Thank you all for you comments. I'm really glad you want to hear more. So -- stay tuned for Part II which will include additional pattern/design info and seam finishes.

Pam,
Thanks for your tip. Can you post a photo of this? It would be great to see it.
Mary

I didn't mean to cause a fuss. Your comments about expecting the best from Threads are appreciated and well taken, as are your comments about using an awl -- which, for many fabrics and snaps is the best alternative and I should have said that. However, the fabric I used in my example is a very tightly woven dupioni, which the awl penetrates to spread the threads but does not leave a large enough opening to insert the ball of this very large snap. So the tiny cut in this case stays pretty much within its territory and even with numerous "snappings" has not increased the size of the hole.(The photos, by the way, are of high resolution so the yarns of the fabric look enormous!)

Thank you all for paying attention, keeping me on track, and most of all for being such loyal Threads readers and fans.

I would love to give Linda & Louise credit, but – and I’m sure they will both agree – much of what we have learned, as writers and teachers about sewing, has come from our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, high school home ec teachers, design schools, and industry careers as well as our own experimenting and tweaking of various methods. We are simply conduits of useful information. I certainly take no credit in inventing this mitering technique and I’m not sure where I learned it. But, I did some checking and found the same basic process in every sewing book that I own, including one that goes back to 1943.

What fun! I love seeing your bags. I wrote the article for Threads and designed the bag and it's great to see such a variety. You inspire me, too!