One of my favorite mods for the Grocery Bag pattern is the patchwork one! It is so fun to put all these prints together into some wild combinations and see it all come together.
While patchwork is something I'm pretty comfortable with at this point (experience makes it a lot, lot easier!), I remember when it was a bit of a mystery how some of the pieces are sewn together into a larger piece big enough to use for a project.
If this is something you can relate to and you'd like to know more so you can make your own patchwork pieces, take look at the photos at the bottom of this post to see an example layout and the basic process for how to make a patchwork panel to use to make the Grocery Bags. This same process can be used to make patchwork for just about any project.
But first, here are some photos of the three patchwork bags I made this week and a little bit of background info for this post:
Making: One panel to use for the smallest version of the Grocery Bag.
Measurements: There are no measurements for the patches. The point of patchwork is to use scraps or small pieces of fabric and these are all different sizes.
Foundation Piecing: Almost all the patchwork I make is mostly foundation pieced. Foundation piecing means the fabric pieces are sewn together ("pieced") directly onto a larger piece of fabric. Stitching them together on a foundation makes it easier because the fabrics aren't going to be stretching as much and the end piece is stable and somewhat substantial. The "mostly" part means some of the patches are joined together separate the foundation, and then attached to the foundation. You can see this in action in the photos below where patches 6/7/8 are made into one piece and then stitched to the foundation.
Foundation Fabric: Muslin is ideal for a foundation since it tends to be light weight (these bags can get heavy) but stable and easy to sew. Any kind of cotton muslin is fine. You can also recycle cotton sheets, or use up other fabrics from your stash. Just make sure any fabrics with a print and/or color aren't going to show through your patchwork fabrics. Flannel also works nicely as a foundation for patchwork, but unless you don't have some cotton fabric to use, it's not my first choice for this particular project. I mention it only because it is an option and it's fantastic in some other patchwork projects. It gives the finished pieces some drape, but the not-so-great part is it's also kind of stretchy and can creep while you are sewing.
Foundation Fabric Size: Cut the foundation fabric piece at least 1/4"-1/2" larger (all the way around) than what you'll eventually cut from it. After making the patchwork piece, you'll need to mark the outline of what you are cutting and baste the edges so the patches don't come undone. The extra is to give you a hedge because generally one or more patch won't quite make it to edge of the foundation fabric so you need a tiny bit extra. So here my foundation fabric is a rough cut piece of white muslin that is about 12" x 15".
Supplies: Foundation fabric, fabric pieces, pins, scissors, cutting mat or some other type of grid surface to help you align pieces and act a visual reference point, and the usual sewing stuff like thread, a machine, etc.
Rough Cut: All my pieces start out rough cut and then I straighten edges with a rotary cutter/ruler (or marker/scissors) only when needed. If they are close enough to straight, that is good enough for me. It's super liberating to rough cut these pieces, but if you aren't ready for this much improvising go ahead cut all your pieces into neat squares/rectangles using whatever tools you like to use and have available.
Backstitching: No need to backstitch while you are sewing patchwork, which is easier said than done since it's habit for most us at this point! But you don't need to do it and if you happen to need to remove a seam, you'll be so very happy to not have to deal with picking out the backstitching too.
Anyway, there is always more to say about the topic of patchwork, and if there is something you want to know, leave a comment.
On to the patches!
Patch 1
This piece is slightly off center both horizontally and vertically. I always start with the first patch to the left, but it can go on either side. The left just feels like where it goes for me.
Patch 2
Patch 3
Patch 4
Patch 5 & 6
Notice there is no foundation fabric here. These need to be joined separately from the foundation. The other option would be to cover the remaining white space with one single piece of fabric.
Patch 7
Attach 5/6/7
From here, I make a second panel for the Grocery Bag. Often I use the same fabrics and basic layout for the other side so there's not too much more thinking to do!
Once the patchwork panel(s) are made, then it's time to trace out the pattern piece outline, baste 1/8" inside the outline, and then cut out the piece.
Before going, I wanted to mention the basting step mentioned above can't be skipped. It might seem like you can skip it, but the basting step is not optional. Without the basting stitches the patches start to come apart at the edges as you sew and then they need to be hand stitched back together--if that's even possible.
Ok, I'm off to make more patchwork! Next up is patching in pockets, which is also very fun!
If you made it this far, you might also enjoy this older post about making the Grocery Bags in patchwork and/or this post about picking patchwork prints and colors.
