Create a small lined bag with a zipper using your leftover scraps of fabric. You can use these instructions to make larger bags as well. This bag is great for travelers!
With right sides together using the 2” x 11” and the 4 ½” x 11” pieces, sew a 1/4” seam along the 11” side. Sew the other 2 pieces the same way. Press the seams open.
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Step 3:
Sew the Thermalam or batting to the wrong side of the 2 pieces you have just sewn together along all 4 sides using a 3/8” seam.
Step 4:
The 2 outer pieces of the bag should now look like this on the inside and the outside.
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Step 5:
Adding The Embroidery
Mark the middle of the top of one of the outside pieces along the 11” side with a pin or fabric marker. Line up your center horizontal line with the seam line and the vertical center line with your mark. Note: If you are using a 1” or smaller design such as an initial, you can embroider that on the top band if you wish (like the green bag). To find the center of the top band measure down 1 1/8” from the top of the band and that will be the horizontal center of your band.
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Step 6:
Load the Two Color Sun design from Satin Stitch into your machine, hoop the stabilizer and fabric and stitch out the design.
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Step 7:
Iron the fusible Shapeflex to the wrong side of both pieces of the bag lining.
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Step 8:
Cut down the top of your zipper to ¼”.
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Step 9:
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Using your rotary cutter, cut the zipper 10” in length. Start the measurement from the end of the tabs that you cut down to ¼”.
Step 10:
Making The Zipper Tabs
Fold the tab in half along the 3” length, wrong sides together. Open up the tab and fold the 2 ends in half so that the edges meet the middle fold.
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Step 11:
Slide the zipper end on top of the zipper tab matching the end of the zipper to the middle of the fold in the zipper tab.
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Step 12:
Fold the other side on top of the zipper and pin. Stitch close to the edge of the opening.
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Step 13:
Create the other tab following steps 1 & 2 above. Open up the zipper and slide it into the tab matching the ends of the zipper to the middle of the fold in the zipper tab. Fold the other side on top of the zipper and pin. Stitch close to the edge of the opening.
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Step 14:
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Cut the ends of the zipper tabs so that they are flush with the sides of the zipper. The zipper should now look like this.
Step 15:
Adding The Zipper To The Bag
Open up the zipper a little bit and place it on top of one 11” side of the lining leaving ½” on both sides.
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Step 16:
Place the outside of the bag on top right sides together and pin. The zipper will be sandwiched in between the 2 pieces of fabric when you stitch it.
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Step 17:
Put your zipper foot onto your machine and stitch a 3/8” seam until just before you feel the zipper stop on the zipper. Make sure you stitch through all 3 layers. Remove from your sewing machine and unfold the two pieces.
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Step 18:
Slide the zipper stop so that the zipper is closed and continue stitching until you are finished sewing that side.
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Step 19:
The bag should now look like this.
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Step 20:
Open up your zipper a little bit and place the other side of the zipper on top of the other piece of lining.
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Step 21:
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Place the outside of the bag on top of the zipper right sides together, lining up the edges and pin. Again, the zipper will be in the middle of the 2 pieces of fabric.
Step 22:
Stitch a 3/8” seam until just before you feel the zipper stop on the zipper. Make sure you stitch through all 3 layers. Remove from your machine and unfold the two pieces.
Slide the zipper stop so that our zipper is closed and continue stitching until you are finished sewing that side. Press and top stitch close to zipper. The bag should now look like this.
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Step 23:
Finishing The Bag
Put the regular sewing foot back onto your machine. This step is very important! Make sure the zipper is open up all the way. Place the linings right sides together and the outside pieces right sides together. Line up the edges and pin.
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Step 24:
When stitching the lining, you will stitch a ½” seam leaving open a 3”- 4” gap at the bottom. This gap will be used to turn the piece right side out when you are finished. When stitching the outside pieces, you will stitch a ¼” seam so that the bag is a little larger than the lining.
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Step 25:
Make The Bag Corners
Using the 3” opening, put your hands inside the bag and flatten the first corner so that it makes a triangle shape. Pin.
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Step 26:
Mark down 1” using your fabric marker lining up the seam with a straight line on your ruler. This will be the stitching line.
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Step 27:
Stitch through the line.
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Step 28:
Do this for all 4 sides.
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Step 29:
Trim the corners down to ¼” and turn inside out.
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Step 30:
Poke out the corners. You can now either whipstitch the opening in the lining or stitch it closed using your machine. You are finished!
I've been sewing and making clothes from the age of 16 and started machine embroidering 8 years ago. I try to keep up with the latest embroidery trends by attending many classes at my local embroidery shop and just started learning how to quilt. I love to embroider on everything!
