Category: Christine Sling

Christine Sling Tester Inspiration

The Christine Sling pattern pulls together a classic camera bag silhouette with a modern wide statement strap. The possibilities of fabric combinations are truly endless.  For a full rundown of pattern specifics, including features and where to source materials, check out the Christine Sling Intro here.

TESTER BAGS

As I develop a pattern, there are so many considerations that have to take place.  My first priority is to always make a bag approachable for beginning sewists who have basic domestic machines.  That’s why I like to always like to have full fabric versions of a pattern, but I also like to show more complex versions with other substrates for more advanced bag-makers.  My testing group runs the gambit of experience and I am so appreciative of their knowledge and different skillsets.

Carrie (@carriedwithyou) made not one, but TWO tester versions of the Christine Sling.  Her first make was this sweet floral version with natural cork accents and metal-look nylon zippers.  Then…Carrie went to the other side of the spectrum for a dark and sleek version of the bag using some webbed matte vinyl and incredible red accents. She used seatbelt webbing for the strap giving the whole look some chic vibes!  You can find out her patterns and finished bags for sale at www.carriedwithyou.com.

Maggie (@ms.maggiemakes) is an incredible bag-maker and I love her use of different fabric patterns and color.  Her version of the Christine Sling did not disappoint my expectations at all!  She used this great pink mirror-effect vinyl along with a mix of donut quilt cotton for her bag.  I love the way she using upholstery trim for the piping instead of the “plain” stuff I used.  It makes her bag SO much fun!  Follow her instagram to see her makes…many are for sale too 😉

Mallory (@malloryhillmakes) is a local friend and also my copy-editor.  She makes incredible bags and clothes, which makes her invaluable with technical knowledge.  Her boho version of the Christine is just perfect for everyday!  The leather accents and piping, help to give more depth and framing to the bag.  It will make a statement with any outfit!  You can follow her blog at www.malloryhill.com.

Robbin (@sewfarmquilter) is the newest team member of the testing group.  I have been following her since my quilting days and was so happy to know she wanted to test the Christine! Her version of the bag is very classy and demure on the outside, but pure party on the inside.  I’m a sucker for a wild bag lining (since RTW ones are always boring!) and this one is perfect.  If you can see, Robbin scalloped the edges of her leather accents to add more texture and appeal.  It is such a great look!  Check out all of Robbin’s makes on her instagram.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but NOTHING is more heart-warming than it is to see my patterns sewn up by all of YOU!  For a full-range of different takes on the Christine Sling, check out the hashtag, #christinesling, on Instagram.  You know I follow it 😉 and LOVE being tagged in all of your makes.

These pictures are so inspirational and I hope you are able to get some ideas when you make your Christine Sling.  Pattern available here.

 

Happy Sewing,

Cristy

#SewPink 2021 Blog Hop with the Christine Sling

It’s October again and I’m so pleased to be a part of By Annie’s Annual #SewPink Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  This is my second year in a row participating in the blog hop to help bring attention to this initiative within the sewing community.  If you want to check out what I made last year, you can find my 2020 post here.

With this past year, I feel that the effects of Breast Cancer are hitting even closer to home ever than before.  I made the milestone birthday of 40 years and made sure to get an appointment for a screening.  But the harsh reality of getting older is also seeing more friends diagnosed with breast cancer and then seeing them go through treatment.  The story that hit closest to me this year was hearing about my “big sister” from my college sorority start her fight to battle breast cancer.  We are the same age and she has four young children to care for.  She is such a strong and beautiful person inside and out who is staying so positive through her care.  It’s truly amazing to see what she is overcoming.

 

For the #SewPINK blog hop, I wanted to make my latest pattern, the Christine Sling (which was released just less than a month ago!)  You can read up all about her features here.  And of course, I couldn’t help but pick out some fun PINK fabric for the project!  I found this gorgeous Crane fabric by Teresa Chan and it’s symbolism really spoke to me.  In Chinese culture, the crane is the prince of all feathered birds only second to the Pheonix.  It symbolizes longevity and peace – which is what everyone is searching for when struggling through cancer.  They want a long peaceful life and these cranes will hopefully bring that to my “big sister.”

Since I’m using quilt cotton (and NOT following my very own fabric recommendations) for the bag,  I had to make some construction adjustments.  Luckily, I knew I could use some Soft & Stable foam to help build in some pliable structure to the Christine Sling.  I fused woven interfacing on all the quilt cotton before basting it onto Soft & Stable, and then cut out my pattern pieces.  In addition to Soft & Stable, I used the following By Annie products in my bag:

I love all of the black accents to contrast with this soft pink fabric.  The strapping is wonderful to speed up the making process and is durable for everyday wear.  Who doesn’t love how easy nylon is to keep clean as well?!  The antique hardware helps to bring out that ochre outline of the cranes and brings depth to the bag.  I think these elements all help to keep the Christine Sling fresh and modern.  What do you think?

The Christine can be worn over-the-shoulder and across the body.  But for those whose chests maybe tender post surgery, it can also be worn as a fanny pack!  The strap just needs to be adjusted to reflect your waist size when you make it.  I love wearing the Christine this way and the wide strap makes it so comfortable!

