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Following my first article about the Veiiko pattern, here are what I learnt from this project and some new pictures.
ORGANISATION!
You shall read the instructions…
…many times! And write some steps down. Use highlighters. 140 pages of instructions mean a lot of information to to grasp.
The list of notions/fabrics/hardware is amazingly long and you’ll need to keep track of what/where/how many.
De la couleur
I use PDF X-plorer as a free PDF tool. Very easy to write down notes on your PDF.
I only printed the pieces chart and the diagram.
You shall group your pieces
Since I had decided on using only fabrics I already owned, I cut one fabric at a time.
It would have been overwhelming to do more.
This picture is a good example of the number of fabrics I used.
TIP: I wrote down paper tags with the bame/number of the pattern piece. Some look similar so you may end up with extra (or, worse) pattern pieces.
Some pieces are cut 5 times, in fabric/lininf/interfacing#1/interfacing #2/foam…
Then clip the tag to the cut pieces.
You shall fuse the interfacing once
One day was devoted to fusing the interfacings.
Faux leather is not keen on heat so check first your iron settings.
If your fabric doens’t handle heat well, double-sided tape in the seam allowance is the answer.
You shall re-organise your pieces
Once the interfacings were fused, I re-organised my pieces: front, back, sides, etc. I followed the steps in the booklet.
Tips and tricks
This bag could be really expensive. So use what you have sitting on your shelves before ordering more.
For instance, I used some gold binding on the pockets. But these bindings are from various periods of time and shops, they are not the same. I didn’t care, that was close enough. And I got rid of those tiny bits.
Minimizing the costs
The designer gives you a list of interfacings she used. But you may have some, but not others.
Here is how I managed to make the most of what I had at home:
- 2 layers of G700
- No fusible foam? polar fleece+ double-sided tape on the faux leather or you can use hem tape on fabrics. It works a charm!
- No heavy interfacing? Sturdy plastic sheet.Foam from the crafts store is too expensive? Check the car foam (I did, it was half the price, with a wide range of thickness).
You will need some hardware in various sizes so try to minimize the shipping costs.
After-thoughts
I loved sewing this backpack, but I doubt sewing it again because it was expensive (and a bit too long to my taste).
I like advanced projects like this, where you learn new methods. However, apart from having a ton of hardware, you will need to order a lot online.
I may sew another one, one day, leaving some pockets out and being more sedate in my fabric and zipper choices, to keep the cost low.
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