Lined Project Bag - Tutorial

We had a rainy weekend here in Sydney, so I whipped up four (!) more project bags. They are great for crochet projects, but would also work very well for sock knitting or hand sewing projects.



And they are quick and easy to make - no pesky zippers, 'cause we wouldn't want our precious yarn to get caught up in a zipper, right?
If you can sew a straight line, you can make these bags. And you could easily make one in an evening.
I took photos of every step of the process, and have written it out here if you want to give it a go. If you'd rather be crocheting or knitting, stay tuned for I will be giving away some of these bags here on the blog later this week!

You will need:

Materials:
- two 12'' (25cm) squares of fabric for the outside
- two 12'' (25 cm) squares of lining fabric
- two 11'' x 5'' (28 x 13 cm) rectangles of lining fabric
- two 20'' (50 cm) pieces of cord or ribbon
- pair of toggles (optional)

Tools:
- ruler
- fabric marker
- scissors
- pins
- matching or contrasting thread (I use and recommend Aurifil threads)
- sewing machine
- iron and ironing board
- safety pin
- 2 small bulldog clips



1. Take the two outer fabric squares, right sides together, and pin along the side and bottom edges. If you are using a directional fabric like I did, make sure the top is facing up. Sew the three sides together using a 1/2'' (1 cm) seam allowance. Backstitch at the start and end.



2. Do the same for the lining fabric squares.
3. Now take one corner of one of the bags you have just sewn (I'll show my lining one here, as it's easier to see on the lighter fabric) and arrange it so that the side seam sits on top of the bottom seam, like this:



The photo above shows the side seam. If you lift up the corner you'll see the bottom seam:



Make sure the seams are folded to the same side. When they are perfectly matched, pin them together. Take your ruler, line it up with the seam, and find the point where the distance from one side to the other is 2.5'' (6.35 cm) - this is how wide the bottom of the bag will be. Use your fabric marker to draw a line on the fabric.



4. Sew along this line, backstitching at the start and end.



5. Cut off the corner 1/4'' (0.5 cm) from the seam:




6. Repeat steps 3-5 for the other corner. The inner bag now has a nice flat bottom:



7. Repeat steps 3-6 for the outer fabric bag.
8. Turn the outer fabric bag right side out. Fold in the top edge 1/2'' (1 cm) and press. It now looks like this:




9. Leave the lining fabric bag wrong side out. Fold out the top edge 1/2'' (1 cm) and press. It now looks like this:



10. Place the lining bag in the outer bag with wrong sides facing. Match up the side seams and pin them together. Small bulldog pins are useful to do this, or binding clips if you have them.




11. Take one of the lining fabric rectangles and fold in the short edges 1/2'' (1 cm). Press.



12. Now fold the rectangle in half lengthwise and press.



13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 with the other lining rectangle.
14. Take one of the folded lining rectangles and insert it between the inner and outer bag with the folded side on top. About 1'' (2.5 cm) of the rectangle should pop out. Pin the rectangle in place, as shown in the photos below. Make sure the edges of the inner and outer bag are neatly lined up.





15. Sew the inner and outer bag together with the lining fabric in between. Start at one side seam and end at the other, backstitching at both ends. Sew a few millimetres from the edge of the outer bag, taking care not to catch the other side of the bag in your sewing.



16. Repeat steps 14 and 15 for the other side.



17.  Use a darning needle or safety pin to guide one piece of cord or ribbon through one sleeve and back through the other.



18. Starting at the other side, guide the other piece of cord or ribbon through one sleeve and back through the other. Tie the two ends on both sides together or use toggles.



19. Put your project in the bag, pull on the ends, and voilà! Your new project bag is finished!



If you have any questions about this tutorial, just leave a comment here and I will do my best to answer it. And if you make a project bag, I would love to see a photo!

You are free to use this tutorial to make project bags and sell them. Please do link back to this blog post as the source of the pattern for the bags.