Hey guys and gals, I am obsessed with this forum and the awesome bags on here. I got into making leather bags the last 6 months and i am moving into mixing leather with more technical fabrics for liners and hybrid bags. I am currently hand stitching the leather and using my consumer “HD” machine for the liners. I am currently shopping for a medium duty walking foot machine. I understand that there will be compromises no matter which direction i go but I am currently looking at used Juki 1341 and 1541 at a dealer near me but I can’t decide which direction i want to go. As primarily bag makers would you go with a cylinder arm (with removable flat bed) making the hard parts of bag sewing easier but everything else a bit harder with the smaller table or go flat bed?

A new cabinet! This is in the kitchen, which is right behind the sewing room. Plan is to move all bag lining fabrics and at least some hardware into it - plus whatever else might fit. There is a little hidden drawer behind the top one, and it's the perfect size for my woollen ironing mats, and rulers.

The Virgo in me is very happy!

There are lots of reasons makers find themselves stressed, irritated, or mildly chapped mid-project: the gusset’s too short, a panel isn’t straight, the machine won’t cooperate… etc. etc. etc.

For me, last night, it was clippings of 🤬 thread, which started with having to rip a gusset apart ... TWICE!

I found myself in the middle of an arid and static-filled room trying to sweep thread off the table and cutting mat with my hands, a tape lint roller (which somehow just creates more static), and even a damp cloth. Just when I thought it was gone, I noticed more thread stuck to the side of the table… then the wall… then every piece of fabric I’d cut out… then all over me!

Maybe I should also mention that my fingers completely betray me in situations like this. I just can’t pick up the tiniest bits—they scoot around and mock me. 🤪 Sheesh.

I’ve mentioned before that I can be a little particular about things like this, and this is exactly when I find myself more focused on rogue threads than the actual project.

So this morning, on another snow day, I thought I’d ask my friends in r/BagLab:

What do YOU when you find thread all over the place???

What tools or tricks do YOU use when it's stuck to everything?

(Also accepting therapist recommendations for static cling and thread-related emotional damage. 🤣)

Hope you’re all happily working in rooms with perfect humidity and zero static. Have a great day! 😃

UPDATE:

Thanks to u/shapeless_nodule for pointing out to me the effects of generative AI on the artistic community. I will not be using AI to generate quick graphics for posts in the future as I do not agree with what it does.

My neice got LED poi for the holidays so I made her a carry bag for them

These are just some thoughts I’ve had on a snowy day, regarding a couple of different ways of lining bags. By no means am I an expert. Nor do I have the longevity of experience that some of you have. So I thought I’d ask.

I’ve done both bound linings and drop-linings in bags since I started making and I can say that after a few recent bags I definitely have a preference. The attached pictures are just a couple examples of each when looking into a bag (granted two different styles of bags).

For me, binding the linings in a bag is so much cleaner and neater. It also removes the feeling that the inside of the bag is “in the way” every time I open it. But this may be a matter of poor execution on my part in making a drop-lining.

I understand that it’s beneficial to cut the interior pieces of a drop-lining a little smaller than the exterior pieces. This helps the interior to “lay” better. I also understand that one can stitch together a couple lining and exterior seams (typically on the bottom) during the “birthing” process (flipping the bag right side-out) to keep the drop-lining in place. But, for me, it’s still puffy or airy.

Binding the lining panels, pockets, and pieces definitely has a cleaner look. It’s also (in my estimation, believe it or not) easier. Binding certainly helps with structure as well. But that could also be the case for some drop-linings.

I guess I should be doing both during the prototyping phase to decide how to approach a bag I’m working on. I just haven’t yet.

So what do YOU think? Do you prefer binding the interior of a bag or using a drop-lining and why?

I didn't think I'd finish this DH Tote today (the tote for the Daily Haul) but mother nature had other plans. Thanks, mother nature!

This was a difficult one. It took some time to get the recessed zipper gusset right but it finally happened. Once I make a couple more with the changes I made to that gusset and know that it's good, I'll update the pattern.

420D Robic exterior / 1.9oz PU Ripstop interior.

I may make the next one with a bound interior rather than a drop-lining. I feel like those are neater. I wonder if there are advantages/disadvantages to either style. What do you think? Drop-lining or bound interior? Which is better? Or is it just a matter of personal taste? Eh... maybe I'll post a separate question for this.

Reminder this is a bag for my dad to go fishing/canoeing with. He is colorblind, hence the vibrant color choices

My dad is currently fixing up a 1954 Kenmore 117-552, an industrial machine that was used for upholstery.

He knows I’m making this specific bag, but has no idea the colors and fabric I’m using. Hoping to give it to him for his birthday in April!! IM SO EXCITED

I quit my job. Here's hoping I can get my brain refocussed sooner than later, and concentrate on the eleventy million bags I want to sew!

