Margo Handbag - Step 3

I last stated that step three is to prepare the fabric.  Well, that got changed a bit.

I finished making pattern pieces by making a template for the back pocket.  I used the front pocket template's angle as the angle for the back pocket, which will dip down in the middle.  Here is the back pocket template before trimming to half the width of the pocket piece:

Here is the final back pocket template.  The corner mark will actually go in the upper corner, in the same way the front pocket template is used:

Step three is to prepare and cut out the main fabric.

First, I pressed the fabric on the wrong side, up one side  then down the other:

Then I laid it out on the table so you can see how much there is and what it looks like:

I played with the pattern pieces to see how I wanted to cut it out.  I started by placing the strap pieces lengthwise, since I thought that would make the straps stronger:

That would chop up the fabric a bit, so I decided to lay the straps out crosswise:

I removed the pattern pieces and folded the fabric to one side of the table:

I pulled the fabric across the table until the cut end crossed over the zero line.  I also made sure the selvages were parallel to the grid:

I used my heavy, aluminum Shopsmith ruler and my rotary cutter to cut across the zero line:

I used the pattern pieces to remind me where to cut.  I saw that it would be 12 inches:

I removed the pattern pieces and cut 12 inches, all the way across the fabric:

I used the next pattern piece to see how far to cut:

... and again:

I put away the remaining fabric, and moved the smaller pieces out of the way.  I found the center of the pattern piece so I could place the fabric designs in a pleasing manner.  I decided to place the blue flower at the center top of the front:

For this piece, I cut at the 4-inch mark and the 19-inch mark:

Here are the pocket panels after cutting:

I put the pattern pieces on top of the fabric, and set them aside.  I used the handle pattern pieces to see how long to cut the handles:

The main fabric pieces have been set aside:

I only used "this much" fabric!

I am using only two fabrics for this purse, and I have so much of the second fabric that I will save that for last.

The next step is to cut out the supporting documents pieces, er, Margo's underpinnings!