Sew Zips In Open Top Tote Bags. Dress with Accessory of the Day, post 829 by Angela Lansbury.

Open Top Tote Bag Problems

When I put a tote bag under my seat at a meeting, or a hotel airport, when I pull the bag out, the contents scatter. There's a delay. I feel foolish. My companions are annoyed. I shall lose my place in the queue to board. I look under the chair again from the other side and find I nearly lost a pen. I vow that I shall do something to solve this problem next time.

Temporary Tote Bag Solutions

There are two temporary last minute solutions to this scattered souvenirs problem. 

Carry a stapler.  

Or string or piece of wool to tie up the handles of your duty free bag and attach it to your main luggage, with the top held together.

Permanent Solutions - Zips and Press Studs

Put zips in a tote bag, which you use for extras you buy. Or, after boarding, put the duty free bag inside the zip-up tote bag.

Today was next time, to find a permanent solution. As usual I have my mind on packing for my next holiday.

Check every item of clothing. Stains. Looks seams and hems. Loose buttons. Jammed zips.

 Open top pockets and tote bags need closures. Should you quickly sew on one small, or large, press stud? (Americans call them snap fasteners.) Or a zip. (Americans call them zippers.)

I have lots of tote bags. I have lots of zips. Some zips I removed from garment which were past their use by date. (Joke.) Others I bought second-hand on ebay. Some I bought new. Cheaply from China, never mind the wait, they were for stock. More expensively from UK department stores. Sometimes the added postage makes it better value to buy two at once, although you need only one, and keep the spare in stock.

How to sew in a Zip

For years I had thought sewing in a zip was complicated. Then I was showed how to sew a zip into the top of a handbag. My instructor was an au pair girl from France who stayed with us through her summer to help look after my then small son.

It's really simple. In theory.  You sew up at least two straight lines of stitching, along the left and right of the long sides of the zip.

Well, I lied. It is more complicated. As you find out when you try to do it. Your zip is usually too short or too long. 

Short Zips

If it is too short, there is a gap. If you leave the gap at the zip pull end and things might fall out. The tote bag might not hang right, straight and neat. 

Instead, I sew up the gap at the other end. You can sew the sides of the bag together over the gap. Or sew the ends of the zip together and leave them horizontal and sewn into the end of the tote bag.

What if you have only small zips? And zips of different colours? Choose two dark zips. Two light zips. Two nearly matching the colour of the bag. Two of maximum contrasting colour to the bag - jolly. Co-ordinates with more clothes and suitcase colours. Match the suitcase colour. Such as black or coloured.

You could divide the tote bag into two verticals to make two separate compartments for bottles or rolled-up magazines and newspapers. With or without a line of stitching down the bag.

My latest effort was to sew two old zips into a tote bag. Why two? I did not have a zip the right size. I did not want to waste a big zip. I thought of having just one zip on one side to keep the bag half closed. No. All or nothing.

Tote Bag Supplier

I had bought the blue and yellow tote bag from St Luke's charity shop in North West London, which raises money for hospices in that area. 



Inside, concealed  are the two short zips.



-ends-

Angela Lansbury is the author twenty books, including several books on etiquette, wedding etiquette of comical poems, such as Animals Pets and Pests. She has also written  books on about writing poetry such as Poetry Workbook, which you can browse of buy from Amazon.co.uk, or Amazon.com and Lulu.com  She has also contributed poems and chapters to anthologies edited by Carolyn Street.

A book on clothes and sewing will appear in the next year. Earlier if somebody helps me with loading my word documents into publishing format, or convinces me that like sewing, you just try it and keep going until it's good enough.

 


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pearl brooches on hat paired with M & S sweater with pearls. Dress Post 686 by Angela Lansbury

Image
    Sweater embroidered with mock pearls matches my hat pinned with mock pearl brooches.  I had never worn this pale grey sweater  I thought pale grey was a boring colour and always opted for something brighter such as royal blue or bight red. However, as I re-folded warm winter tops to fit them into my crammed dresser unit shelves, this fell out. Was the universe sending me a message?  I thought, I don't remember ever wearing it.  I must wear it once. Just for a change.  Snow is falling outside in London. Now is its hour. I looked  at the decoration. Sequins! I had been searching for sequins to wear at New Year. This thick sweater would not match my red solid sequin evening skirt. However, it would match my knitted hat, which bore brooches with mock pearls. The Grey Marl Sweater M & S Collection. Size 14. a mixture of four fabrics, cotton.  As I had anticipated, the garment had pinned inside some spare sequins and pearls and rhinestones....
Read more

Stripey Red & White Socks, thigh high, and tights - outfit 679 by Angela Lansbury

Image
  I bought a pair of knee high red and white stripe socks in St Luke's charity shop. At one pound or under, you can't lose much. (Their charity fundraising shops are in NW London in Hatch End, Harrow Weald and elsewhere.) Why did I buy the long socks, in hard to match, garish, childish, stripes - after hesitation and consideration? The Advantages Of Long Socks The  length was attractive, at this time of year. I often need long socks under a midi skirt. For warmth in winter. And not to show bit of bare legs above socks. To co-ordinate colours. Advantages and Disadvantages of Red and White Stripes I like red. It's fun. White can show dirt quickly.  Red and white is a bit restrictive. It will clash with patterns, only go with plain reds and whites. But under a table at dinner or on Zoom nobody else will notice. Nor will I. I will only feel them. If the socks are too tight, you might feel uncomfortable. At night, when you take them off, you might see red indentation lines acr...
Read more

Inspection of Collection, M & S Dress poem Plus PACKING LIST, Post 739 by Angela Lansbury.

Image
I've clothes in every shade and hue Red, orange, pink, purple, green, blue In every style and kind of dress From, Primark, Temu, M & S I love to count, and keep in order Yes, you've guessed it, I'm a hoarder. -ends- Permanent Packing List When I was a busy travel writer, taking at least one trip a month, often two or three times a month, I would keep a suitcase permanently packed with clothes in black, white and red.  My all purpose wheelie bag contained all the things I had regretted not taking on previous trips. CLOTHES & COSMETICS 1 A swimsuit and swimhat. Later I bought a swimsuit with an attached hood. 2 I always had one tank top in case it turned sunny, or I had a stopover somewhere warm. 3 A brimmed hat or baseball cap. 4 A thermal vest, scarf and gloves for chilly nights, air conditioning, breezy boat trips, or trips to another continent with reverse seasons. 5 A couple of scarves, one with gold to convert a plain black or white tee-shirt into an evening out...
Read more