
Ultimately I decided to do include the tutorial both here on my blog and also in the fairytale doll pattern. So if you want the templates, fairytale dolls, and all those cute clothes, purchase the pattern (especially if you want to sell them). If you just want to learn how to make a fabric suitcase though for your personal use, keep reading below!
- 30 inch separating zipper (which we will convert to a 28 inch non-separating zipper.)
- 2/3 yard of lining fabric
- 1/3 yard of both the suitcase sides (teal fabric) and side fabric (dark blue fabric)
- 1 yard of Peltex 71F Single sided ultra firm stabilizer
- a package of Fusible Fleece
- a small amount of fusible interfacing (such as Wonder Under).
- 11.75 inches of ¼ inch elastic
- a small (5-6 inch) piece of trim for the handle.
Here's what you'll need:
The main part of the suitcase is made of one long side piece, the base, and the suitcase front and back. My finished suitcase measured 12 inches (w) x 10 inches (t) x 4.25 inches (d), but the instructions here could easily be scaled up or down.
The front and back of the suitcase are made from 11.5 inches x 9 inches rectangles. (The top corners are slightly curved to make it easier to apply the zipper. The long rectangular side piece is 28 5/8 inch long x 4 inches wide. The base is 11 3/8 inches long and 4 inches wide.
The pocket pieces (cut 2 from the lining fabric) are 16.7 x 7 inches tall.
The pocket pieces (cut 2 from the lining fabric) are 16.7 x 7 inches tall.
Let’s
get started. First you
need to cut out fusible interfacing the same shape as your fabric
corner pieces. These are the blue corner
pieces on the suitcase.
Let’s
talk
about how fusible interfacing works.
Fusible interfacing has a bumpy side and a paper backed
side. You’re going to want to put the
bumpy side onto the wrong
(back) side
of the fabric, then iron according to manufacturer's directions (hot dry
iron). (1)
After
the fabric cools, remove the paper backing. (2) The
adhesive will remain on your fabric and look a little shiny. If the paper doesn’t peel off easily, you
probably haven’t ironed enough, so just try ironing longer. Then iron to your base fabric (3).
Sew
along the edge of the just adhered suitcase corners to make sure that they are
well attached. Then fuse the
front of the suitcase
to Fusible Fleece (cut to be the same size as your suitcase). Like in the previous step, place the
adhesive side of the fusible fleece on the wrong side of your fabric. Iron on the right side of your fabric to
adhere it to the fleece.
The
side piece is also fused to Fusible Fleece.
Fuse as described above.
Then attach the 1 inch handle piece (about 5-6 inches long) in
the center of the long siding piece.
Attach the handle at each edge of the ribbon, by sewing a X
pattern.
**If
you are worried about the edges of the ribbon fraying, you can use Fray Check
The
base piece (and most of the inner lining pieces) are fused to Peltex. Unlike Fusible Fleece, the Peltex
pieces are cut about 3/8 inch smaller than the fabric
pieces.
A note about Peltex:
Peltex 71F
Single sided ultra firm stabilizer
is a super strong stabilizer that requires a heavy duty needle to sew
through. Pieces adhered to Peltex
should be cut 3/8 inch smaller than the actual pieces they will be fused
to. Put shiny adhesive side on wrong side of
fabric. Iron on fabric side (not Peltex side).
Iron on high, putting pressure as you iron. Cover with a damp cloth and press firmly for
10-15 seconds, lift and move to next area until the entire area is adhered. Remove damp cloth and iron to remove extra
moisture.
Attach
the outer base piece and the inner side lining pieces to Peltex.
Fuse
the long side piece to Peltex as
well.
Then, using a
heavy weight needle, sew through the outer layer of the base. I sew once through the center. For the side pieces, I divide in half, and then divide in half
again. This helps secure the Peltex to
the pieces.
Next
we’re going to work on the inner lining pocket.
If you’d like to add trim to your pocket pieces, do so now. I sewed a 1.75 inch piece of blue fabric
to the front of my lining pocket.
Then
use a safety pin to pull 11.75 inches of ¼ inch elastic through the passageway.
Run a
gathering stitch along the lower side of the pocket. Place on top of the inside of the suitcase
and adjust gathers to fit the correct length of the base. Sew down the middle of the pocket to divide
the pocket into two and secure it to the back of the suitcase lining.
Adjust
gathers on base of pocket to fit the inside of the suitcase. Then baste in place.
Now
we are going to begin assembling the suitcase. Sew the main sides to the base using
1/4 inch seam allowance.
Sew
the long
side piece to the
bottom at each end.Sew the long side piece to back of the suitcase. Starting at the middle, place one pin. Pin around the edges, and sew. Ease around the corners, sewing slowly.
Repeat steps 7-9 with the lining, this time using 3/8 inch seam allowance. Since these pieces have Peltex, it's harder to sew. This is why it's really important that you cut the Peltex a bit smaller than the fabric.
The
next step is going to be to attach your zipper.
This suitcase works perfectly with a 28 inch non-separating zipper. The problem is that it’s very difficult to
find a non-separating zipper in this size.
No worries though! We can make
one!
The
best thing about making your own is that you can get the zipper just the size
you need. In fact, I’d recommend
measuring your suitcase and comparing it to the zipper size to make sure it’s
just the way that you like
it.
Let’s
begin with a 30 inch separating zipper. Cut the bottom two inches off of the
zipper. Use needle nose pliers to remove
the bottom teeth from the zipper.
Grab
a small piece of fabric (matching your suitcase side) and sew to zipper along
lower edge. Be careful, as if your needle hits the teeth it can break your
needle. A zipper foot is helpful for
sewing close to the teeth.
We
are now going to attach your zipper.
Begin by placing your lining inside of your outer suitcase, such that
the right sides are facing each other.
Begin by laying out your zipper along the flap side piece.
You
can pull the end of the zipper (the piece that has the fabric you attached on
it) out between the layers, so that it will stick out in the finished suitcase.
After
sewing, your zipper should be attached all around, except at the region noted
by
the arrows, where it is only attached to the suitcase front.
After
sewing, it’s time to turn your suitcase right side out. Pull your suitcase through
the
hole you left (as shown above with the arrows).
Once your suitcase is right side out, it’s time to sew up the remaining
hole (This
sews the
zipper to the lining in
the hole region.)
To do
this, tuck raw
edges of the fabric in, and then sew all along the edge of the top of the
zipper. This closes the hole and adds
some nice top stitching detail.
This
completes your suitcase. You can either
tuck the zipper end in to the inside of your suitcase (as shown below) or have
the tail stick out a little bit. I hope you enjoyed this (rather extensive) free tutorial and the little peak into my fairytale doll pattern!
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I shared this project on Sew Can She's Show off Saturday! Click on over to check out the other great entries!
love the suitcaae. quite a project! Thank you.
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