SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
- 1/2 yd POP!™ Fabric (for Outer Bag)
- 1/2 yd Lining Fabric
- 1/2 yd Contrast POP!™ Fabric (for Pocket)
- 1 yd Iron-On Interfacing
- 4 yds Cord (for Straps)
- Thread
DIRECTIONS:
NOTE: Sew all seams in 1/2" seam allowance- CUT THE FOLLOWING:
- Outer Bag Fabric:
- Cut 2 rectangles 17" x 15" for the outer bag
- Cut 2 squares 3" x 3" out of the outer bag fabric for tabs
- Lining Fabric:
- Cut 2 rectangles 17" x 15" for the lining
- Contrast Fabric:
- Cut 2 rectangles 12" x 11" for the pocket
- Interfacing:
- Cut 2 rectangles 17" x 15"
- Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of each outer bag rectangle. Place the bumpy side of the interfacing down onto the fabric and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
- To make the pocket, match the two 12" x 11" pocket rectangles right sides together and pin around the sides.
- Stitch around all sides leaving a 2" hole on one side to turn right side out.
- Turn the pocket right side out and press seams flat.
- Now pin the pocket to one of the outer bag pieces 2" up from the bottom. Make sure the pocket is centered from the sides, about 2 1/2" from each side.
- Sew the sides and bottom of the pocket to the bag. Stitch through the pocket about 1/4" from the edge. Make sure to leave the top of the pocket open.
- To make the tabs, take each 3" square and fold it in half. Open it back up and fold the sides to the center line you just pressed. Press. Now fold again on the center line and press. Top stitch around the edge of the tabs. Fold the finished tabs in half and pin them to the right side of the bag 2 inches up from the bottom. The folded edge of the tabs should be pointing to the pocket. Sew the tabs to the bag using 1/4" seam allowance.
- Pin the 2 outer bag rectangles together, right sides together.
- Make a mark 2 1/2" down from the top of the bag on each side.
- Sew the sides and bottom of the bag, starting and stopping at the 2 1/2" points you marked.
- Sew your 2 lining pieces the same as you sewed the outside bag, starting and stopping at the 2 1/2" marks. Leave a 4" opening on the bottom edge for turning.
- Press the seams of the bag and the lining open and continue pressing the top 2 1/2" section that is not stitched.
- Place the lining into the outer bag with the right sides together sides together.
- Pin together around the top and match up the side unstitched slit openings.
- Sew across the top edges using 1/4" seam allowance.
- Turn bag right side out through the hole in the lining. Stitch the hole closed by machine or by hand.
- Sew the lining and outer slits together 1/4" from the edge.
- Fold the top edge down, placing the sewn edge just below the side slit openings. Stitch around the top close to the folded edge.Cut your cording in half to make two 2 yd pieces. Using a safety pin, start from the left side and pull the cording through the casing all the way around the top so the cord comes out where you started on the left side. Take the other cord and start from the right side and pull it through the top casing until you end up where you started. You should have 2 cords of equal length coming out on both sides. Slip one end of the cord through the tab at the bottom and tie the two cords together into a knot. Repeat for the other side.
JOANN HACKS:
- If you are using a lightweight fabric for the pocket, you can fuse interfacing to one wrong side of the pocket before sewing together. This will prevent drooping. If using a knit fabric for the outer bag, use a woven cotton fabric for the lining to add stability.
Rated 3 out of
5
by
EMarie from
Cute bag, terrible directions
I made these bags with my nine and eleven year old children. I thought it would be an easy sewing project (aka something other than a screen for them to do) and they could use the bags on an upcoming trip. The bags turned out really cute, but as other reviewers have said the directions are terrible. I am no expert seamstress, but I am also not a beginner and resorted to using other tutorials I found on Pinterest to make sense of this pattern. (Note: I foolishly only thoroughly read the directions for this project after we had cut all of the pieces out.) If you decide to attempt this bag, here are tips I learned:
1. If you use standard printed cotton fabric, you can skip the interfacing. I did this only after realizing that I didn't have enough after our initial fabric store run, but was glad I did. It would have made the final product too bulky.
2. I was really confused by the directions for the loops that the cording runs through. I couldn't grasp what I was supposed to be pressing where. The bottom line is, press and fold like you would if you were making your own bias tape for a project. In fact, you could probably use a few inches of bias tape for the loops if you didn't want to bother making them.
3. The pattern calls for cutting two lining pieces to the same size as the outer bag pieces. In retrospect, I wish that I had cut the lining pieces slightly smaller so that the lining would lay a little nicer inside the bag.
4. When threading the cording at the end, start with a piece of cord at one end of one of the casing sleeves at the top of the bag. Pull it through to the other end of the casing then continue pulling it through the second casing. There will be a small piece of cording visible between the two casings where the "slits" in the bag pieces were. You want to end up with the cord in a sideways U shape. Repeat the process with the second piece of cording, but start at the side opposite from where you started the first piece of cording. I had to look at an existing bag in our house to figure this part out!
Overall, this is a fun bag and not too terribly difficult to construct (i.e. lots of straight lines), but the directions put this well beyond the beginner level.
Date published: 2022-06-22
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Debbie from
Drawstring Bag
A really cute idea but there is no way a beginner could do this with the instructions provided. The instructions need more specific details and additional step by step pictures would be really helpful.
Date published: 2022-06-15
Rated 3 out of
5
by
No thank you from
Requires better Photo Instructions
Plan on making this with my grandchildren, 13 and 15, tomorrow. I am an experenced sewer and the written instructions are very confusing. Need to include photos or video
Date published: 2022-06-13
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Kitty from
Poor instructions
This project looks easy but not clear enough for a beginner. You need to provide photos or drawings for them.
Date published: 2022-05-25