Hi Hetty! Thanks for your question. We find that really quite thin fabrics can work really well for making morsbags, provided that the fabric is strong enough. Some fabrics are thin as they are worn out or may be degraded by sunlight (curtains and their linings are particularly liable to become brittle and thin through this).
Morsbags have been made from very light sari fabrics with beautiful results and the bags made from them are very strong – it just depends. Bags that rip and let the user down are not what we want, as you are obviously aware.
If you are unsure you could see you easy it is to tear the fabric. We have sometimes had fabric that tears in one direction but not in the other – confusing, so try in different directions.
You could make a test bag and try it out yourself, to see if it is likely to give way when in use.
If the fabric is lovely and worth the extra trouble you could make the bag with a lining.
Other uses for possibly unreliable fabrics are to use as applique pieces / patches / pockets to enliven otherwise dull bags.
You could use thinner fabric to make morsbag handles as the fabric will be folded into multiple layers and sewn lengthways a few times. Contrasting handles can make a nice touch and using thinner fabric for the handles is a good tip when making bags out of thick fabric.
Sometimes people think that making a morsbag out of extra thick fabric will produce an extra strong bag, but unfortunately it is more problematic, as when sewing the handles into the “pointing up” position you sew through eleven thicknesses of material. Domestic sewing machines struggle to cope with that, but using sheeting for the handles on bags made from upholstery fabric can work out better.
Any other comments from other morsbaggers?
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