Ravioli Totepack & Vest Pinafore

My first two makes of 2023 are a Ravioli Totepack and a Vest Pinafore [Jump to the Pinaofore Now!]. Both are rather extensive hacks of existing tutorials or patterns. And both appeared on my 2023 Sewing Planner. [Cheers to goal-setting!]

Rosery Apparel Hack : Ravioli Totepack

Inspired by Rosery Apparel‘s absolutely genius Scalloped Tote Tutorial and Template, I created my own hack: a “Ravioli Totepack” for my piano music. Since I’ve basically been killing my left shoulder and now my left heel with totes and bags, I decided to make myself something I could just as easily wear on my back to balance the load.

Main Hacks

To Rosery Apparel’s design: I INTERFACED the Canvas outer-layer, I added a rectangular, interfaced cotton LINING with large and small POCKETS closed by a MAGNETIC SNAP, I added two short canvas HANDLES that can be pushed into the bag or pulled out to hand-hold, I added a MAGNETIC CLOSURE to the centre of the bag’s opening, I used Japanese WEBBING instead of cloth for the longer tote STRAPS, I created a canvas HORIZONTAL GUIDE for the back tote strap to convert into tote-pack-strapping, I made 2 scalloped canvas PLACKETS to hold the D-RINGS for the totepack strapping, and I added METAL SLIDE BUCKLES so that the totepack strapping can be adjusted if and when necessary.

Materials:

Rosery Apparel Tutorial [The Scallop Tote begins around the 10 Minute Mark. Also on YouTube]
Rosery Apparel Scallop Template
Tracing Paper or Freezer Paper to make your own pattern templates, if desired [As from The Workroom]
1 Yard 44in Wide Canvas for the Main Bag, Horizontal Guide and Short Handles [Rashida Coleman Hale for Ruby Star Society Koi Pond Smile and Wave in Peacock. A remnant/last of the bolt from Fabric Spark.]
2/3 Yard 44 in Wide Cotton for the Lining [Rashida Coleman hale for Ruby Star Society Speckled in Burnt Orange from Fabric Spark]
1 2/3 Yard 44-in Wide Fusible Interfacing
3 1/2 Yards 1-in Wide Webbing [Orange and Yellow Japanese Webbing from Fabric Spark]
1 Large Magnetic Snap [Like these]
1 Small Magnetic Snap
2 1-in wide D-Rings [From MacFab Sews or in kit with slide buckles, below]
2 1-in wide Metal Slide Buckles [Like these]
A Heavy Duty Sewing Machine Needle [Bernina 90/14 Needle from the Universal Assorted 10-Pack from The Workroom]
Fray Check for the Webbing [From The Workroom]

Method Deep Dive:

[Or, Skip to Pinafore]

