Learn How To Upsize the Mia Bag with

Hi everybody, I'm Natalie with Missouri Star Quilt Company and I'm joined by Jess from Sally Tomato today And we have a fun tutorial. We're going to be talking about bag making and all the creative things you can do Yeah, so we're going to be talking about the Mia bag and tips for upsizing and downsizing a variety of bags. Cool All right, so I understand you've been making bags for several years when did you get started with this? So I've been sewing all my life my mom taught me and I grew up working in a quilt store and when it comes to bag making I am mostly self-taught and I Mostly started bag making in high school and just reading lots of books and patterns and learning different techniques trying Different materials and things so it really got me hooked to Play with the different materials and the hardware and the zippers to make Something functional and there's so many different shapes and pockets and there really are I've seen so many beautiful bags and and quilters Especially will come into retreats with these very complicated like a million different pockets and zippers and spaces for all these things and I think they're amazing, but I I personally have been very intimidated by like the finishing and the hardware and you know How to make it just exactly what I'm looking for So I've made a lot of like tote bags or a little like anything that doesn't have a zipper Zippers have always intimidated me a lot And so I'm excited for your tips and tricks about those kinds of things and then also Customizations because a lot of times I look through all the patterns and they're all pretty good But not exactly what I'm looking for. So I'm really excited for all of your tips and tricks today I can't wait to see what we're gonna talk about. Yeah Well, the Mia bag is a great place to start and this is the that's the original original that we worked on together and we Have a tutorial step-by-step how to make that entire project, but we I have heard requests for a larger size because sometimes you want to fit a little bit more or You need space for a laptop bag and the simplicity of the Mia is great and everybody has loved it which has been so much fun, but then We developed a new pattern So we've already gone ahead and done the math to upsize the Mia to create a handbag size Okay a tote bag size, but I'd love to share some tips to just for generally how to upsize patterns and downsize them because Yeah, a lot of times you want a different strap style or add different hands, right? Do you need like a clutch or you know, but the kind what do you call it when you have a little handbag? Yeah, more like a crossbody or somebody just wants to have it on one shoulder. I have these like chronically sloping shoulders So if I put a purse on my shoulder, it slides off. I Don't know if that's like all in but I love a crossbody because then it stays put So and I have been searching for the perfect work bag I the totes are just they're either too narrow or they don't have a pocket for my laptop Which I don't want it like flopping around inside and I want a little bit of padding, you know Kind of particular and so right now I'm just carrying like a backpack that was actually a diaper bag You know, it's just like it's made do for the past few years, but I would love to make something custom for myself So yeah, this sounds perfect and that's so special like That we sew and we can create something custom that works best for us So and yeah, hopefully this will be a really good solution and option and give you lots of ideas I'm gonna try it out that bag for the perfect work tote. All right, so with this new Project we have some fresh limited edition kits for the Mia since it has been so popular So that's really fun and then to make it easier. We also made kits for the Clarice So the upsized so that's the new name of the not the new name, but the name of the new pattern, right? Yeah, the bigger pattern size is called Clarice. Yes So here are the kit supplies and We love putting together kits. So we make sure that you have all the essentials to make the project. So this Kit includes enough that you could make either the tote size or the handbag. So there's plenty of materials in there It comes with some air mesh and this is like a foam stabilizer that helps add some structure to the project It comes with a cotton fabric for the exterior and some for the lining Along with contrast. This is a faux leather. So you have enough for the base accent and the straps It's also used on the zipper tab pieces It comes with some of our faux metal zippers, so these have a nylon coil That has some of them have a metallic finish to coordinate with the metal hardware So then everything matches. I love that You'll have everything you need to make the bag and you don't have to worry about missing a piece. Yes Yeah, all the essentials are already picked a lot of times It's you know trying to hunt down the hardware and the specific zipper And the stabilizers too can be a dog very confusing I know whenever I whenever I'm looking for a stabilizer because I I use it for different reasons you know whether I'm like doing applique or Mining a t-shirt quilt I get very Confused very quickly about what all of these things are for and what they mean. So this is great That's what's so great about having a kit with everything all pre-selected. I would agree ready to sew. Yes, great so I'm gonna set these pieces aside and First I'd like to kind of talk about how to resize patterns. So I have some pattern pieces with me I'm gonna grab That part seems a little bit intimidating I feel like if any pattern to resize it's almost like you're kind of writing your own pattern So are there like really easy things to do? Yes. So for resizing I have about I have three basic methods So I'll cover each of those and the first one is Printing the pattern pieces at a larger percentage or making a photocopy if you have a paper pattern that Oh my gosh, that is so smart. That's like