This is the last step. You will be sewing down straps, first the front panel and then the back panel, finishing each bag in turn. I sew each strap down as a single, continuous stitch line, never removing the needle from the strap or cutting the thread until the bag strap is complete. This means […]
This is one question that we’re taught to answer, whether it’s formulating the idea for a book or marketing a book that’s already published: Who is your audience and how do you find readers for your books? It’s not an easy question to answer. You want answers that work for you, which means you have […]
Now we’re sewing bag straps. The first step is to pin the straps to the bags. You will need the stack of bags, your collection of straps, pins, and your spacers and bag insert. If you want to insert a horizontal fabric tag indicating you made the grocery bag, you’ll need them too. I place […]
If you’ve never run a business before, if this is your first book you’ve published, if you’ve read enough success stories and heard come-ons from book marketers that promise a steady income or best-seller status, then we need to talk about expectations. Writing is fun. Creating a story is a blast. Putting words down on […]
Set the pile of partially finished cloth grocery bags aside. Now it’s time for making bag straps. If you are going to make cloth straps rather than use purchased webbing, now is the time to do it. Dig through your stash and find those 45-inch-wide pieces of moderate-weight junk fabric in a reasonably coordinating color. […]
There’s no lack of information and advice when it comes to how we should live. The Greek philosophers asked that question and Romans such as Marcus Aurelius left behind works that considered how best we should behave. Today, we are beset by how-to books that promise us the path for maximum production, to hone our […]
In this step, you will prepare the fold-down top, iron the bag, sew down the fold-down top, and then trim it out. At the ironing board, fold down the top edge 2 inches, and press, aligning the stitch line with the stitch line in the bag beneath. The triangular cutouts will allow the foldover to […]
Agatha Christie caught a break early in her career when her second novel “The Secret Adversary” was syndicated in American newspapers. Yes, American newspapers published fiction – real fictional stories in addition to the usual collection of fake, pseudo-fake, trendy, and actual facts. American newspapers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American newspapers […]
While English is a dominant language, getting your novel translated into another language can open new markets for your business. This is especially true if your book has something that appeals to that country’s readers. It may be that the story is set in that country, or an historic event plays a big role in […]
This is the step whereby the flange is turned into a skeleton, supporting the tailored cloth grocery bag. This step reinforces the six edges and four corners of the bags: front panel side, bottom, and side and back panel side, bottom, and side. Measure Twice, Cut Once Measure down 2 inches from the top edge […]