Sewn Square Bag

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This bag is perfect for making that small gift bag but also being reused for purse organization! (Or organization in any small space really)

Total Project Time: 30 minutes

I had to gift some jewelry and I didn’t know what to wrap it in, so I decided to make a mini square bag! Seems reasonable, right? Yea, I thought so too. So, I decided to design a square bag to fit the present. Since the bag was so small, I decided to go without the lining making the project extremely simple. I really like the square look because they fit well against each other and in the palm of your hand.

Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in forever fabrics or more unlimited ideas.

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Supplies

This project does not require many supplies. It only really requires three things:

• Your fabric of choice
• A stabilizer fabric
• A zipper

The patterns that I used for this project is listed below. There is definitely some flexibility with sizing but remember that side A and B will be the height and length, side C will be ½ of A, and side D is the depth. For my bag, I used the following measurements: A/B = 9.0 cm, C = 4.5 cm, D = 4 cm.

Process

After making the pencil case, I have gotten a little better in doing patterning and cutting everything to the right size. The first step, as always, is cutting all the fabric to the right shape. I sometimes like to draw the shape on the wrong side of the stabilizer fabric to make everything visible from the start. Once the pattern is drawn on, I like to trim down the stabilizer fabric and seal it to the outer fabric before cutting the outer fabric. I have found an iron on a higher setting is the best way to attach the stabilizer to the outer fabric. But you still have to be careful not to let it burn.

The fun part about having a zipper on this bag is that, it isn’t only on one side. It cascades over the sides of the bag which is an effect I really like. The zipper will be sewn in first along the long side B +2C. The zipper you use should be the full length of this side (if you choose to modify the design).

The next step will be connecting the D sides together. For this step, I like to have the zipper closed to provide some stability for the D side which is made up of two parts.

And then we have the last step which is sewing the now attached C sides to their corresponding A sides to make our square box. At this point, open the zipper to make it easy to turn the bag inside out.

And voila! Even without lining, the inside looks nicely finished and the drawn-on pattern isn’t too easy to see (unless you’re looking for it).

Lessons

Using Pinking Shears

When it comes to having visible finished seams on a project, I like to use pinking shears for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I like the look. Cutting a straight line is difficult and can be easy to mess up. Secondly, and more importantly, the pinking shears are providing an edge for the bag that prevents fraying. Since it’s exposed, there are more opportunities for the fabric edge to catch and the pinking shears provide an edge that would prevent that.

Quick Recipe