Mind-blowingly simple, but so I love that. Oh, thanks I never would have even thought to do that. But with digital patterns you totally could yes. Yes, right and if you have no idea where to begin with what percentage to print that because normally When you you print a PDF pattern or you have your paper copy it's at a hundred percent or actual size So that's what this one is. And this is a different pattern It's for a little coin pouch, but I thought this piece was easier to sit on one page Yeah, exactly. So To test to see what size you would want I would recommend to look at the finished dimensions of your pattern that you're working with okay, and multiply that by either a hundred and fifty percent or two hundred percent which would be doubled and See the final dimensions what the final dimensions would be because then you know, okay I want it to finish at this size. So I'll need to print at this scale so I printed at 200 percent to double the size of the project and So I have the pieces all scaled Proportionally for this specific coin pouch one So so if I understand you're saying like say this coin purse measures like four inches Long on on one side if you wanted it to measure eight inches Then you would take it from 100% to 200% and then print and see if that came out. Yes. Okay I love that. That's so smart. So that technique works well when You have pattern pieces on on your instructions But oftentimes patterns will include some measure and cut dimensions and those will need to be recalculated separately But I have a tip for that As part of my third method later on perfect. That's the first method just scaling at a larger print size all right, so then the next technique is Using grid paper and I have the same little coin pouch pattern Okay, since it's a really small one that it's just easy to show. So this is the Silvia coin pouch and Isn't it it's a fun it's a quick little project so I've traced or I've cut out the pattern piece and Trace it on to tracing paper and this is going to help us Transfer it onto our grid and make sure that we save our original copy. Okay So here I have a few different grid papers Which is great because I actually have struggled to find good graph paper That's printable and to know what sizes they actually are Sometimes you you look for graph paper online and wanted I just wanted to print off a page for one little small project Sure, I find it. So I'm glad to know this is on your site. Yes. Yeah, this is a free download that we have and so I recommend starting with the quarter-inch grid when you want to size your pattern up and Using these two grids would essentially double the measurements or the dimensions of the pattern piece. Okay. Do you have other sizes? Quarter and half it does it get bigger like one inch or do you have other things in between? Um, not yet But if everyone likes this method you can certainly add more grid sizes because it is helpful Depending on like right big you want to scale it up But this is just a good place to start so taking the Traced pattern piece that I made I would cut this out So we can preserve our original and this one we can play with to upsize So then you could cut this out and trace it onto the grid So I've done that here and each point on the grid represents a point on the pattern so you would Count how many squares over and Redraw each of the shapes that you see in each point on the grid on to the upsized Paper, so okay, since this is gonna get larger. I made a couple copies and taped the sheets together Four of them together. Yeah, that's fun so then I had enough space to Resize this pattern so I read you each of the points on the graph paper just matching So that way it could preserve the exact shape and dimensions proportions And this technique is really helpful when working with pattern pieces that have curves or unique angles and things like that, okay Reminds me of like art class when you would take the photo and put it on. Yeah, exactly. It takes very cool Yes So so are you real particular about like these points? Do you divide your your smaller grid into smaller grids and try to make sure or do you just kind of eyeball it? Typically, I've eyeballed but that's a great idea So that way if it's not quite centered you can draw in the lower quadrant To make sure that you get the the correct angle from the original design. Okay, very cool. I like that. So then Here you can see it is significantly larger now and If you do measure the width of this bottom link side It is doubled here if you need to just double check anything, so it does end up being quite larger The original hardware too. So hardware is another key component when ups sizing We used a four inch purse frame And This one might actually be a little large So maybe at a smaller scale would be good Is there a bigger one? Is there like an 8 inch or? Right now we just have the two sizes, but it would this is also a great way to to test So now we know that we would need to go somewhere in between and maybe using that first Scale method with the pattern piece would be better to make sure that it fits The hardware size, so this would end up being at a 200% Up size, so you might want to go down to like a 150 or something like that. Exactly yeah, cool, so it's it's always good to just draw it out and See if it's the right size for your project. Excellent. I love that All right, you have one more quick method to show us. Yes one more method Great I love this these ideas It really is like very creative and there's a lot of different ways to do kind of like get to the same point But like yeah, they vary based on how much bigger or smaller you want to make it, right? Mm-hmm. Exactly cool So hopefully it inspires, you know Depending on whatever pattern anyone is using and wants to upsize that there's a method that would work best for that So then for the final method of resizing it would be if you have a pattern that has measuring cut so using a rotary cutter and ruler and It would be kind of similar to the first technique with