The "You Can't Live Without this Bag" bag

 

This may just be my new favorite bag to make.  With practice, it is very easy and oh so versatile.

 Supplies needed:

• three different patterns of fabric
• medium to heavy weight fusible interfacing
• 1 button
• 1 zipper
• 1 magnetic snap closure

Measurements:

• Interior/exterior fabric: 18" X 22"
• pocket: 11" X 8"
• Straps: 4.5" X 32"
• Zipper: 14" (but of course this depends on the width of your pocket.)
• Fusible interfacing: 18" X 22" (2) for interior, 11" X 8" (2) for pockets, 4.5" X 32" (2)for straps, plus smaller size pieces for behind magnetic closure and handles (I use the scraps).

The length of my closure is far too long.  I wasted a lot of material, but wanted to make sure I had enough.  I based the width of the closure off of the arm hole in the interior/exterior fabrics.

Step 1:  Iron all of your interfacing to the backs of the fabric.  I used interfacing on the interior body pieces because it helps when putting in the pocket.  You can iron interfacing on both the interior and exterior for a more stiff feel. 

Step 2: Take one of the interior/exterior pieces, fold in half and draw a curve where you will cut for the arm hole.  I didn't measure this part, I just eyeballed it and then used the first body piece I cut for a pattern for the rest.


Step 3: Handles

Iron your interfacing to handle fabric.  Iron edges in and then fold in half and iron down.  Top-stitch all the way around.  Handles done.  Set aside.

Step 4: Closure
 The closure has two parts, the first one is the button, which is just for looks; this goes on your exterior closure piece.  The second part is the magnetic closure, which goes on the interior closure piece.  Install both the button and magnetic closure before sewing the closure together.

I ironed the interfacing to the exterior closure fabric.  Using a button foot for my sewing machine, I sewed the button on the exterior fabric.  The top left picture is what the button foot for my machine looks like.  It is very easy to use.  I was able to figure out how to use it with the Spanish user manual that came with my machine (I do not know how to read Spanish), unfortunately, I threw out the English version of my manual.  If you don't have this foot, hand sew button on.

This is the magnetic snap closure I used for the closure part of the bag.  I ironed two pieces of interfacing on the back of the fabric, and inserted the closure. 

With right sides together sew around the closure.

Clip the seam around the curve.

Turn right side out.  Iron and then top-stitch all the way around.

 This step is done. YAY!! Set aside.

Step 5: Interior zipper pocket

For the longest time I was afraid of adding a pocket with a zipper.  It just seemed too complicated.  I am glad I got over that fear because with only a bit of practice, zippered pockets are very easy. Pockets with zippers also make your bags look oh so professional. Remember to iron your interfacing to the interior body fabric- it helps when you have to turn in the pocket.  Sometimes, I forget this and iron the interfacing onto the exterior body fabric and it makes me mad.

Place one of your pocket pieces face down on interior body fabric.  I usually just eyeball this step.  Pin and draw a rectangle about an inch from the top and the sides.  Draw and line and two sideways "V's."  Again, I eyeball this step.  You can however measure it out.

Sew around the rectangle.

Cut on the lines, cutting close to the stitches in the corners, but don't clip the stitches!

Push the pocket through the slit you cut and iron.  Sometimes it takes a bit of aggressive (persuasive?) ironing to get it to lie flat.  

Place your zipper in the opening and pin the sides.

Using a zipper foot, sew all the way around the zipper.

Cut off the excess zipper.

 

Place your other pocket piece on top of the first one, right sides together and pin.

Sew all the way around the pocket.  You are going to have to fold the body fabric under so that you are not sewing the pocket to the body piece.  You only want to sew the edges of the pocket together.  The only place where the pocket is connected to the body fabric is around the zipper. (The first part of this step).

Finished pocket.  Notice the body piece is wrinkled from where I folded it so I could just sew the pocket together.  No worries, just iron it again.

Your fully lined pocket with zipper.  

Step 6:  Stop working and tell yourself how amazing you are.

Step 7: Exterior body piece

Iron two pieces of interfacing to the inside of the exterior body piece.  The easiest way I have found to insert the magnetic snap closure is to lay down the washer and trace where the prongs will go.  Snip the two lines, insert the prongs, add the washer and bend the prongs to the inside. 

Top-stitch around the closure.  This step adds a bit more stability and looks good too!

Place your handle straps 2.5 inches from the top of the bag.

