I’m always amazed at what we can do with actual fabric. Today’s tutorial is the perfect
example. I’ve got this awesome firewood hauler that’s just made out of a yard and
a quarter of canvas. Let’s get started.
Before I walk you through today’s steps I’m going to ask you to just bounce into
the description below and print out today’s free printable. It’s almost a pattern. And
this is going to follow my instructions using a yard and a quarter of the canvas from James
Thompson and Co. But this is a 60 inches wide so that’s why the part of my math that this
is based on that. So if you’re not using 60 you may need to get more fabric. I love
the 60 inch wide eight ounce duck. It’s strong enough but light enough to do a lot
of this awesome craft sewing. So I do have the pattern like I said below. You’re going
to need that. And the only other thing you need is I do have some of these ⅜ inch,
or you could use ½ inch wooden dowels. These go up in the top sleeve. And that actually
helps the structure and everything in the handles when this is weighted down with real
logs and real kindling in it for the fireplace. So that’s not technically on the supply
list but that’s something that you’re going to need.
Now what I want to first do from my yard and a quarter, so it’s the 45 direction this
way. It was 60 folded this way. I’m going to true up this edge. And then I”m going
to cut off two, three inch straps that will be set aside and used for the strapping and
handles. So I’m cleaning this up here this way. And then I’m just going to go ahead
and rotate it for myself so that I’m cutting safe. I have a lot of layers involved. And
the thicker the fabric gets the more the problems could happen, I”ll say. So just be really
careful. And here I am looking at this line. I’m making a three inch cut. And I want
two of those. You need roughly 120 inches of strapping. And because we have 60 inch
wide goods this is perfect for that. Ok these have been cut off. We’re going to get to
the strap here in a few minutes. But let’s finish trimming down our canvas as well. Now
I’m going to come right over here. This fold has been my true fold that I’ve been
using that whole time. So now I’m just going to slide my ruler down. I’m looking at that
line across there. Let me move this over a little bit better so you can see. Perfect.
And now I’m looking down here. And I’m going to take off the least amount necessary
for a wonderful rectangle piece of fabric there. And then one last trim. I’ve got
my selvedges down here. We’re going to do the same thing. But I’m just going to fold
it over real quick. Keep everything square. And there goes that pattern. I don’t think
I”m going to need it much more. We’ll see about that. Ok. And we’re just going
to take off these selvedges like this here.
Now let’s talk about what we’re looking at. This right here with the fold across the
top is basically the structure or the body of the bag. You can see it here. It’s ok
if it’s a little bit longer. We’re also going to fold these edges over to make our
sleeves. So now we’re going to go ahead and get started on this at the sewing machine.
So there is no right or wrong sides necessarily to this. So I just want to bury those seams
so what I’m going to really do now is I”m going to start up here at this corner. I’m
going to be making a quarter inch seam or greater seam allowance. And I”m using polyester
thread in the top and in the bobbin today because this is an industrial or gear style
project. So I want heavy industrial style stuff. So I’m going to back this up real
quick. And I’m going to sew this edge completely. I’m down here at the long edge now and I
come off the corner to restart and I’m going to sew this edge completely as well and then
on to the other short edge. But I won’t finish the entire short edge.
Ok so now I”m on the short edge. We do need to leave ourselves an opening so we can turn
this thing back right sides out. So what I’m going to do is I’m going to come up here
about, oh 15 or 20 inches. That’s good. And then I’m going to backstitch to stop.
I’m going to jump over about six or eight inches. And I’m going to restart that. And
I’m going to come all the way up to my corner. And I’m going to finish this out. I”m
not going to stitch up the fold. We’re going to be topstitching as well so we can put more
thread up at that fold for security if you feel that that is necessary. And before we
flop this open we’re going to dog ear our corners, there, at the fold. There’s one
and number four. Get those threads out of our way while we’re there. Now I’m going
to go back into this opening I left behind. Reach up and grab an opposite corner and just
pull this thing all the way back to what will now be technically right sides out. If you
were working with a printed canvas of course you would have had right sides together for
that step because this will now be the finished edge. I’m poking at that corner good
and this one as well. Alright did I get them all? I feel like I’m missing one. There
it is. Now a couple fun tricks in securing, finishing in all this all at one time.
So we’re going to bring this around like this. And here is effectively that raw edge,
right? So the first thing we’re going to do is we’re just going to stitch this closed
real quick. So I’m starting up here at this top corner. Ok we’re going to go ahead and
lock that and cut it. Now the next thing we’re going to do on this side, and then I”m just
going to point out we’re going to do the exact same thing on the other side. But I
want to show you just this one side right now. Is I want to make sure that I can make
this fit my dowels. So yes fold it over to make a one inch sleeve so it’s folded over
two inches like yay. Or you could always measure to make sure it fits within your dowel. Just
make sure that you pre check before you stitch this down. So like I said I’m going to fold
over one inch. If it’s just as easy I can move my edge guide all the way back. And then
I know right where my stitch line is here. And now what I’m going to do is I”m going
to come in here and I’m going to put another row of stitching right next to that row of
topstitching and create this casing all at the same time.We do the casing after all the
other stitching so now there’s no raw edges on the inside of the casing. So what I’m
going to do real quick, I’m going to go ahead and finish the other side and do the
topstitching all around so I can come right back and teach you how to put your handle
together and sew it to your firewood hauler. I’ll be right back.
Ok here we are back finishing the top stitching. And I just want to remind us all as I come
into this last corner, I’m going to lock my stitching at the bottom of the sleeve that
the doweling goes into. When you’re doing your topstitching, please do not stitch that
closed or you won’t be able to get the dowel inside. Once that is all set we are basically
ready for our straps. So let’s just kind of slide this slightly out of the way. We’re
going to need it again in a second. Those two three inch by 60 inch cuts we made earlier
I have also now taken those and I have joined them on the bias or on the 45. That was done
by simply taking the edges, lay one over the other like yay and sew across it on the diagonal
and then trim it away. Once that’s done we need to make this really long strapping.
