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We are thrilled to hear that you all love Walden! To celebrate the launch, we are hosting sew alongs for the new patterns. Up first: Cooper!
This bag is really quick to sew, and we are eager to see all of your fabric choices. So we decided to make this a fast sew along, with just 4 weeks to make your bag and get it posted to the Colette Patterns Flickr group for entry into the contest.
Learn all you need to know to make the Cooper bag in any of three variations: messenger bag, backpack, or satchel. If you’re new to bag making, this is a perfect place to start. Learn all about specialty fabrics, hardware, and the simple techniques you can use to get a professional finish.
Many of you have asked for resources on finding some of the more specialty items used to make bags for the Cooper Sew Along. I’ve spent more hours than I can count researching this stuff as we planned our kits, so I want to share some of my resources with you today. I have used …
Today, we’re going to show you how to install a magnetic snap in your Cooper bag, or any other project that calls for them. We’ll be showing the male side of the snap, but you can use the same steps to install the female side. Step 1: Transfer magnetic snap | markings to the right …
Are you ready to start making your Cooper bag today? I know some of you are still gathering up supplies. Don’t worry about it too much. This bag is a pretty quick sew, so you should have lots of time to catch up if you’re not quite ready to start. In this post, we’re going …
If you’re making the satchel version of Cooper, here’s where you start.
If you’ve just picked up your Cooper pattern and want to make straps for the messenger bag or backpack, but have never worked with webbing before, this step-by-step tutorial will guide you through the process of creating adjustable straps. You can use this technique for any type of adjustable strap with a slider… even bras! …
Today is for those of you working on the backpack version of Cooper. If you’re doing the messenger or satchel, hang tight. We’ll return to those on Friday, giving you the weekend to sew. If you’re working on the messenger, you might also want to check out today’s tutorial on assembling adjustable straps. We’ll be …
Special note: Rachel is moving on from the CP blog, and this marks her final post for us. Thanks to Rachel for all of her contributions in the last months. – Sarai Today, we’re going to cover installing jiffy rivets on your Cooper bag. We will be using a Cooper satchel in our example, but …
Today, we’re back to working on the satchel (v.3) of the Cooper bag. If you’re working on the messenger or backpack, we’ll return to those versions on Monday, as we put the flap and body together.
Getting a nice square bottom of the bag seems like witchcraft. Looking at it from the outside, it’s not at all clear how you can sew into those tight little corners. Luckily for us, there’s no black magic involved. Just a simple little trick we’re going to show you. First, watch the quick one minute …
Welcome back to the Cooper Sewalong, folks! Today, we’re going to be finishing up the body by attaching the bottom gusset and sewing up the sides. Then, we’ll finish up the flap. Follow these steps for any of the three versions of Cooper and you’ll be almost ready to finish up. The only thing that …
If you’re working on the messenger bag version of Cooper with us (version 1), we’ve just got a quick walk-through today on making your messenger strap. For the other versions (backpack and satchel), you can skip this post and we’ll finish up the bag by sewing the lining on Friday! Though you can also add …
And we’re finally finishing up our bags today! Today, we’ll be installing the lining on any of the three versions of Cooper. If you’ve already done the shell of your bag, this process should be very easy. After making the 4 interior pockets, you’ll put the lining together in much the same way as you …
I must say, this is one of the most expressive sewalong or contest roundups we’ve done. It seems like every person took their bag in a totally different direction, and the variety that resulted is kind of amazing. We’ve got cute bags, chic bags, kids’ bags, understated bags, bold bag, men’s bags. You name it, …
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Cooper Sewalong and Contest! We had so many incredible entries, believe me when I say that the voting was extremely tight. Congratulations to our winners: 1. Favorite Satchel: Alison’s City Cooper 2. Favorite Messenger: Alix’s Charly Harper Cooper: 3. Favorite Customization: polkadotelefant’s dog-friendly Cooper 4. …