I recently tried making a custom bag to flag for my daughter's routine and thought that perhaps I could help out fellow magicians who might be interested in trying to make their own.

First off, let me state I am NOT a seamstress, so you don't have to be either. It took me a while to just figure out HOW to put the silly thing together so it would work properly and even tho I have made more than 1, it still takes me a while each time.

A couple of suggestions to avoid my own mistakes:

1) Do not buy QUALITY satin. It will not work because it is heavier than what you need. When you go to buy satin for the "bag" you need to look for "costume satin". Right now is a good time to stock up because more colors are available because of Halloween.

2) When constructing the bag, sew a strip of coordinating material at the top of your bag that matches your outside "flag". It only needs to be about a 1" strip. [Thanks Zazz for contributing this idea..we make a good team!] The purpose for this is so that there is absolutely no "flashing" if the opening isn't completely closed taunt. Works like a charm! You also don't need to worry about it showing because this strip is "folded" over during presentation.

3) Lightweight cotton materials WILL work for the front of the flag, which is nice because there are a LOT of patterns available for different occasions. I just use an even more lightweight solid color for the back of the flag. Note however, if you use cotton, you will have to "throw" your bag in a different manner to have it produce properly because it is a stiffer material than the silk...but it does work! It is a downward throw, then pull out sideways, and eventually up.

4) Think outside the box for your designs. We are currently looking into having custom artwork done so I can make another bag for our daughter's upcoming show.

5) If you're not a seamstress, be sure you are out of earshot from your family, because at one time or another you will be inclined to utter not-so-nice-words and you wouldn't want to tarnish your image! *grin*

Anyways, its a challenging little project, but do-able. Good luck to anyone that decides to give it a go!

~ Kristen