using the percentages So whichever scale that you want to upsize to you would multiply the length and the width of each piece By either 50% if you want to scale it down or 150% to scale it up And you would do that for most of the pieces In some cases you kind of have to look ahead and decide proportionally when you're upsizing Some pieces might end up staying the same size as the original pattern So for example the zipper tabs those wouldn't need to be upsized good point Yeah, you don't need a you don't need a zipper tab this big exactly Or maybe a certain pocket would fit the upsize bag just fine. So I look at your maybe Well, it's like if one of them has a small pocket You could just do two small pockets or maybe some people like a really thin strap instead of a thick strap So you wouldn't necessarily have to double that or whatever. Yes. Okay. Yes for sure Excellent, and a lot of times to whichever method that you choose. It's really helpful to just trace it out on some paper templates Mm-hmm. So moving to the Clarice pattern These are the templates that I was using and I created to upsize the bag and this is just a great time to make sure that any placement of closures or hardware will Be positioned well within the size and in the new size of the project. Okay, so this is the original Mia So this is one of the upsized is so this is the handbag size and then the new tote bag size Okay, and at this point to sometimes I'll make multiple pieces out of the template material and pin them together To test to see if it's going to end up the size that I write what you had in mind. Okay so it's helpful to Even draw out pockets or if you have a magnetic snap on a different if this has a magnetic snap closure instead then you can Look ahead at the instructions and if the original pattern calls for one inch down from the top Would you want to keep that or maybe move it? So it's very helpful to Create these pieces. Nice. Now. Do you carry this like this is tracing paper? It doesn't have an adhesive on either side. So this is just a pattern tracing material Okay, and I'm not sure the brand I know there's a couple different ones out there. Some do have the grid on them, too Okay, okay Okay. No, we don't but very cool. Yeah It's very helpful to have on hand. It really is and especially I would think with digital patterns. I've been Also a little bit intimidated. I do love like the idea of making clothing but the idea of Printing out a pattern and then having to tape together a bunch of eight and a half by eleven sheets is very overwhelming to me So I feel like even if I traced them out the paper itself would be kind of difficult to work with I'm used to the thinner pattern paper, right? I really like this This is a good idea for a good tool And this is pinnable too. So where you can pin it right to your fabric versus like that and it would be then reusable Yes, for sure, I love that and fold it up and store it. Yeah pattern. I love that. That's great stuff All right So now that we've covered kind of the basics of the cutting instructions and upscaling the fabrics for the project I wanted to talk about some of the embellishments and Closure options. Okay. All right. This here is the Clarice for the handbag size And I've prepped a few options so we can kind of walk through because now that the bag is a little bigger It's good to consider Different handle styles and how you want to carry it just like how we were talking about earlier There are so many options that I didn't even know existed. Yeah, exactly it's the creative The possibilities are endless and my mind is just worrying. I love it. Oh cool. Yeah, and with the hardware, it's really fun. So I'm gonna set aside a few different options. So these Might look kind of different and unique. These are strap connectors versus making like a little stone Yeah, cool. So this is Unique because you can cover the center with whatever fabric that you want to coordinate with your bag So that's amazing. Yeah, I like a covered button, but you would then like attach it and then loop your strap through it Yes, so cool So those are really fun to play with and I'll show them here in a minute so the the zipper length has Gotten a little bit longer since we've upsized Mia I kept the tabs the same size like I mentioned before so that's prepped for the project So when you put this do you sew right over that zipper and it doesn't hurt like the needle on your sewing machine. Mm-hmm yeah, so the nylon coil is really soft and flexible and I haven't broken a needle yet sewing over it and then the other question I have so I noticed that like earlier Your zipper didn't have the pull tab on it. How do you put that on? Oh, yeah So if your zipper doesn't have them, I don't know. Yeah. Oh, it's super easy. It takes a little bit of practice You can use a tool called a zipper jig to help get the pull on Okay, I can put them on by hand. I do have tutorials on my youtube channel with like different Okay, I will be looking those up for sure Definitely. Yeah, they're super helpful. That's what they're there for so then You can add other hardware like a handmade label, oh, that's cute So now that we have like more of an area to play with This next step out here. I after adding the foam. I decided to add some quilting So now that this is a little larger you could do like a pieced Panel, you know like a little you could even put like a little block in there. Yeah That would be so cute. You could add embroidery Okay Beadwork, there's lots of options and I do have a sample with some patchwork piecing Yeah, we just piece together some scraps and had some fun playing with that larger space. I love that So now getting into some of the hardware so here is what an example would be with the textured loop strap connectors if you wanted to add a handle on to your Clarice handbag, okay, so you would cut your fabric out of your contrast fabric to make a strap and Feed it through this top D ring and stitch it in place and attach it to the opposite side No, how