How to Make a Storage Bag Any Size

Welcome to SewVeryEasy, my name is Laura. And I had a special request on how to

make

storage

bags. Well, I have a very simple system where you can use any fabric and

make

storage

bags or gift bags. Now I call them a system and not a pattern because you can use this system to make any bag of any

size

and with any fabric. You can use fabric that is one piece or you can take the scraps and put them all together. But what you'll need to get started are two rectangles. It doesn't matter how small or big it is;

This is going to work. I take my two rectangles and put them together so that their right sides are facing each other. If you want, you can have both sides simply assembled and overlapped, or you can have it all in one piece of fabric. It doesn't matter and they're both going to be the same

size

and I'm not even going to measure the size of the rectangle. I'm going to trim all the edges until it's an equal rectangle. Now this piece measures approximately 33" by 15" and I have both sides the same size. I will explain how you can design the bag so that in the end it is the size you want so you can see it made first.

It will be easier to explain. But I like to make them with just scraps and then I have a bunch of these that I can grab to give as gifts or find the right size when I need a project. I'm going to sew the two layers together along the edges, right on each side. When both side seams are sewn, you will have a nice big tube. Join those two edges. I'll take one seam and press it in one direction and I'll take the other and press it in the opposite direction. And that way those things will be placed at the top.

So what we have is a bag that will be reversible. This will be maybe the siding and this will be the exterior. Put them backwards, it won't matter. We need to make some rows of stitches, and with those rows of stitches we are going to make lining lines. So here's a measurement you can start with, but you can always adjust based on the size of the bag. Start with 1" down or 2" down, so the measurement will be the same on both sides. So I'm just going to use my mat and make a 1" mark on both edges. I'm going to make another mark at 1".

And I need to do that on both edges. This area here will be a casing for the rope to pass through. And this will be the top of the bag. Now if you have a very large bag, you can make a 2" and 2" and then make your 1" sleeve. If it's very small, you can make a half inch sleeve and then even a smaller half inch sleeve. .So it depends; the size of the bag will depend on how much you want to leave on the top, and this will make sense when the bag is done. I'm going to transfer those same marks on this side and I've gone down an inch. another inch.

The center line, an inch and an inch. Now those two areas will be the casing. Now we need to sew both sides to close them. What we are going to do is sew along that bag until we reach this mark, topstitch, skip, sew here until you get to this one, sew back, skip and then sew down. So we're going to have these two edges open on both sides Now somewhere along one of the edges you're going to need a little opening that doesn't. It's sewn because you have to take it and turn it around. So I have these two areas that had not been sewn.

I leave the threads. I don't worry about them. Before we continue, I want to put a little bit of glue here on the ends where the hole for the casing will go through. Just because I don't want to have to sew it later, I'll use a fabric stitch or fabric glue. There are many that you can put on the market and this is the one I am using right now. It's designed to glue two layers of fabric together, but I'm only going to put a little bit in each of those openings; fold it back along that seam.

And it will only take me a second to hold it, or you can press it and it will stay. Then I'll turn it over and do the same thing on this side. I still have those holes, it's just that the seams haven't glued back on themselves. This way it will have a good finish. So I have my two holes there, the two holes there and my hole here to turn. Now from here you can decide if you want a square background or just leave the backgrounds as they are. I'm going to make a square bottom, so I'm going to take the bag and fold it in half so my folded edges match up, then I'm going to fold it in half again, so I'm just going to match that. corner up.

So I have all four corners together right there. From there I'm just going to cut a small square. Now you can measure this. If it's a small bag, you can do half an inch; a medium size bag, you can do about 1"; if it's a large bag, you can even do 2". I don't even measure. I'm just going to cut a square. When I open it now I have those squares cut out in all four corners. You'll be able to take that fabric, open it up, and match that seam along the bottom edge. Then you can take that and fold it in half so that the seam matches the bottom seam.

And even though I didn't cut it perfectly straight, it's enough for you to sew right on top of that seam. And I'm going to do this in all four corners. When I've finished those four corners, I'll turn the bag inside out, pull those corners out so they're nice and flat, and sew the opening closed. Take that bag and push a liner into the other bag. Tuck it all in and make those edges match across the top. You're going to have that equal 1" hole there on both sides. So, depending on your measurement, now you're going to do two rows of stitching.

Because I went down an inch and then another inch, that's the line of stitching that I'm going to do. do it. Let me show you the inside of the bag so you can see the mark. So I drew a line 1" down from the top, there's my opening and I'm sewing at the bottom. that opening, which is another inch, so we have 1" and 2". It won't matter if you sew inside or outside. You are going to sew everywhere, following those two rows of sewing. So these lines will match the measurements you started with. Now we can add the laces.

You can use any punch you want. I like this one from Clover. It's flexible and it has this little tooth on the front that will be able to grab that end and it stays there for me. So I'm going to take that, I'm going to start on one side and put it so that it's in the middle, and I'm going to run it over to the other side. And here's that second side. And I'm going to take that and slide it right in the middle to continue going around all over the place. And then, where I entered, I will leave.

These are the areas I glued. I'm just going to make it to the end, so it's come full circle now. You can see it's there on the other side, but you don't see it. And tie the ends. Now I'm going to start with that other hole. There's the other side, and I'm going to start and go through there. Same thing: go around completely, go right in the middle. So I'm avoiding that area completely and leaving right where I started. Now I'm going to join those two ends. Now, when you have both ends done, when you grab those knots and pull, the bag will close.

And to open the bag, you will simply grab the top and open it. And since it's reversible, we can do it. We can make it reversible. What we are going to do is take that knot and poke its head to the other side. On both sides, simply take that knot and push it to the other side. Now I'm going to be able to take those ends and pull, and the bag will be closed. And I can open the bag. When the bag is closed, because it has that little square bottom, it has a nice look and lies a little flatter.

Let's talk about bag size. So let's say you're going to want a 10" bag. You'll have to start with the 10" measurement plus whatever you're going to put on top, so let's say you're just going to make the inch, plus that inch on top. . So you need 10", 11", 12". You would need it twice, which will give you 24" plus any seam allowance you are going to make. If you're doing a half inch, you'll need to add a half inch on each side plus the top. And that will give you the size bag you want. Therefore, it is a quick and easy storage bag or gift bag that you can make with any scrap and any fabric and, once finished, it has a beautiful presentation.

And the only thing he started with was two rectangles of the same size. He is a great heartthrob. I hope you give it a try and, as always, thanks for joining me on SewVeryEasy. Feel free to subscribe and, as always, come back. Let's see what we sew next time in the sewing room. Goodbye for now!