Make sturdy laundry bag out a breathable mesh

Hi Julia: My son will be off to college again soon for his second year. He comes home often on weekends since he is close, and always with a laundry basket full of dirty laundry! I’d like to make him a laundry bag. Do you have a pattern suggestion for me? April K.

Hi April: I do. I found this one by Kwik Sew. It’s pattern number 4185. It comes with a large, fully lined drawstring laundry bag and a smaller, simpler drawstring bag. I think this will work well for him. The laundry bag calls for a heavy fabric like denim or a home decor fabric. But you might want to consider a sturdy athletic mesh fabric so that it doesn’t get too stinky in there!

Dear Readers: In a recent column I talked a bit about staystitching, where you reinforce a single layer of fabric with smaller stitches inside the seamline to prevent the fabric from stretching and distorting. It’s especially useful on a curved neckline, for example.

A couple of you wrote in about your own experience with staystitching. Caroline of Albuquerque, N.M., uses this shortcut technique:

“Why staystitch when you can use straight pins instead? Using pins is much faster, and they hold just as well. This is a tip I learned from my seamstress mother many years ago.”

However, Mrs. S. believes it’s an important step. Here’s her experience:

“By the time I was 13, I was already making my own clothes. Our housekeeper and a neighbor guided me through many pattern guide sheets. However, back in the “old days,” no mention was made of staystitching. I would usually bind neck edges with bias tape or hold a facing down while I attached it at the shoulder seams. While at my grandmother’s one day, a neighbor was visiting. She had been a home ec teacher, so I showed her the garment I was working on. She told me about staystitching and how to do it. That one encounter changed the quality of my work from looking like it was made by a 13-year-old beginner to approaching professional status. When I was teaching sewing to children in a Singer’s summer program, it was one of the most important steps I taught the students.

“The other simple step to improve the quality of your work is to press each step of the process. I have had to fix projects for people, and sometimes all that is needed is to press seams open, press facings flat, and press a hem in place. It is always worth the extra time.”

I completely agree. I always have my iron out ready to go when sewing any project. It makes a huge difference. But I must admit, I have skipped staystitching when in a hurry — not a good idea!

Thank you both for sharing your wisdom. Readers, what are your thoughts on staystitching?