I had hoped this article would be “project complete” for the Yellow Weekender duffel bag. I almost got there on my birthday.
That was before The Accident.
I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s review the progress so far.
Finishing the Sides
The bag side panels have rounded decorative corners. The class instructor has you sew a basting stitch around the curve, 1/4 inch in from the edge, then fold/press around that.
That seemed a little loosey-goosey for me. Instead, I made a cardboard template from the pattern, with the 1/4 inch allowance removed, and pressed the corner pieces around that. I was amazed how remarkably well this worked; the canvas molded and shaped itself around the corners with the steam from the iron.