So what I want you to do now is make sure you know what are your right sides. Put them
together so your seam is going to be on the outside. And that’s why we did that bias
just so we have a little bit less bulk right there. We’re going to come all the way down
making sure we know exactly where the inside and outside is down here. And I’m going
to run a quarter inch seam allowance basically all the way along the 120 inches so that when
it’s done it can be turned back to right sides out. I’ve got a couple of fun tube
turning tricks and I’m going to first want to tell you that because of the bulk of the
canvas the rope trick didn’t work great. So what I really did is I just took a safety
pin when this was wrong sides still together. And I put it through just like my sweatshirt
hood. And I just easily fed the safety pin down and out through the outside of the tube.
So that’s why that’s still there, just as a reminder that the really beefy safety
pin is probably your best and easiest way.
Now what I want to do is I want to marry these two edges together also. So what I want to
do is I’m going to bring this around and I”m going to trim these raw edges just so
they’re nice and clean so I can be working on them. So those are the two edges still.
Ok. Now I’m going to put one edge inside of the other just to finish it off. So first
of all I want one of these to basically get rolled inside out a little bit or I guess
I’m trying to say right sides in to make no raw edge out here like this. So now I have
essentially no raw edge. I”m going to make sure that I keep the integrity of the strap
so it’s going to come back around here and I know that because now I have this seam on
both sides. And I’m going to tuck the raw edge deep inside the finished edge as I come
over to my sewing machine. And we’re just going to stitch that closed and secured and
sealed up forever. It might have a little bit of a bump or a gap in it. Mine did but
we’re going to hide that right at the strapping so we’re not too worried about any of this.
I just want to make sure that I can get it really secured and right across and backstitch
to secure it. Lock it down. Now we’re ready to go ahead, we have a continuous loop that
should all be laying flat. Good, it is. And now we’re going to come back to our bag,
excuse me, our bag, our canvas, our firewood hauler. And this I’m considering the outside,
the part that has the extra relief from those sleeves. And I want to create a four inch
line. And I”m going to need my chalk pencil for that. This is just how I’m going to
lay the strapping on. So I”m coming over and I’ve got four inches from the edge here.
And I want a nice chalk line that I can see. We’re going to do this on both sides. Oops,
just like this. And then four inches from this other outer edge. One, two, three, four.
And then what this line is is where the strap lays on. Just like that.
Now what I’m going to do to make life super easy is I’m also going to put a few pins
in place. So what I first want to do is I want to start with this little edge that we
created. And we’re going to stick it right up against this line here. Just so it’s
kind of part of what we’ve been doing. Now the chalk line of the strap, so I’m going
to hold that there. And I’m going to take a pin. I’m going to put it in position there,
up here, in the middle and again all the way at the top. As I bring
this around I have my seam on the handle there. And so I”m also making sure that the seam
on the handle is on the inside of the bag here. And now I’m basically eyeballing to
make sure, do I have enough handle up here. So let me give you some real math. I think
this might make all of you at home happy. I love eyeballing stuff. But not everybody
loves eyeballing. I’m roughly three inches up from there. And I am roughly four inches.
So yes I can shift a little bit more, right? So just do that. Just make sure that your
center point is about good. You’ll have handles on both sides like that. Of course
you could fold it in half to double check. But I want to get to sewing so we’re just
going to do this like this now. I’m going to pin this top side now also. Get this over
here. And this over here.
And now we’re going to head right into the machine, careful of those pins everybody.
And a reminder, don’t sew all the way to the top because we have our really cool sleeve
there. I’m going to catch it, backstitch it. I’m going to slide that pin out of the
way. And now I”m just going to topstitch this handle down. Now as we come up to the
top where the handle meets that casing again for our dowel, I’m going to just back up
a little bit to secure it. Now I’m going to run some stitching, again just to hold
that. But it also really helps kind of mask the fact that that’s where I joined the
two seam handles or the handle seams together. And now I’m turning around and I”m going
to topstitch my way back down that same strap. Alright now as we approach that first end
where we started I’m just going to do a little backstitch for security, pivot, come
through, hit that thread, do a quick little pivot to secure, lockstitch. And I’ve cut
it and I’ve got this side of the strapping or the handle completely stitched in. And
of course we’ll go ahead and do the exact same thing to the other side. But let me show
you on my finished firewood hauler here.
As I said here’s our finished with both straps as you can see. The last thing we’ll
need you to do is put that ⅜ or ½ inch dowel back into that little sleeve up at the
top. Now I like to have mine removable in case over time something were to fall and
break or something like that. But you certainly could go back in and maybe hand stitch those
closed if you wanted to. I wouldn’t run that under my machine myself. Now where those
straps are at I consider that the outside of the bag or the hauler. I keep wanting to
call it a bag. I guess because it’s got handles on it. But just like this now we’re
ready to go out to the wood pile and get ourselves all stocked up for a nice, cozy fire this
evening. Pretty awesome, don’t you think?
Now you know me and I love my quilts and I love my gear projects right here at Man Sewing.
And I tell you what, I’ve been using this wonderful eight ounce canvas for a lot of
years for a lot of style sewing. What I’d like to hear from you in today’s comments
below, what was the first thing you made out of canvas and do you still have it? It’s
probably lasted quite awhile like me here at Man Sewing.
Oh, hey are you still in here. I thought you would have been checking out some of those
other great videos. You know we’ve got a link there, over there. And hey don’t forget
to subscribe. Make sure you never miss a minute of the action. We’ll catch you next time,
at Man Sewing.