1. I ended up cutting the Webbing as follows – of course, I didn’t know this at the time 😉
   • 1 length 65 inches for the backpack strap [Bodies larger than a gender-neutral Large may require a bit more length]
   • 1 length 43.5 inches for the front strap
   • 1 length 6 inches for the backpack strap shoulder reinforcement
   • 2 lengths of 3 inches each to hold the d-rings to the bottom scallop plackets.
   • [I’d also like to cut 2 additional 3 inch strips of webbing to loop around and therefore beef up each end of the shoulder-reinforcement straps so that they won’t slide below the Horizontal Guide!]
2. I put Fray Check on all of the cut edges of the webbing and allowed it to dry.
3. I cut a 19 1/4 inch by 22 3/4 inch Square of Tracing Paper, Used Rosery Apparel’s Tutorial and Scallop Template to Trace Scallops onto 1 Side of the Bag and half the bottom, folded the Paper in half to make a perfect mirror image of the scallops, and cut the pattern. Then, I cut 2 of this Pattern in Canvas and 2 in Interfacing.
4. I used 1 of Rosery Apparel’s Scallops from her template to create a single-scallop pattern, cutting 2 Pairs of Scallops in Canvas [I pattern-matched] and 2 pairs of Interfacing to use as Plackets/Bases to hold my D-Rings and Backpack Webbing. One pair will face left, and one pair will face right.
5. I cut a 16×4 Inch rectangle pattern for my Horizontal Guide for the backpack straps, cutting 1 of Canvas [Pattern Matching] and 1 of interfacing
6. I cut a 15×3 [Not 14.5 x3 as labelled] pattern for my short-handle straps, cutting 2 of fabric and 2 of interfacing.
7. I cut two rectangles approximately 15 inches wide and 21 inches long (along the selvedge, not the fold) of the cotton for the lining, and 2 of interfacing.
8. I cut the remaining 12×21 inch square of cotton lining into rectangles of 7 1/4 x9 1/2 and 4 3/4 x 5 1/4 for the pockets, and I cut 1 each of interfacing. [Note, I did not need to pattern match this fabric.]
9. Then I ironed the Interfacing onto the backs of all of the fabric!
10. I sewed the long ends of the Horizontal Guide together with a seam allowance of 1/2 inch to a finished measurement 1 1/2 inches wide, I used a tube turning tool to pull the fabric right side out. I ironed this flat so that the seam was in the centre-back of backside of the Horizontal Guide. I folded the short ends of the Horizontal Guide in, ironed, and topstitched, so that the Horizontal Guide measured 15×1 1/2 inches wide when finished.
11. I placed the centre of the Horizontal Guide in the centre of one of the two main bag pieces [this became the oficial backside of the totepack], aligning the bottom of the Horizontal Guide so that the bottom length of the strap was approximately 1/2 inch below the join of the first two upper side-scallops on right and left of the bag. I centreed the Horizontal Strap and pinned it in place to see how the webbing would slide through.
12. I stitched two rows of edgestitching/topstitching in a TRAPEZOID shape to secure the Horizontal Guide to the very centre of the bag aligned via the scaloops as described above. 4 1/4 inches at the top [2 1/8 inch is the centre] and 5 inches at the bottom [2 1/2 inch is the centre], and 1 1/2 inches at an angle from corner to corner. Then, I left a space of 1 1/4 inch unstitched on each side of this TRAPEZOID shape [where the webbing will slide through – This is actually an unstitched PARAELLOGRAM with 1 1/4 inch at top and bottom, and 1/1/2 inch at the angled sides]. Next, I stitched two 1 1/2 inch rows of topstitching exactly 1 1/4 inches away from the 1 1/2 inch rows of angle topstiching on the TRAPEZOID, on both left and right sides. Then, I edgestitched down the remainder of the Horizontal Guide on the left and right of the TRAPEZOID and spaces.
13. Next, I looped each 3 inch length of webbing through a d-ring, pinned that the each towards the top front curve of each Front Scallop Placket piece, sewed each Front Scallop Piece to each Back Scallop Piece, leaving 1.5 inch opening in the straight side of the Placket, clipped Curves, pulled the Scallop Piece out, ironed, and top stitched the small opening. One Scallop Should have its D-ring aiming out of the Right Top Curve of the Scallop, and one should aim out of the Left.
14. I pinned these Scallop Placket pieces to the same Totepack main piece as the Horizontal Guide. The d-rings should face inward and up towards the Horizontal Guide. These Scallop Plackets are to be placed beside next-to-last scallops on the main body of the tote itself, on either side, as if in mirror image. I top stitched them down in a triangle, along the straight side, a short distance along the lower curve, and across to the beginning of the staight side stitch.
15. Next, I folded each of the two interfaced pocket pieces right sides together and stitched each pocket with about 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a space of about 1 inch in order to pull them pocket right side out. I clipped the curves, pulled each pocket right-side-out, and ironed it flat. I sewed the smaller pocket into the centre of the larger pocket on sides and bottom. Then, I attached the large pocket-combo unit to one of the two large lining pieces on sides and bottom. I measured this against the backpack canvas piece so that the top of the pocket lined up with the bottom of the Horizontal Strap, or thereabouts. Then, I attached a small hammer-in magnetic closure in the centre of the large pocket and the lining back.
16. I sewed the main tote right sides together along the scalloped edges per Rosery’s tutorial. I clipped the curves, turned it all right sides out, and spent quite some time ironing it all out.
17. Then, I topstitched the tote together right sides out, approximately 2 1/4 inches in from the edges of the scallop, per the tutorial.
18. Next, I sewed the lining right sides together but did NOT turn it right sides out. Rather, I slid it into the canvas tote so that the tops of my lining matched up with the tops of the tote.
19. Then, I folded in the fabric at the top of the tote [approximately 3 inches] so that it was even with the top of the top scallop, and ironed it in place. I then folded that approximately 3-inch width of fabric in by 1 1/2 inches, to create a thick, beautiful interior double hem or upper edge of the tote.
20. Before stitching this hem down, however, I attached a large magnetic snap in the centre of the tote opening, so that the backsides of the hammer-in snaps would NOT be visible on the outsides of the totepack. [Rather, they are hidden in the double fold of the tote mouth.]
21. I then sewed the two cloth short-handles, folding each of the 15×3 inch pieces of interfaced canvas in half, length-wise, sewing all edges, but leaving a 2 inch opening on the 15 inch lengths towards one of the corners, clipping the corners, and then using a tube-turning to turn it right-side out. I ironed it flat, and decided to top-stitch the sewn edges down for durability.
22. Using the magnetic snap as a centre or guide, I pinned the edges of the handles, each in a u-shape, to the bottom part of either side of the the inside hem/ironed fold of the tote.
23. Next, I sewed the 6-inch stabilizing piece of webbing to the very centre of the 65-in long backpack webbing strap using a simple topstitch all along the 4 edges. This stabilizing straps runs from 29 1/2 inches to 35 1/2 inches, with 32 1/2 inches as its centre. [I plan on going back and also sewing a 3 inch piece of strap in a loop around the edges of this support, so that the handle won’t further slip through the Horizontal Guide]
24. Then, I slipped the fray-checked edges of the 65 inch backpack strap through each of the openings in the Horizontal Guide, making sure that the handle has a u-shaped loop, but not a twist in the webbing. I slipped a metal slide buckle onto each of the two back-pack webbing straps from top to bottom. I looped each raw end through each d-ring, from front to back. I looped each raw edge back up through the back of the adjuster’s central, moveable, metal bar. And then I pinned that raw edge about 2 inches down on the onto the very back of the webbing. I adjusted the metal slides (about 3 1/5 inches up from each D-ring) and webbing loops and webbing so that the shoulder support section of the strap was centred, and that, when the tote is flattened out and the tote-pack handle is extended to use as a tote (and not a pack) the webbing measures 28 inches from one top-edge of the canvas tote to the other top-edge of the tote, or approximately 54 inches from D-Ring fold to D-Ring Fold. Once I was happy with the measurement, I sewed each of the two raw edges of the webbing down in a 1 inch square on the backside of the loop.
25. Next, I pinned the front webbing down on the front of the tote so that it is also approximately 28 inches from the top edge of the tote and so that it matches the alignment and length of backpack straps when extended to use as a tote. I folded the raw edges under by approximately one inch and pinned the strapping to the tote front at a slight angle, to echo the angle of the other tote strap.
26. Before sewing the front webbing strap down, I lined up the small cloth handles and pinned them so that they’re basically even with the pinned front webbing. Then, I hemmed the tote approximately 1 1/2 inches from the edge of the tote (or, close to the edge of the inside fold), making sure the cloth handles were pointing with their handles up, so that I caught them at the very bottom, such that they’d still drop back down. I double stitched the handles along that hem to make them more secure. Also, while stitching this hem, I MADE SURE NOT TO sew through the metal snaps AND NOT TO ATTACH OR SEWTHROUGH THE backpack webbing at the back!
27. Then, I pinned the cloth handles down into the bag temporarily. And I attached the front webbed tote handle with a lot of top stitching, making sure that I ONLY sewed though the cloth handle at the place where it was attached/hemmed. [So that the inner cloth handles can easily drop down into the bag when it’s snapped shut if you don’t want them in sight.]
28. Et voila!

