The toiletry bag, one of the many accessories needed when leaving for boarding school.
Fringante was the perfect pattern for a special back-to-school sewing session.
The Fringante pattern
Priced at 6.60 euros, this pattern has 2 options of the handles: one double handle (like a handbag) or a single one positioned like a Dopp kit.
Features
- Pockets:
- 1 main zippered pocket
- 2 outer zippered pockets
- 2 inner zippered pockets
- 1 main zippered pocket
- Handles:
- Double like a bag or single like a Dopp kit
Sewing techniques
- sewing zippers
- working with PVC fabric, pleather, etc.
Two Fringantes for the price of one!
Sacôtin patterns are a mine of useful instructions, but I still wanted to sew a kind if ‘muslin’ because I had never sewn PVC fabrics and I wanted to assess if I would need a Teflon foot to prevent any sticking from the material.
The toiletry bag musling
So, I started this first Fringante with some vinly fabric I had bought a long time ago during a destsh event and I used some poplin scraps I had. Zippers and clear plastic were ordered as a kit (La Mercerie des Créateurs). I’ve included the notions at the end of this article, for those of you who can’t order from France.
This muslin was meant to evaluate what stitch lengths I would need, how my sewing machine reacted to sticky materials, etc.
I noticed that using my narrow AcuFeed foot was perfect and I didn’t need to buy a Teflon foot for my Janome 6700P.
Tip: when it came to bind the clear plastic pocket, I inserted a scrap of fabric at the left of the sewing foot, under the clear plastic and slightly away from the stitching line.
I followed the instructions and sewed two inner clear zippered pockets.
I also skipped the interfacing part, just to check if the PVC fabric was sturdy enough to get a nice boxy shape in the end.
The way the bag is designed is clever: the shape comes from the corners which are finished by a bias on the inside.
That’s that white tiny stuff on the left of the picture below.
The ‘real’ toiletry bag
My daughter chose this Rico Designs fabric, funky pop prints against light pink.
The lining is plain white poplin.
Per her instructions, I did one clear zippered pocket and one mesh pocket.
I measured the FINISHED clear pocket and cut my mesh pocket using these measurements. I also inserted a strip of clear elastic in the top binding . It will help the pocket retain its shape over time.
I think she’s now ready to leave the nest and experiment her new life in a boarding school!
I highly recommend Sacôtin patterns for their amazing instructions. Below are some nice fabrics you could use for your toiletry bags.
Pattern: Fringante
Notions: PVC vinyl fabric, bias binding, cotton webbing, clear elastic, heavy duty zipper, zipper (needs 3 sliders)
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