In The Hoop: Roberta Cross Body

I've been working on several in the hoop projects over the last couple weeks. I'm intrigued by the steps and how to incorporate them into an embroidery design. Basically, I'm learning the whys of stitch order and how that relates to bag construction.

I picked up a the Roberta Crossbody Zipper Bag from Designs by Little Bee. The design includes three sizes: 5" x 7", 6" x 10", and 8" x 12". This one is the 8" by 12" bag, which means it is big enough to hold an iPad Mini. The directions are very clear and include loads of photographs. This wasn't my first lined bag made with an in the hoop design, so I had some experience with the technique. I you're wondering why that anchor is stitched onto the stabilizer, it's because I didn't look at the anchor design in detail before starting and wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before I stitched down the fabric. That's the placement line for the anchor. The stitching after that secures the anchor and does the details.

I added batting to the bag and that may have been a mistake. My machine was less than pleased sewing through all those layers on the final round of stitching. The applique has raw edges and I didn't use a fusible. The edges of the anchor should soften and fray a little with use.

Overall, I'm pleased with the outcome. I learned so much by making this bag. I learned some limitations of my machine (if I want to use batting I won't have the embroidery machine do the final round of stitching) and that I should wait for the hardware to show up before making more (I have placed an order with Strapworks.com for sliders, wire loops, and even some webbing so I don't have to sew the strap.

I'm going to go stitch out the smaller bags to see what else I can learn. Have you found any great in-the-hoop designs you would like to share? I would love to know about them.