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VezyVogue Hack: Vest Pinafore

Materials

VEST PATTERN: Very Easy Vogue #V9138
MAIN FABRIC: Rifle Camont canvas from @fabricspark – remnant from x-back apron I made for Bea summer 22.
BACK VEST CONTRAST FABRIC: Mystery green swishy stuff from stash.
LINING: Black bemberg from downtown – remnant from fall 22 cascade duffle.
NOTIONS: 2 Small D rings, 3 buttons, interfacing @macfabsews, Invisible zipper from stash.

Method

1. I hacked the #v9138 vest B into a cropped vest by cutting the front at the lengthen/shorten line & meauring the back to suit (its lengthen/shorten line was lower!)
2. I added a 3/4in-wide when completed waistcoat cincher with small d-rings to the back of the vest for a menswear look and extra cinchability!
3. Vest has 3 buttons, 1 hidden snap.
4. In addition to interfacing the front vest, I interfaced its silky bemberg lining both front/back very carefully w light fusible to help support the skirt.
5. Before sewing the lining to the main vest, I stitched in 2-inch-folded-into-1-inch wide lengths of selvedge+fabric as a waist-stay/attacher for the skirt. I doubled-seamed these diy stay tapes at the top of the fold to the waistcoat lining leaving room at seams and front vest overlap.
6. Simple 4 seam skirt is 2 rectangles fabric (smaller at back) with side seam hidden pockets (goto pattern) – cinched by attaching to a thin strip of elastic measured to the length of the finished vest waist circumference.
7. Oops! Pockets placed about 1-in lower than desired, but I doubt I’ll change them as they’re sewn in so nicely.
8. I sewed the skirt to the vest by placing the elastic between the two open ends of the folded stay tape.
9. While the front vest opens completely (except for where the skirt keeps it bound together) I added a side zipper so I could have a nice fitted bodice/vest.
10. Since the invisible zip extends down to the skirt, and since the skirt attaches to the back of the lining, not between lining and main vest, I had to make a little bit of binding to cover the front of the zipper on the skirt portion. I pattern matched this binding to the skirt well enough that it’s difficult to see.
11. Generous 2-in hem.