Pop Tabs: The Obsession Continues

That link from Craftster yesterday was a bust, it was vaguely helpful, but the stitch counts were seriously off.  It took me all afternoon, but I did figure it out, yay!

I would like to share, but I’m going to need photos and maybe video to explain some of this stuff and I want to perfect my technique a bit more.  Here’s a shot of the back, sometimes seeing what the back looks like makes the process clearer for me.

I’m making a copy of a purse I’ve seen online and I need 14 of these hexagons (I know they look like flowers, but they are hexagons, humor me).  I made five last night, it takes me about 45 minutes to make one, hopefully I’ll get a little faster.  It is also very hard on a crochet hook, mine is all scratched up and I won’t be able to use it for anything else without snagging the yarn.

Only 9 more to go, we may have carry out for dinner.  I’m so excited that I figured out how to do this I just can’t stop, and now I know that I can also make smaller and larger motifs and squares too!!!

Pop Tab Purse Prototype - Completed

I have finished my pop tab purse prototype (ahem, I know I said a week, note to self be more vague about time on blog).

I really like how the red fabric looks showing through the holes in the tabs!

I added a zippered pocket on the inside, just a little something I really like in a purse. I also like the round zipper pull. I found this zipper in my stash of reclaimed zippers, I don’t know if I will be able to find something similar that is in the budget for this piece, but I can always adapt a zipper pull.

I would say my satisfaction level is about 85%, not bad for the first try of this style. What I learned putting in the linings: the inner lining would be easier to add before sewing the ends on, I’m not sure that the ends need to have pop tabs (they just make the bag hard to turn and the side seams of the lining shows through), need to crochet the top of the bag a bit taller so I can sew the zipper in using the sewing machine instead of by hand, and I need to add a strap or handle to the bag. Now I need to make a “real” one, I’ll take plenty of photos along the way, maybe I’ll even make a tutorial (some day ;-D).

There is also an interesting post on craftster about pop tab purses with hexagons that I’m looking at, I may have to give it a try, I really like how the strap looks where it attaches to the bag.

Pop Tab Purse Prototype

I wanted to share some of the processes that I use when working on a new design.  I think a lot of times we forget how much time and effort go into producing a new product and I wanted to show a little of how my mind works. 

I have been assembling the pop tabs for this bag for three days (pop tab crochet is a little hard on my hands, so there are a lot of breaks ;) and there have been snow days from school and that means less design time).  I will probably take the rest of the week to get the linings installed and the zipper put in. 

Once I finish a prototype I reassess how I put the bag together and see if I can find a more efficient way to assemble it and if there are any constructions steps that need to be changed.

Here is what the outside of the purse looks like and now I will begin working on sizing the linings.  I really like how it is turning out so far.

This one is a clutch style, I might add a removable strap to the final design.  I used 240 tabs and nylon thread.  The tabs are crocheted into rows and then the rows are slip stitched together.  I already know that I need to find a better way to connect the rows together to reduce the amount of ends that I have to finish.  I attached eleven rows and then crocheted a border around the edge.  Strips of tabs were attached to the ends to finish the outside.  Turning the final bag was difficult and I need to make sure that I don’t bend any of the tabs (see top photo, right side.  I was able to bend it back, but I need to be careful).

I will be putting in a double lining.  There are gaps in the tabs for fabric to show through, so I’m using plain red for the interlining to peek through these holes.  I will be using a floral with black and red for the lining you’ll see when the bag is opened.  I am also thinking that a heavy duty zipper with silver teeth and black tape would look really good, instead of just a regular black zipper.

I am going for a couture styled bag, not a crafty/folksy look and will achieve this look by using quality fabrics for the lining, super clean finishes on all seams and edges, and unique details like a custom zipper pull.  I will be testing this bag myself and once that is finished I will tally up how many hours it takes to produce one, cost of supplies, and research similar bags and formulate a price and maybe with luck I will have one listed in my etsy store in a month, whew, makes sewing from a pattern sound simple. 

I am always super excited to finish a new design and try it out and this one is no exception.  My last pop tab bag was a one of a kind and never made it to “production”, it just wasn’t quite right, this time I think I have it. 

What do you guys think, any suggestions?  Look for the finished bag next week.