The Christine Sling is a great compact bag to carry all of the essentials — especially for doctor appointments and running errands.  In addition to the use of Soft & Stable foam and using the nylon webbing for the strap, I also omitted the back zipper pocket since I knew this bag would be worn more around the waist.  But to add visual interest, I added a 3/4″ accent stripe with faux leather on the front and the back of the Christine.  I also used the same faux leather to bind the front slip pocket.  With the use of quilt cotton, these little additions help to keep the bag elevated.  What’s your favorite detail from this bag?


Don’t forget to check  out all of the other #SewPINK Blog Post participants listed below:

✂ Oct. 1 (Fri):Fat Quarter Shop – The Jolly Jabber

✂ Oct. 2 (Sat):Sallie Tomato

✂ Oct. 4 (Mon): Hugs ‘N Kisses

✂ Oct. 6 (Wed): Sewfinity

✂ Oct. 11 (Mon):Beyond the Reef

✂ Oct. 13 (Wed): Great Heron Thread Co.

✂ Oct. 15 (Fri): Love You Sew [You are here!]

✂ Oct. 15 (Fri): Emmaline Bags

✂ Oct. 16 (Sat): Meadow Mist Designs

✂ Oct. 18 (Mon): OklaRoots

✂ Oct. 20 (Wed): Suzn Quilts

✂ Oct. 20 (Wed): Teresa Coates

✂ Oct. 22 (Fri): Knot and Thread Design

✂ Oct. 23 (Sat): Shannon’s Studio

✂ Oct. 25 (Mon): The Littlest Thistle

✂ Oct. 27 (Thur): Mister Domestic

✂ Oct. 27 (Wed): Sookie Sews 

The #SewPink Initiative was created by ByAnnie.com LLC to raise awareness for breast cancer throughout the year. Our efforts culminate in an annual blog hop during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote self-care, awareness, early detection, and support for those affected by breast cancer. 

To learn more and see the calendar of events visit: https://www.ByAnnie.com/SewPINK

To find screenings available near you: 

In addition to participating in the #SewPINK Initiative, Fat Quarter Shop invites you to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation with the goal of raising $10,000. 

To find the Fat Quarter Shop fundraiser visit: https://fundraise.nbcf.org/FatQuarterShop

To learn more about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation visit: https://www.bcrf.org/ 

I hope you all take the time to check out these links and check into your own health.

 

Happy Sewing,

Cristy

 

All By Annie’s products used were gifted as part of participation in this blog hop.

 

Introducing The Christine Sling Pattern

2 Comments

The Christine Sling is definitely the bag I’ve worked on for the longest time.  For many reasons, the development would keep getting pushed, but I always knew it would have some kind of compact cross-body silhouette.  This bag first started off as a very slim phone holder, but with the passing of time, phones kept getting bigger and styles kept changing.  But when bags were being worn more across the chest and mid-back, I knew the sling had to be re-tooled a bit.  I made her a little larger than just a phone holder but still small enough for life on the go.

View B with added Piping

Inspiration

View A with rivet embellishments

With the slowly world opening back up with COVID-19, I knew I still wanted to have a small bag  to run in and out of stores quickly.  But now, our essentials of keys-wallet-cell phones have expanded to include masks and lots of sanitizer.  The depth of the bag had to expand with our needs.

View A with angled tab

On top of this, belt bags are definitely sticking around and I just love the sling look — especially with the accessory strap.  All of my bag patterns teach a different way to make/use a strap and this pattern is no exception.  With everyone using their phones and earbuds, I wanted to keep a quick pocket to hold a phone and the accessory strap to hold a Tiny Sophia Bag with either earbuds or that sanitizer!

Namesake

View A

As with all of my bags designs, they are named after my nieces.  Early on, I knew that Christine’s bag would always be a sling.  One – because it works with her name so well!  And two – when I started designing her bag, she was still in college.  I wanted to design a bag that could be a part of that care-free lifestyle while still being modern and on-trend.  That bag would also HAVE to  work with a busy lifestyle (Christine is also a nurse!) yet, would always be fun and cute like her <3  This bag is a perfect representation of my super funny and incredibly caring Christine.

Features

View A with chain strap

The Christine Sling is a small compact bag perfect for everyday.  It follows what I love in bag design — simple, clean lines with versatile styling and a modern twist.  As the “Sling” part of the name entails, this bag is meant to be worn across the chest or swung around the mid-back.  However, with a quick change of the accessory strap, the Christine can go to a full cross-body or even as a belt bag with adjusted length.  I am ALL about bag versatility!

  • Two Views – This bag includes instructions for two separate views.  View A includes piping and accent fabric for some fun raw-edge contrasting looks.  View B uses the same main fabric throughout for a sleeker look and comes together very quickly without the piping. 
  • Pockets – Both views have zipper and slip pockets which are the same for the exterior and the lining.  They are the perfect size to keep your phone or keys accessible. You can even omit the pockets altogether on the exterior for a classic look or double up the zipper pockets for extra security. 

