to install magnetic snaps! Some people will say magnetic snaps are the backbone of handbag hardware, and once you’ve installed a few, you’ll find they’re super quick and easy to install, and give a great finish to any bag as well! Check out the Installing a Magnetic Snap free video tutorial!

In this free video tutorial, it’s all about easing a gusset in to place! Although it can seem daunting to some, easing a gusset in to place is really quite simple if you know the basic steps to take and you are working with a pattern from a reputable pattern designer. Check out Easing a Gusset in to Place free video tutorial!

In this video, we walk you through how to ut your handle or strap pieces out of directional fabric and join the pieces together to create one entire handle or strap. Check out the Creating a Handle or Strap Using Directional Fabric free video tutorial!

In this video, we walk you through how to cut your gusset pieces out of directional fabric and join the gusset pieces together to create one entire gusset. Check out the Creating a Gusset Using Directional Fabric free video tutorial!

Tips & Tricks

In this tutorial we show you how to create a double sided strap! A strap is ‘double sided’ if it has one material (such as quilting cotton) on one side, and a different material (such as cork or leather), on the other side. Check out the Creating a Double Sided Strap tutorial for your next bag!

We hope these hacks, tips and tricks help you while you sew your next S & S Tote tote bag! Which was your favourite hack or tip? Let us know below!

-Aimee
The Little Bird Designs