do you attach this part though? Is there like oh Okay, so it has like a plate on the back and you put the things through and bend them Yes, that's so it's just like so that has to do then before you put it on the lining you have to get that done Yes, so you want to add any embellishments to the exterior? Before you assemble the full exterior together. So now is the time to add any of these fun details. I love that That's all right. Cool. And if you have you installed the magnetic stamp before I did that I I looked up your tutorial and followed it very carefully Doing it a couple times which worked out really well It was much easier than I thought it was gonna be Although I will say in the video you just like folded those things back like it was nothing and I was like, oh my gosh That's so much. They are. They're so strong. Yeah, so you might want like a little pair of pliers or something Yeah, in case it's hard for your hands to bend that back. Yeah, it's a little bit deceptive because you were just like But I imagine you've done it a million times So these yeah, like you'd mentioned they're very similar to a magnetic snap They just have more prongs and just the different washer on the backside. So you cut your slits for each of the prongs We're just really pulling back the curtain on how purses are made. That's so great Isn't it neat to see like the behind the scenes here? I love that So that's one option and then to take it up another level So this hardware these are called fabric coverage drop connectors, they're installed the same way with the prongs and washers But I can take one out of the package here to show Yeah, I'm curious how that goes together. It looks so professional and beautiful It's really fun. So it comes with a little template that you would cut your contrast fabric out of okay and you unscrew this center part, all right, and The fabric over it wraps around the metal and you just glue it in place and I use some sewing clips and I let it dry for Usually overnight and then I'll screw it in place And then you can install it on your bag. That's so neat. I really love that That's awesome. I feel like you could actually I mean technically you could probably like hand paint that too. Yeah, that would be really pretty That's a great idea. So many fun ideas, you know Yeah, I've my mom gave me the idea the other day to fussy cut if you had like a printed material and You could have a little piece of the motif right on the front of the hardware, so Very fun. I love it. And then you would continue on with the rest of the pattern. Okay You take these little tags off Yes, and For this project the original Mia did not have any pockets on the inside So we added some Aligning slip pockets and a zipper pocket on the inside of this one, too So it was good to have that paper template from before to kind of play with what size would fit Well, how yeah far down from the top would We want the pocket positioned and as well as considering like the bottom corners, too And then the other thing is like so I see this pocket and in my mind it's like, okay Well, that's that's kind of big but what if I wanted like to put I could put a seam here and have like this is perfect for my phone and this Is perfect for like a couple of pens or something like that where I could sort of divide it up if I wanted to For sure. Yeah. Okay, so you could just draw a vertical line and just top stitch However, you wanted it divided into different compartments. Cool It's very fun, so I think I could totally do this if I had you with me in my sewing deal That'd be fun Okay, so I'm gonna set the handbag aside and I'm gonna bring over the tote since we're scaling up another size from the handbag size Then there are more options for handles and I'm talking about some interior pocket options to perfect All right So here I have the tote size version of Clarice and this is where it gets really fun because now you have these larger pieces that you can experiment with auditioning different handle options And doing different quilting and I wanted to show one of the samples Okay, I brought along with where we use a cheater panel, too So you don't always have to add patchwork. Can we bring it forward so we can see it better? So this has like This is one of those pre pre printed like quilting panels Yes, that's so cute. And and then we've got some other like you did some fun quilting back here. I love that Yes, this was a really fun print. This is by Holly and night. Oh, yeah string and story I thought so I wasn't gonna like try and call it out because I'm never really like a hundred percent But yeah that looked very familiar. I love it So it's a fun way to practice free motion quilting and then use your Yeah, yeah, so any of those test sandwiches that you work with to do the free motion then you can turn it into a bag I love that such a good idea So I think that one turned out really pretty but very cute So and there's tons of color options, too You could feature some bold fabrics and hardware and then we have like some other I do Love all the different colors of the metal. That's really fun You've got like the kind of like the steel grayish or black or whatever and then the brass and rose gold I don't know. I'm just making these up I don't know if these are the actual names but like I love all the variety and then this pink one is so cute This is like you Collab with Tula. Yes. I love it Tula's Signature pink and it goes perfectly with all of her fabrics. So that was a fun one to pair it together That's so great. I love that So here we have the cork on the bottom. This is a unique cork fabric That's one of the kit options. So it's fun to play with and it's got that denim backing behind it So I decided so these are pre like pre attached. Yes. Okay. Yeah, so the fabric comes done like this for you So then I decided to pull the natural cork and feature that for some handle options So this is a free pattern and tutorial on our YouTube channel for how to make your own handles in Custom sizes. So