Sewing vinyl

[Tes]

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I am planning, sometime in the near future to make myself a vinyl bag with clear vinyl and stuff inside (I've seen flattened juice containers, game boards, old posters, just stuff) My biggest question is really about the seams. I don't want stabby seams on the inside of the bag but I don't want ugly unfinished seams on the outside either. Is there some way that I could bind it, kind of like quilt binding only.. well vinyl. How would one go about making binding tape with vinyl if you can't use an iron? If you mitre the corners wouldn't they get too bulky to manage?
I'm really just looking for a nice finished appearance. If anyone has any suggestions or previous experience feel free to share them, please!
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[Smillaaraq]

Do you have to use a vinyl binding for the look you want? I've seen a lot of commercially made bags where the raw edges were just covered with regular poly-cotton bias tape. Or you could always try cutting bindings out of a much lighter-weight vinyl than the stuff you're using to make the bags out of...clear vinyl shouldn't be hard to find in a range of diferent weights. Bags that I've seen with vinyl/plastic bindings, they often weren't folded under like fabric bindings -- you don't really need to since the raw edges don't fray. And if you cut them from a sufficiently thin vinyl, the lighter weight and lack of extra folded layers could keep it from getting too bulky, even around corners.

If you weren't working with something clear, I'd even suggest just lining the bags with fabric...although if you're completely filling the sites of the bags with posters and such, a colored lining might still make a nice backdrop.  

[Tes]

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Oh I know that vinyl doesn't fray and my store carries lots of different weights. I want a finished look though rather than having all the seam bits sticking out, even on the bindings. 3nodding
I considered the regular ol' poly/cotton binding tape, the only issue that I had with it was that it would probably get pretty dirty and I wouldn't imagine that something that is vinyl (with paper inside!) would fare well in the washing machine. So if it is bound to get grungy it will defeat the nice finished purpose. sweatdrop

Maybe I am just too picky.
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[gemini6184]

If you have access to a serger that would be the route I'd take. 3nodding  

[Blue-eyes-green]

One thing you could do is stitch the inside seam down flat, so you'd have a row of double stitching about a 1/4 of an inch apart on the outside of the bag, a bit like the inseam on jeans.  

[Tes]

Blue-eyes-green

One thing you could do is stitch the inside seam down flat, so you'd have a row of double stitching about a 1/4 of an inch apart on the outside of the bag, a bit like the inseam on jeans.

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I think that this is the way I will end up going. I really have no other choices smile
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