Sewing instructions for a project bag

Friday, September 22, 2023 DieFadenweberin
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Homemade projects are not only a way for you to develop your creative skills, but also a wonderful opportunity to create unique and practical things for your everyday life. In this tutorial, I'll walk you step-by-step through the process of sewing your own handmade project bag.

Whether you're an avid knitter, seamstress, or crafter, a well-designed project bag can be your trusty companion to keep your materials safe and your work organized on the go or at home. With some basic sewing skills and a dash of creativity, you can quickly create a custom and functional project bag that perfectly suits your style and needs.

This bag can fit a slightly larger project, such as a sweater, and at the same time the slightly longer straps are great for tying the bag in a knot. Get ready to get out your sewing machine, because we're going to create a unique project bag together!

Materials needed:

A slightly thicker outer fabric (non-elastic).
Thinner lining fabric (non-elastic)
A contrast fabric for the outer pockets (non-elastic)
Sewing machine
Sewing thread
Scissors or rotary cutter
Fabric chalk or fabric marker
pins or Wonderclips
iron

Cutting:

First cut all the pieces according to the diagram. Make sure that in the scheme the outer fabric and the lining fabric are on the left side in the fold, the fabric for the outer pocket ADDITIONALLY on top in the fold (so in total in 4 layers).

All pieces already include a seam allowance of 1 cm.

The scheme is not a pattern and not to scale!

In total you will need:

2 x fabric part A from outer fabric
2 x fabric part A from lining fabric
1 x fabric part B for outer pocket
2 x fabric pieces for straps (52 cm x 8 cm each)

In the picture, the fabric pieces are all in the fold.

Sewing the straps:

Fold the fabric strips for the straps lengthwise and sew them together with a seam allowance of 1 cm on one short side and the long side. Then cut back the seam allowance at the corners and turn the straps (this works very well with a wooden spoon, for example).

Press the straps smooth and topstitch the long sides. Now press the straps again so that the seams relax and put them aside.

The outer pocket:

Next, take the fabric piece for the outside pocket and fold it lengthwise. Topstitch the upper edge of the fabric (fold line).

Now place this fabric piece on an outer piece so that the lower cutouts are exactly on top of each other. Attach both pieces to each other with pins or Wonderclips and finish the edge of the pocket with a zigzag stitch (width 5mm, length 2 mm). In this way, the outer pocket is fixed to the outer fabric at the same time.

Next, use a trick marker or chalk to mark the divisions of the bag as you like. I chose the divisions with a distance of 11 cm. Also, make a mark 0.7 cm across the cutouts.

Then sew along these markings with a straight stitch, bar-tacking the seam at the beginning and end of each with a few back stitches.

Composition of the bag:

Take both outer pieces and both inner pieces and place them right sides together. Then sew them together on the two sides and the bottom, the square cutouts are not sewn at first. End and start the seam 1 cm from each of these cutouts (I made a mark on the fabric for this).

Now carefully press all seams apart and pull both the outer piece and the inner piece apart at the cutouts so that the two seams meet exactly. Then sew these corners together with a 1 cm seam allowance.

Now pin the inner piece right sides together to the outer piece and pin it to the outer piece. The straps are pinned between the outer and inner fabric. The spacing you use is up to you, I centered them over the dividers of the outer pocket. But make sure that the straps are not twisted.

Then sew along the top edge with a 1cm seam allowance, but leave a turning opening.

Now turn the pocket through the turning opening and shape it a little. Sew the upper edge once again with close edges and close the turning opening. Now press all seams again so that they relax and shape the corners well.