there are different handle shapes Included in the project. So if you're looking to make your own handles Oh that I have that as an option and then you can also choose to just do the flat handles Or if you want to add hardware, then you can have this Folded edge as well. So it kind of looks like a yeah edge or a thicker edge there too. That's great so Here we have more of like the teardrop shape and I just have these positioned with some sewing clips and would sew here Making sure to stay away from the seam allowance area up top Okay, I would only so you that you're gonna add your handle before your zipper. Yes Okay, so before any of the final assembly then right add any embellishments to the front and back panel So it's the perfect time to play with some handle options Love it. And now I feel like the hardest part is choosing Yeah, you know we I need to like see them all side-by-side and compare and then I would get overwhelmed. Mm-hmm Oh, I know so many good. That's why I have so many bags Yeah, you just can't stop. Yeah, that's so great So then just to show kind of without the handle So if you want a more streamlined minimalist look, okay, but to position the handles I have some double-sided tape and then you can kind of play with sticking it to the front of the bag to see How far you want them or sent within yeah top panel there, too And so to center them up like you just do like a simple fold in the middle find your center and measure down a certain You know from the top. I'm sure that's all in your patterns, right? Oh, yes all the details and then do you have little tutorials on how to like figure all this stuff out? Yes. I knew it It's so much fun. Yeah. So yeah, you could find the center measure down with your ruler and Use some chalk or an erasable marker, whatever your favorite tool is something that would disappear or be removed And then you can position so that you have them perfectly placed. So another fun option when upsizing So then also once you have these big panels now you have lots of room to play with pockets on the inside because if you just had a big empty tote you may want additional divided slip pocket or Pocket for my laptop laptop. I love that is so good So this is included in the pattern instructions for how to make this padded laptop Pocket, but essentially it's a slip pocket with a layer of foam or there. Yes that air mesh Yes, the other thing I'm noticing this is like in the very bottom which this would be a bottom seam, right? Mm-hmm, and so then it will fold in so the corners Will end up getting cut out. So then this would fold towards the base a little bit just a little bit. Yeah Okay, so you could certainly position it a little higher if you wanted to keep it out, but then Measuring where the box corners, right? We're the face of the person. Yeah, okay. Exactly. Excellent. I like that Made of this. No, I've made the bottom part and like the boxing the corners I've done that with two so that part is more familiar to me And so I do kind of understand how like when you take that seam in then this base is gonna like fold in Mm-hmm and become the bottom of your bag. Mm-hmm. So I but that I'm more familiar with No, I love the other stuff is just boring every project you like build those skills Oh knowledge and then it just becomes more and more familiar. It really does So I love it cool. Yeah, and then on the opposite side. I just added the slip pocket, too I did want to mention to About rivets, so these are so if you do add some handles or If you want to reinforce the strap connectors on your bag, you can install those after the project is complete Okay, and even install them through the lining So then in special tools for that So these I recommend Using a rotary punch to cut the hole for the rivet. Okay We do have rivet setting tools They're just a set of hand tools that you would use a hammer and set them so they're a lot of fun and you can add them to your your strap pieces to to further secure the swivel hook and things like that, but That's cool. All those little details. The finishing is what just makes it so unique and Beautiful. I love that. It is so fun. Once you start looking at all the possibilities Well Jess, thank you so much for joining me today and teaching me all about bag making I'm really excited to get started and I'm so glad that we were able to Collaborate and put together these great kits because now I know that when I'm ready I can just grab a kit It has everything that I need to get the bag going and then I can customize from there And I'm really excited to know that you have all of these tutorials teaching about like all the little steps and places where I might Get hung up. So where else can everybody else out there find you online? I'm I'm sure you have like oh, yeah So and I'm really excited to have shared this with you and hope that it is inspired And had some helpful tips with the absolutely and everything so you can find me on YouTube We have a YouTube channel with lots of tutorials on social media and Sally tomato Cool. All right. Well, it's been really great an honor having you here And I hope you guys have all enjoyed it and we will see you next time. Enjoy your bag making. Bye Hey quilty friends, we are so excited. We have something really special to share today. That is right. Believe it or not We have a million subscribers here on the Missouri star YouTube channel, and we are so excited. Yes, it really is unbelievable I know when we first started our YouTube videos years ago We never imagined that we would have a community this size and this wonderful From the bottom of our hearts. We just want to thank all of you for being a part of the Missouri star family That's right. Thank you so much for joining us on this wild ride We are so excited to have reached a million subscribers and we are gonna have so many more quilts and so much more fun in The future. I can't wait to see what happens next I can't either and we hope that you will join us for the ride. We'll see you later. Bye