Playing with Glitter Vinyl

Have you tried sewing with glitter vinyl yet? It's very trendy in the bag making community right now and for good reason, it really makes a bag stand out with the smallest accents. My first go round was with some Galaxy Vinyl that I purchased from fabric.com. It was very pretty but it was so thick and it was a challenge to work with. It had to be used in single layers or with a lot of pleading and cursing on my part. I then learned about glitter vinyl with a canvas type woven backing that is MUCH thinner and easier to work with. I have used it in several projects now and it IS amazing! When Sara of Sew Sweetness announced that she would be carrying glitter vinyl in her shop I was stoked.

This vinyl is also a canvas type back and is oh so pliable and easy to work with. Even though it's very pliable it has no stretch and is durable enough that you could forgo interfacing on straps and accents when using it. Sara is also carrying generous 18" x 54" pieces which is more than enough to use for most bag patterns when using accents. I had previously only found it in 12' widths and often would only have enough to do straps or small accents. The larger size gives you a lot more flexibility when using it for bags.

I was so excited to get my hands on this stuff, and after seeing the vinyl accented Park West Bag that The Cloth Albatross had made, I had to sew one up. I used her fabulous pattern hack and made this Park West bag using a black and white Windham print paired with a print from Art Gallery’s Safari Moon line.

I really love how the lime glitter vinyl pops against the black and white and how the lining complements the green in the vinyl. I don't usually go with black and white or simple fabrics for bags but I am so happy that I did for this one!

It had been a while since I had made this pattern, and I forgot how much I enjoyed it! Despite the all the accent pieces, this is a very quick sew and comes together very easily. Using the vinyl as accents was a big time saver, as you can leave the edges raw. This stuff is so easy to work with, you don't need a super fancy machine or any special feet (although a walking foot or teflon foot certainly helps). If you don't have those, you can always use tissue paper over the vinyl as it will rip right off when you are done stitching (or even the paper that your interfacing is wrapped with).

One thing that helped with the final topstitching of the bag was to trim the seam allowances of the exterior panels down as far as you can (about ⅛ inch). That will reduce some of the bulk and make it easier to get the lining side to lay nicely around the top.

Of course I couldn't leave the bag well enough alone and had to add some bling! Instead of doing a zipper tab on the end, I added a zipper end from Emmaline Bags, and of course every good bag deserves a tassel. I am quickly becoming tassel obsessed.

You can see all the amazing colors Sara is carrying in stock here, and pick up the Park West Bag pattern here.