If you, or somebody you know, needs a BIG duffle
this is the pattern for you!
It is the Round Trip Duffle pattern from Patterns by Annie.
The finished measurements are 12"H x 19.5"W x 7.5"D
The pattern suggests quilting your main fabric, Soft and Stable, and lining fabric
together on a long arm (if you have access to one) before you cut your pattern pieces.
I used a groovy board and quilted mine with my Block Rockit.
When you cut your pattern pieces, be certain to use the little labels that are included.
They help keep all your pattern pieces identified
and they will make your sewing life sew much easier!
There is a nice size slip pocket at each end of the duffle.
That's also where you will add a triangle ring or a D-ring and a swivel snap hook
to attach your shoulder strap.
The shoulder strap also features a slider so you can adjust the length according
to your needs. To protect your shoulder, the metal slider slips into the
comfortable, padded cover that is part of your shoulder strap.
You also have the option of using the handy carry straps that are attached to each
side of the duffle using rectangle rings.
And when you need to be hands and shoulder free,
you can secure your duffle to your rolling luggage with the handy trolley sleeve
that is sewn to one side of the duffle.
There is a large mesh zipper pocket on one side of the interior,
and handy slip pockets on the opposite side of the interior.
The bottom of the bag is supported by a piece of acrylic, cut to size, that is covered
with a sleeve (an acrylic support pillow case, if you will).
To help keep the bottom exterior of my duffle clean and to help reduce wear,
I added four feet to the underside.
The pattern does not give instructions to do this,
but that is how I prefer to finish a bag this size.
It is easy to add this step, but be certain to do it before
attaching the bottom of the bag to the sides of the bag:
On the exterior of the bag bottom,
mark the desired location of your bag feet (I used four)
If your machine has an eyelet stitch, that's the one to use for this technique.
It looks like the above stitch #62 on my Bernina.
If your sewing machine doesn't have this stitch, that's okay!
Simply draw circles (approx. 1/4" to 3/8" circumference) on the exterior bottom of your bag.
Then use a small zig zag stitch or a triple straight stitch to sew around your marked circles.
Now it's time to clip the circle open.
The easiest way to do this is to fold the bag bottom in half right through the middle of the eyelet,
snip it open with the tip of your scissors - DON'T SNIP THROUGH YOUR STITCHING
Then fold the bag bottom in half the other way and snip so you make an "X" opening.
At this point it is good to add a little seam sealant to the clipped edges.
This is the lining side of my duffle bag bottom.
Insert the prongs of your bag feet so the prongs are on the lining side.
You can add a drop of fabric glue (this one is my favorite)
The prongs will not show on the lining side because your acrylic support will cover them.
Here's a video to give you a closer look at this great pattern:
It's not a quick sew, but I think you will be very pleased with the results
if you give this pattern a try.
Thanks for reading my blog, I appreciate all my readers so very much.