View A inside out

  • Lining –  The lining uses bias tape to keep seams clean while also providing extra structure.

View B Strap

  • Strap -Both views also include a wide accessory strap for comfort and a D-ring to hold your ear pods or sunglasses. Use contrasting fabric or even some pre-made webbing for a fashionable statement strap!

Assorted Webbings

 

Fabric

View A + View B

Fabric Requirements:

  • 3/4 yd Main Fabric
  • 1/2 yd  Lining Fabric 
  • Scrap Accent Fabric
  • 2 1/2 yd  Woven Interfacing (e.g. Pellon SF101)  
  • 1/2 yd  Firm Stabilizer (e.g. Vilene or Pellon Decovil light)

This pattern is written for home decor and/or bottom-weight fabrics such as canvas, duck cloth, and denim with weights of ~ 6 oz per square yard or more. The lining is based on quilt cotton and any other fabric with the same weight (~4 oz) can be used such as linen, chambray and twill.  The accent fabric in View A is intended to be left with a raw edge, allowing you to use leather, suede, vinyl, cork or another non-fraying substrate.  This allows you to add some high-end details to elevate your bag.

In my samples bags for the pattern, I used Kokka canvas and Art Gallery Fabrics quilt cottons as my lining and bias tape for View A.  For View B, I used faux leather from BigZ Fabrics.  I like the thickness of this for bag making with pliability and it’s the same product I used for the Megan Bucket Bag.  The interior lining for View B is from Teresa Chan and I’m a big fan of her designs. Be on the lookout for many future projects with her fabrics 😉

I feel a little behind on the times, but I finally got the chance to try out some interfacing I bought from a little while ago*.  Let me tell you, this stuff is A-MAZING.  I used Vilene Decovil light (which is similar to Pellon Decovil.)  Let me tell you, the quality and adhesion is really nice.  I’m definitely a fan from the jump-off and have already ordered more!  But if you can only get material from the big box stores, Pellon products are fine but they won’t have as much structure and strong fusing as these other interfacings.  I say all of this, but it’s all to your own preference.   Always make sure to test other interfacing mixes with fabric swatches to see what you like before cutting.

*You know I always love to share where I source products, but it has recently come to light (11/2021) that this interfacing business has some polarizing views which I do not support in any way.  I have deleted mention of them from this post.

Hardware

Requirements:

  • (2) 1/2” Swivel Clasp
  • (3) 1/2” D-Rings
  • (1) 1 1/2” Slider
  • (1) 1 1/2” Rectangle Ring
  • (10) Sets of Rivets (8 mm post length) + Setting Tools
  • (2) Sets of 12.5 mm Snaps + Setting Tools

The pattern requires the following hardware listed above.  You can grab full kits in my shop here.

If you need help setting rivets, check out my video here.

If you need help setting the snaps, you can head over here.

View A with strap connectors

As a BONUS add-on to my Christine hardware kits, I’m also offering these incredible screw-in strap connectors.  I found them when I was ordering hardware for myself and thought they would be a great thing to introduce to you!  A video to install will follow, but essentially you completely finish the bag minus the (2) D-ring tabs at the zipper.  Once you turn out the bag, you punch holes right below the side gusset stitching and screw on these connectors, adding a little glue to the bolt.  That’s it!  This is a great way to have a professional looking bag.

Notions

View A uses piping which I think really finishes a bag nicely and instantly takes a bag up a level.  Although it take a little more time and patience to sew it in, it’s worth the effort, especially if you can just purchase it.  These ready-made packs are great from your big box stores or from my favorite place for notions, Wawak.

With the Christine, the lining is finished with bias binding which is a first for my bag patterns.  I went through several construction techniques and this is the best way IMO for this type of bag.  With the piping, you want to sew each side separately to feel where you are sewing.  A drop-in lining is possible (I tried it!) but it’s very difficult given how small the bag opening is.  I want you to have a good experience making this bag and I’ll save you the pain!  While sewing the binding takes longer, it is the easier method overall.  The pattern calls for 3/8″ bias tape and you definitely need to use this size because anything bigger will obstruct your zipper opening.  However, you can still purchase the ready-made 1/2″ double-fold packages seen above.  The beauty of this manufacturer is that not all parts of the folds are 1/2″,  so you can open up the tape and re-press so the long sides meet at the center crease.  This will give you 3/8″ double-fold bias tape!

Zippers

I am a HUGE fan of metal-look nylon zippers.  They have the high-end look fo metal teeth, but have all the ease of nylon –which means you can easily cut and sew right over the teeth!   My Handmade Space is one of my favorite spots for zipper kits and Wawak just started carrying them as well, but not with as many color and zipper pull options.

But the only finish I don’t like in nylon is brass.  (For some reason, it’s just way too bright yellow for me.)  I always go back to metal and like these long pull zipper from Wawak.  To make the double pull zipper,  you do need to buy a coverall zipper (that zips in both directions) and I replaced the pulls to match.

I hope you enjoy making and wearing the Christine Sling as much as I had designing it!  Please tag me on Instagram with your makes and post with #ChristineSling so we can enjoy all of these bags!

 

Happy Sewing!

Cristy