Make custom water bottle carriers for your next family outing!
Your HUSQVARNA® VIKING® AMBER™ Air S|600 coverlock machine, the perfect complement to your HUSQVARNA® VIKING® sewing machine, offers stitch techniques that allow you to create a unique design for each bottle carrier, making them easily distinguishable from one another. Try color blocking fabrics with flatlock stitches, adding trim with triple coverstitching, and sewing bold topstitching using the chainstitch. This project also provides a way to use some of your leftover fabrics from previous projects!
Because water bottles come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, these instructions are designed to offer general guidelines for how you can create a customized carrier for your specific water bottle, including how to measure fabric for your preferred bottle size.
The carrier can be worn over the shoulder or as a cross-body style, so adjust the strap length as desired. Happy Hiking!
Basting tape or fabric spray adhesive (to secure trims before stitching - optional)
½” Bias maker
Decorative topstitching thread for flatlock embellishment (optional)
PREPARING THE FABRICS AND BATTING
Prepare the materials needed for carrier featuring coverstitch trim:
a)Fabrics for Outside of Carrier, Inside Lining and Batting To determine how to cut your fabric to go around the carrier, first measure the height and the circumference of your water bottle. To this measurement, add a ¼” seam allowance to both the top and bottom, and ½” on each side (or 1” total) for ¼” seam allowance, plus ease. Using this measurement, cut one fabric for the outer carrier, cut one for the lining, and cut one from the thermal batting.
b) One-inch strips for creating trim with bias maker, plus contrast fabric for the top of carrier (if desired).
c) Fabric for Strap
To determine the length of fabric for the strap, first decide if you will wear the carrier in a cross-body style or from the shoulder. Use a tape measure to find the length you want and add seam allowances to that measurement. Cut the strap fabric 2½” wide by the desired length. This will yield a 1” wide finished strap.
d) Fabrics for Round Base
The required size for the base fabrics (outer fabric, lining fabric and batting) will be determined near the end of these instructions, once the main carrier body has been assembled.
SEWING DIRECTIONS
Make the Strap
Fold the strip in half lengthwise, with the right sides facing (wrong side out). Sew the length of the strap using a ¼” seam allowance. Turn the strap right side out, then press.
Select the Chainstitch, which is Stitch #26 on the screen of your HUSQVARNA® VIKING® AMBER™ Air S|600 coverlock machine. Sew two rows of chainstitch on the strap, as decorative topstitching. When finished, press again. Set aside for now.
Prepare the Inside Lining and Batting
Place the thermal batting onto the wrong side of the lining fabric. Loosely quilt them together with your sewing machine, or if desired, use the chainstitch of your coverlock machine.
Press. Set aside for now. (The base will be created later)
Prepare the Outer Fabric
The outer fabric is embellished before the carrier is assembled. This carrier features narrow strips of fabric, stitched onto the main fabric using your
HUSQVARNA® VIKING® AMBER™ Air S|600 triple coverstitch. There is a contrasting fabric band added to the top, as well, made using the same fabric as that used for the narrow strips.
Before attaching the narrow strips to the main fabric, it may be helpful to interface the wrong side of the fabric first with a lightweight fusible interfacing, for added stability while stitching the narrow strips in place with the triple coverstitch.
The strips shown are made using a ½” bias tape maker. Cut the fabric strips one inch wide, on straight grain, then proceed creating the desired number of strips using the bias tape maker.
Determine placement for the strips. To help prevent the strips from shifting while sewing, you may wish to secure them lightly in place using basting tape or temporary fabric spray adhesive.
Thread your HUSQVARNA® VIKING® AMBER™ Air S|600 for Stitch #23, which is the triple coverstitch. Your machine automatically sets the thread tensions, stitch length and differential feed for you. Check the stitch and make any adjustments using a scrap fabric. Sew the strips in place. Press. To add a contrast fabric at the top, position as desired - above the coverstitched strips - and stitch in place with your sewing machine.
Assembling the Carrier
Pin the strap in place on the outer carrier. Baste in place, checking first to make sure that the strap is not twisted. Set the quilted lining onto the outer fabric/strap piece, then pin. Use your sewing machine to sew the seam, then press the seam open. Trim seam allowance from the batting side to help reduce bulk.
