Pink and Barbara

Triangle Bag tutorial

Hi!

This is a tutorial on how to make the small triangle bag. The bag is perfect for your sock-knitting or quilting supplies.

What you need is:

Your sewing machine and sewing supplies like: needles, thread so on..

Outside fabric: 35 x 25 cm  (14 x10 inch)

Inside fabric: 35 x 30 cm  (14 x 12 inch)

A zipper that you can take apart that is 27 cm (11 inch) long. 

Optional: interfacing so you can make your bag more sturdy. I used a light one since I use the bag to take with me in my handbag and I don't want it to get too heavy.

Step 1

Attach you interfacing on the outside fabric. Cut your inside fabric into a 35 x 25 cm piece (14 x 10 inch). (The leftovers will be used later) Cut your inside and outside fabric in 2 pieces. So you will get 2 pieces that are 17,5 x 25 cm (7 x 10 inch) of the outside and inside fabric.

Step 2

Mark your outside fabric by laying your fabric on your work surface putting the 2 pieces together which you just have cut apart. On the cut make a mark 1.5 inch inwards on each side like in the picture above.

Step 3

Take your outside fabric and place it on you work surface with the right side facing up. 

Take your zipper apart and put it with the "teeth" of the zipper on the fabric facing down and pin it in place. Do the same with the second part of the zipper. (see photo)

Step 4

Layer the inside fabric over the zipper and outside fabric like in the picture. Pin it into place,  right sides of the fabric on each-other like in the picture. 

Step 5

Now sew the zipper into place from mark to mark as in the picture ( I am showing you the outside fabric with the black interfacing on it and the white thread so you are able to see it in the picture)

Step 6

From the leftover piece of the inside fabric cut  2 rectangles that are  5 x 7.5 cm ( 2 x 3 inch). Fold this so you will get 5 x 3.75 cm (2 x 1 1/2 inch) pieces.

Step 7

Open the 2 fabric pieces with the zipper and finger-press it so that it looks the way it should. Now put the zipper-pull back in. Hereby creating one big fabric piece with a zipper in the middle.

Step 8

After you have put the zipper-pull in you will have room between the edge of the fabric and where the zipper is sewn in. Slide the 2 pieces of folded fabric in and pin it into place. 

Step 9

Sew a nice seam over the zipper and by doing that sewing the folded fabric in.

So now you should have a piece of fabric with a zipper in the middle.

Step 10

Fold the fabric: right sides together of the outside fabric and the right side of the inside fabric on each-other. Like in the picture. Sew around the 2 short sides and on long side. So 3 sides only..not all 4 sides. (don't mind the marked square in this picture it will be explained in the next step)

Step 11

Mark a corner 6.5 x 6.5 cm  ( 2,5 inch) as in the picture and cut it out. You need to cut out 2 corners opposite of each-other. These corners are the corners that are sewn. So one corner of the outside and one corner of the inside fabric) You still have one side of the bag that is not sewn.

 

The last 2 steps are shown in these clips because you need to turn the fabrics different ways which is hard to explain in just text.

Step 12

Part 1

part 2

 

Step 13

You will take the left-over piece of the inside fabric and fold it so you will get a nice piece of fabric to put over the last sewn seam like in the picture.

I hope this is clear enough so you can make this nice triangle bag!

Have fun!

Barbara

 

2 super bag tips

Hi!

I was going to post a tutorial on a bag here but I haven't gotten around to it jet, but thought I would share my 2 best bag tips:

Tip nr 1:

If you want to have nice straight and sturdy handles on your bag, this is the best and easiest way to do it. It is a stabilizer that is normally used in pants for making a good waistband. But it works even better for bags. You just iron it on the fabric, fold it and put it under the machine:

Tip nr 2

If you would like you bag to have a bottom that doesn't sag you can use this method:

Take a piece of cardboard. Say the bottom of your bag is 15 inch long and 10 inch wide. You will need a piece of cardboard that is 15 inch long and 20 inch wide. Fold the cardboard in half (lengthwise) and put it in your bag to see if it fits. Adjust it if you need too.

Take a piece of fabric ( taking a piece in the same fabric as the inside of the bag looks nicest) put the cardboard on it and just cut around it...about one 1inch around it.

Take some glue and just glue the edges of the fabric to the "inside" of the cardboard. As you can see you don't have to be so precise when doing this:

Then fold it and take it too your sewing machine and sew around the edges and you have a nice bottom.

Most sewing machines won't have a problem with sewing this, but be careful, let the machine do the work so don't pull the cardboard or your needle will break, just gently help the cardboard in the sewing machine.

One thing I like about this method it that you can take this bottom out of your bag...put your bag into the washing machine and put the bottom back in again.

The finished look:

So these are my best tips. Let me know if you used them and you were happy with the result. It is always nice to know that if you write these things down that people actually read and use them ;-)))

Okay back to my knitting...It is getting obsessive...:-)