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Craft Storage Bag | Sewing Pattern With Video Tutorial

Quick Links: What you'll need Project steps

Sew Debbie Shore's handy storage bag, designed to cater for all of your crafting needs.

This large crafter's bag is a great choice if you're looking for a sewing challenge. I recommend taking your time with this project, but you'll find it'll be well worth the patience and care! Whether you're a sewer, crocheter, knitter, embroiderer, painter, all of these and more, this bag is perfect for carrying your prized tools and material on the go.

I’ve added useful details, such as optional eyelets to pull your yarn through for knitting or crochet, and there’s knitting-needle/crochet-hook storage in the flap at the front of the bag, which could be used for pens, embroidery threads or paint brushes instead, if you wish. As you open the zipped flap, there’s a clear PVC pocket so that you can easily see what’s inside. There’s also a zipped PVC pocket on the back of the bag and additional storage on each end of the bag, with another knitting-needle pocket and an elasticated mesh pocket that could be an ideal place to store a water bottle. The two zips at the top open up to reveal four large elasticated pockets. There's the option of adding bag feet, and I’ll explain how to add a solid base if you need one. There’s an adjustable strap that has a padded shoulder section for when you’re carrying heavy loads, and the bag has bound seams for a professional finish.

I’ve used extra-wide backing fabric for my outer fabric, which is 106¼in (270cm) wide, so I only needed 19½in (50cm); measurements below are for 59in (150cm) wide fabric. Cotton is ideal, or choose lightweight denim or canvas for a really sturdy bag.

As you’re not sewing directly on to the PVC, you won’t need a non-stick presser foot.

Make sure to read through the instructions carefully before you begin. Don't worry about the project size: there are plenty of photographs, and I’m here to take you through it step by step.

Finished size: 17 x 11 x 6in (43 x 28 x 15cm)

Note: Use a ¼in (5mm) seam allowance unless otherwise stated.

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You will need:

Equipment

• Sewing machine, walking (even-/dual-feed) foot, zipper foot and denim needle
• Fabric shears
• Erasable fabric marker
• Iron
• 1in (2.5cm) circle template: a thread spool is ideal
• Clips to secure the PVC pieces and thick fabric layers
• Snap fastener fixing tool
• Fabric glue
• Safety pin or bodkin, for threading elastic;
• Optional: hand-sewing needle; stiletto or seam ripper (to hold tiny sections of fabric in place when machien sewing); tacking/basting spray; eyelet fixing tool (if you're adding eyelets); wet glue, to secure the card base (if you’re adding one)

Materials

Gather:

• 59 x 36in (150 x 91.5cm) of outer fabric: I used wide cotton fabric (see above)
• 54 x 24in (137 x 61cm) of lining fabric: I used plain blue cotton fabric
• 35 x 30in (89 x 76cm) of fusible fleece: I’ve used H640 by Vlieseline
• 66in (168cm) of ¼in (5mm) wide elastic
• 8 x 6½in (20 x 16.5cm) of mesh fabric
• 17 x 11in (43 x 28cm) of clear PVC
• 275in (7m) of ¾in (2cm) wide bias binding
• Two plastic snap fasteners
• Two 1in (2.5cm) D-rings
• One 1in (2.5cm) slider
• Three 15in (38cm) zips
• Two 9in (23cm) zips
• 18in (46cm) of 1/8in (3mm) wide ribbon for zip-pull decorations
• Optional: three ¼in (5mm) eyelets – add more if you wish; four bag feet; card or thin MDF board to make a stiffener for the bag base (corrugated card is fine if you use two pieces placed in opposite directions; if you're using MDF note you may need someone to help you cut it to size)

Cut:

• Two outer and two lining pieces from your pattern for the front and back
• Two outer and two lining pieces each measuring 23 x 3in (58.5 x 7.5cm) for the zip panel
• Two outer and two lining pieces each measuring 6 x 7¼in (15 x 18.5cm) for the end panels
• Two outer pieces each measuring 2 x 4in (5 x 10cm) for the D-ring tabs
• Two outer pieces each measuring 13 x 7in (33 x 18cm) for the front zipped pocket
• Four outer pieces each measuring 3 x 7in (7.5 x 18cm) for the ends of the front zipped pocket
• Two outer pieces each measuring 15 x 3in (38 x 7.5cm) for the front pocket flap: use the 1in (2.5cm) circle template to round off the bottom two corners of each piece
• One outer and one lining piece each measuring 17 x 6in (43 x 15cm) for the base
• Four outer pieces each measuring 2 x 1½in (5 x 4cm) for the back pocket zip ends
• One outer and one lining piece each measuring 6 x 6in (15 x 15cm) for the end pocket
• Two outer and two lining pieces each measuring 19 x 6½in (48 x 16.5cm) for the inside pockets
• One 44 x 2in (112 x 5cm) strip of outer fabric for the strap
• Two outer pieces from your pattern for the shoulder pad
• One outer piece each measuring 8 x 3in (20 x 7.5cm) for the shoulder pad
• Two pieces of PVC, each measuring 17 x 5½in (43 x 14cm) for pockets

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