To sew the seam finishes on the two long sides, set your
HUSQVARNA® VIKING® AMBER™ Air S|600 for the 3-thread overlock wide, which is Stitch #6 your screen. Because you will be stitching through multiple fabric layers, you may want to use the HUSQVARNA® VIKING® AMBER™ Air S|600 Exclusive SEWING ADVISOR, to have the machine automatically adjust your machine settings for thicker
layers. Touch the SEWING ADVISOR icon, then select “Woven Heavy” (setting C). Test the stitch on scrap fabrics. Sew a seam finish along each long side, trimming only a very scant amount as you go.
Pin the side seams, taking care not to catch the strap into the seam. Sew the long seam using your sewing machine. Turn right side out, then push the quilted lining to the inside. Check the fit with your bottle. If any adjustment to the seam is needed, do so at this point before moving on to the next step.
Press around the top of the carrier. If desired, use your sewing machine to topstitch around the top edge, which can also serve to further secure the strap.
At the bottom opening, distribute the “loft” of the lining, pin- ning the lining and outer fabric together. Hand baste these layers together, in preparation for adding the base.
Creating and Adding the Base
Now that you have the final fit of the carrier for your bottle, you can create your “pattern” for making the base.
First, turn the carrier so the lining side is out. Place a tape measure around the carrier to get the circumference measurement.
Next, use the following simple math formula to determine diameter for your circle: D = C/𝜋 (Diameter = Circumference divided by 3.14159)
This means, take the circumference measurement, and divide that number by 3.14. This will give you the diameter - the distance across your circle from side to side.
(For example, our carrier has a circumference of 9.5 inches. When dividing 9.5” by 3.14, the result is 3.02”. This was rounded off to 3”.)
Draw a circle on a piece of paper that is your diameter measurement. Cut out the pattern piece. Lay the pattern onto your fabric “sandwich”, consisting of outer fabric, thermal batting, and lining fabric. Cut the three fabrics using the pattern. It may be helpful to hand baste the layers together before sewing the base to the main carrier, to prevent the layers from shifting.
With the main carrier turned lining side out, pin the base to the bottom of the carrier, adjusting any small amount of fullness as you pin. Stitch the base to the main carrier. Turn the carrier right side out.
ALTERNATIVE EMBELLISHMENT: FLATLOCK STITCHING
This bottle carrier is constructed in basically the same way as the first carrier, with some differences in the design of the outer part of the carrier. This version features a section that has color blocking, created by joining strips
of fabric using a flatlock stitch with decorative thread. The upper section of the carrier is made from a lightweight cork fabric, providing a more rustic look and feel than if using regular fabric.
Your HUSQVARNA® VIKING® AMBER™ Air S|600 coverlock machine has several flatlock stitch options from which to choose. For this project, the wide 2-thread flatlock stitch was used, which is Stitch #19 on your machine’s screen. The 2-thread flatlock stitch is sewn using a needle in left position, and the lower looper. The upper looper is not used and has its 2-thread converter engaged.
For the stitches to have a bold appearance, use a topstitching thread in the needle, and a regular weight thread in the lower looper. When you choose your stitch, the optimum stitch length, thread tension and differential feed is selected for you. However, because the needle thread being used is thicker than a regular thread, it is usually necessary
to change the tension settings. In addition, using thicker thread usually requires an adjustment to the stitch length setting, so that the stitches aren’t too close together.
Before stitching, it may be helpful to apply a lightweight fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the fabrics for stability, depending on the type of fabric being used. For the “ladder” side of the flatlock stitches to appear on the “right” side of the project, place the fabrics with right sides together. Sew the stitch. When finished, the needle thread will look like a series of “V’s”. This will allow you to gently pull the sides of the fabric so it lies flat.
Press the stitched piece flat. Place the next color strip in place on top of the previously finished piece, with right sides facing one another. Stitch, then gently “open” the fabrics as before, then press. Continue until the desired number of color blocked rows are done. Press.
If desired, add a contrasting fabric at the top of this front piece of your carrier. Follow the guidelines for the previous carrier to resume construction of this carrier.
Don’t forget to share your projects with us on Instagram, tagging @husqvarnavikingsewingaus and using the hashtags #Husqvarnavikingsewing #keepingtheworldsewing #husqvarnavikingaustralia or our Facebook page Husqvarna Viking Australia.
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