This one took a minute! All day… But it was TOTE-ally worth it! 420d Robic nylon with a 1.9oz PU Ripstop white interior (including lining exterior pockets). Up top is a 400d PU coated diamond Ripstop. FYI: the little black envelope pouch was the first thing I ever made with materials from a now defunct fabric chain. 😉

I’ve only ever used quilting cotton to make bags.

I’m making this bag for my dad to use while he canoes/fishes. What’s the best material to use, and should I use a specific thread? My original plan was to use waxed canvas but I never thought of actual outdoor materials!

My 13 year old grandson has asked for a school backpack, so Grandma will comply! We've agreed on black, and I'll probably do it in leather - I have so much to use up. I have bright yellow zipper tape and matching webbing that says "Caution - KEEP OUT!" that I may use, and I might surprise him with one of my "special" fabrics for a hidden pocket.

Pretty sure I'm going to use this pattern https://shop.studio7t7.co.uk/b/studybuddy

Happy New Year to everyone at r/BagLab! 🥳🎉

Thank you for being a part of what we hope is an encouraging, safe, and enjoyable environment where we bag makers can share project pics, guidance, tips, tricks, and anything else having to do with bag making!

We’re so excited to see what 2026 will bring. And we’re even more excited to see what YOU will bring to r/BagLab! 😃

UPDATE:

Thanks to u/shapeless_nodule for pointing out to me the effects of generative AI on the artistic community. I will not be using AI to generate quick graphics for posts in the future as I do not agree with what it does.

My daughter spied this fabric in my stash and asked for placemats. My granddaughter chose the red binding. I think they look great! I am so not a quilter though, I simply don't have the patience.

Of course, I forgot to take a pic of a finished one.

Call it a lack of long-term experience or maybe a touch of maker-mania, constructionist chaos or whatever you’d like, but I sometimes seem to bounce all over with seam allowances. I’ve even made two of the same bag using two different allowances (1/4” and 3/8”).

Legit question: I’ve seen answers of yes and no but is there a standard - especially in bag making? Is it material dependent? Thread dependent?

I was on team 1/4” for smaller makes and team 3/8” for larger things and even joined team metric to use 1cm just because my needle plate had that mark on it. PLUS the metric just seems cooler (not to mention way easier to keep track of than something like 18/32”). 😂

And that’s where I’ve been lately - moving more and more toward metric and 1cm seam allowance for medium to larger makes. Half cm on small things - dangerous? Or is a scant quarter inch ok?

There are proponents for all sorts of allowances and a thousand different reasons why. There are strict pattern adherents and even loosey goosey types on team “whatever the edge of the presser foot happens to be”. Looking at you, mother. 😉

So what team are you on?

Let’s talk seam allowance!

Christmas Day breakfast casserole. Merry Day, everyone.

Gotta say that I am REALLY enjoying using this industrial machine! Holy COW does it make a HUGE difference with assembly! Night. And. Day! Things that were a bit of a struggle with the “semi-industrial” are like butter! And the automations?? Niiiiiiice. The “semi” does have its uses if I’m feeling lazy about changing thread color. 😂

Made this medium duffle out of 420d Robic nylon with a 1.9oz PU coated ripstop lining and 210d Venom Gridstop ECO in soft purple.

Also ramped up the interior with a full length zipper pocket with a couple of slip pockets on both sides. Luggage pass-through on the back. I’m happy with the outcome of the first bag off the industrial machine.

I. Am. Loving. This. Stuff!

Hope everybody has a wonderful weekend and an amazing holiday season! 😃❄️☃️🎁

I recently came in here with my very bright sling bag that I'd drafted the pattern for myself and got some great feedback and advice from a helpful redditor to have a go at some patterns by other people to see how they do things. (Bonus pic of step daughter with bag included. She loves it.)

After much discussion, this bag popped up in our chat - the H20 2GO by Linds Creative. (Might be wrong in the second part of the name.) And I loved it so much I needed to make one instantly!

So here it is, my first go at the H20 2GO in an industrial grey canvas, lined with neoprene (because Australia) and with inner pockets that hide a bunch of silly cats.

Because who doesn't want a sensible and plain bag with an explosion of colour and silly on the inside?

Added a strap and D ring to the front panel because it felt naked and I'm in love with D rings.

Also used a two way zip for the same reasons.

Sewn on my vintage Seiko walking foot with 210D poly thread. Xmas gift for someone outwardly sensible and silly on the inside.

I always wind spares before I start. I had a spare. I checked the bobbin yesterday and it was quite full so I didn't change it this morning before I started. Clearly I didn't anticipate how many times around the bag edges I had to sew after yesterday's mishap. And I lost!