I added a square of interfacing to the underside of the exterior body fabric where I will sew the straps on.  Pin the straps to the bag and top-stitch around.  Do this with both the straps on both sides of exterior body pieces. 

Place exterior body pieces, right sides together and sew along the sides and bottom.  Leave the top open. Make sure you have lined up the handles on the sides.  If not, it will be noticeable when complete.  Pin the edge near the handles so that they don't move during sewing.

To get the boxy look, align the side seam and bottom seam.  Measure and draw a line 3.5" from point of corner. Pin, sew on line, and cut excess fabric.  Repeat with other corner.

 Step 8: Interior body pieces

Place the closure right side facing up on the body piece right side facing up.

Pin and sew

Cut off excess (in my case a lot of excess!)

Sew along both sides and to the pins.  Leave a wide opening at the bottom for turning your back inside out.  Definitely back sew when you get to the pins; if you don't when you turn your bag inside out the stitching will come out.  You need to sew along the bottom so that you can make your corners the same as with the exterior body pieces.

Create box bottom the same way as you did with exterior body piece.

Step 9: Putting it all together

Place the exterior body inside the interior body, right sides together.  Pin all the way around.  Do not be skimpy with the pinning here.  It makes the sewing go a lot easier.  Make sure your handles are down and out of the way so you are not sewing over them. 

When you are finished sewing, push and pull the exterior body part through the opening you left in the interior body part.

Cut two pieces of plastic canvas to size and insert into the bottom of the bag in-between the interior and exterior fabrics.

Sew the lining shut.

Iron entire bag.

Top-stitch around the top edge of bag. Make sure you don't sew the closure down!

 GUESS WHAT!?! YOU ARE DONE!!!

Side view.

Interior view.

DIY Zippered Pillow

Last week my sister was talking about how she needed to make pillows for her couch.  I told her she needed to add zippers so she could easily wash them.  She then suggested that I make them for her.  SOOOOOO, instead, I am going to show her how to make pillows with a zipper.  You know, like the saying, give a man a fish. . .

 For these pillows you need interior fabric (any lightweight cotton), exterior fabric, a zipper, packaged piping and fiberfill.

I wanted my pillows to be large enough to fit on my Adirondack chairs and not look too small.  I cut all my material 21.5" X 21.5" for a finished pillow of 21" X 21".

Take your two interior pieces of fabric and with right sides together sew *almost* all the way around leaving an opening on one side.

The picture on the left shows the opening you will use to turn the fabric right side out. Make sure to clip the corners so you have pointy edges.  Turn your interior fabric right side out and stuff with the fiberfill.

Pin and sew the opening shut.  Admire your work. Pillow form done.

Take your piping and about an inch  from one end remove the stitches.  Fold back the fabric and cut the interior cord.

Put one pin in to hold the piping and then sew the piping to the right side of your fabric with the edges aligned.  Make sure you don't sew down the part that you removed the stitches from.  You will need to fold that down later to create a finished edge.

 

Using a zipper foot, sew, sew, sew.

Once you reach a corner align the edge of the piping to the edge of the fabric you are going towards. The piping is cut on a bias to allow for easy curves.

Stop sewing about an inch or two from the meeting point.  Remember earlier when you cut out about an inch of the cording? Now butt the edges of the cord together to determine where to cut and then cut off the excess.  Don't cut the fabric of the part where you removed the stitches!

Fold back the fabric, place the other part of the piping in the opening and sew all the way across.

What you are left with is a beautiful, hardly noticeable seam.


Now, it is time for the zipper. Yay!

 Sew the ends together and then measure how long/short you need your zipper to be and sew along the bottom cutting off the excess.  In retrospect, I should have used white thread, but I was too lazy and didn't want to change it out.  (No, no, what I mean is that I used dark thread so you could see it better ;).

With the right side of the zipper matching the right side of your fabric, align the edges and pin.

Using a zipper foot sew along the zipper.

 This is what it should look like when you are finished inserting the zip.

Align your second piece of exterior fabric to the piece with the zipper and piping.  Make sure the zipper is open so that the sewing will go easier.  Here, you can pin all the way around, but I never do.

Start sewing where the zipper is.  The two circles are where you are going to have to sew through all the layers but once you get to the opening of the zipper only sew on the zipper and bottom layer.

Once you are done sewing all the way around, turn it right side out, iron and stuff in your pillow form.

Final step:  admire your awesomeness.