Have you ever sewn a lined bag and ended up with two narrow strap ends that need joining and wondering how to do it without bodging it? Sewing the two ends together by hand can mean that the part of your bag which is going to bear most weight is the least sturdily sewn. This is one way to sew the end seam on your machine and just handstitch the side of the strap which will hopefully make your bag more able to be abused and last longer.
This was a bit of late night sewing so the pics aren’t great. The bag is a modification of the Tiny Happy bag and when I made it three years ago I couldn’t be bothered to line it. Being grey and six inches deep means it is pretty dark in there and I can’t ever seem to find my keys in it, so at about 11pm last night I thought I’d stop struggling in the dark and sort it out.
First sew your lining to your back as normal but when you get to the end of each strap sew all the way to the end on one side and stop 2″ away form the end on the other side. Turn it all right side out and your straps will look like this
Flatten each end and you will see this
You are going to pin and sew where the writing is.
So with right sides together, pin outer to outer (mine is grey to grey)
then pin lining to lining so you end up with this. It will be a bit curved but don’t worry.
Now take it to your sewing machine and sew where you have pinned (Gratuitous action shot!)
When you pull the strap straight again you will have a thing that looks like a pitta ready for some kebab filling.
Fold in your seam allowance on both sides and flatten the strap how it should be. Pin it all down and sew up the opening. Easy!
Ladder stitch is good for closing this kind of seam and you can see how to do it here
On a completely different note,
Why do French Beans grow like this? Why isn’t the bean still under the soil like a runner bean would be? IS this normal or is it because I got them free from the BBC?
Orange and Green 
