This small pouch has a built-in divided making it perfect for storing sets or having room to organize throughout this divided bag.
I feel that as I do more and more projects, I am able to grow in more directions. And I can bring the vision of what I want into reality a little bit easier. Traveling is something I do often, and I hate when my bag is a mix of lose cords or sets that have gotten separated.
This is especially true for my switch accessories. The controller would be in one pocket, the charger in another, and my HDMI cord would be lost somewhere. Its amazing how easily you can lose items in one pocket. But I wanted to have something that would hold all of these items in a smart, organized way. And then when I decided I wanted to make a divided bag.
The thought behind this bag is that it would have three pockets in total made up of two pockets with on splitting the other. Once I had the idea, I just had to figure out how I was going to put it all together. It took some trial and error, but I finally got a pattern I really liked. And, with a bit of extra effort, this bag is probably one of the nicest products I’ve made. It’s very cool seeing how I am able to grow – which is one of the nice things about blogging all of these experiences!
Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in strings and things or more unlimited ideas.
Supplies
For this divided bag, I used:
- An Exterior Patterned Fabric
- An Interior Plain Fabric
- (2) Zippers
- Cotton Batting
- Thread that meshes well with the Exterior Fabric
I decided to use cotton batting and a quilted effect because: one – I’m a little obsessed after learning quilting and two – it felt like a more professional finish. The more I sew, the more I feel that some sort of batting or stabilizer should really be involved in most sewing projects.
For the exterior fabric, I decided to use a video game inspired fabric that I had because it just felt like the perfect fit. I didn’t know what project I wanted to do when I bought the fabric, but I absolutely love the way it fit exactly what I wanted it to hold for this divided bag.
Process
Prepping The Pattern
The first step I took to make this divided bag was to draw out the pattern. I debated between cutting out the pattern on paper or making fabric squares and modifying them. Due to the size that I wanted the bag to be, I need two 10 inch by 7 ½ inch rectangles and two 9 inch by 6 inch rectangles of each type of fabric (so, 8 squares in total).
The larger rectangles would make up the outside portion of the divided bag which the smaller rectangles would be the inside pocket and divided. I found that making rectangles and cutting away the excess material just worked better for me. I labeled each side with a letter to help in writing out how to sew this because I still struggle with describing sewing patterns.
- A = 10 inches
- B = 7 ½ inches
- C1, C2 = 1 ½ inches
- D = 6 inches
- E = 7 inches
- H (L+2xJ2) = 9 inches
- J1, J2 = 1 inch
- K1, K2 = 5 inches, approx.
- L = 7 inches
Prepping the Zippers
One thing I have always struggled with is zipper ends. They either stick out or I have trouble sewing them flat. Either way, it does give the polished look that I want. However, I did find a trick that I think works fabulously in giving a cleaner look.
Using a small piece of the exterior fabric I created a folded strip that would cover each end of the zipper. This helps keep the ends in but also gives me more area to sew over to help secure it as well. I did this for both zippers (inside pocket – 6 inches, and outside zipper – 8 inches)
Sewing the Inside Pocket
The first that I wanted to do was reinforce the exterior fabric with the cotton batting. I used a spray glue to loosely connect the two before sewing a diamond pattern. Black thread felt like the obvious choice because it matches pretty much everything. Although I was tempted to pick one of the other colors that was in the exterior fabric.
I reinforced the exterior fabric both the interior and exterior pocket. Then it was time to sew! The core of the sewing happened with the zipper as the anchor. I attached a piece of interior fabric and exterior fabric for the inside pocket to the zipper. The exterior fabric should be against the front of the zipper. The zipper was not visible, and both fabrics had the “wrong” side facing out.
This allowed me to flip the fabric after attached to have the inside and outside. The zipper is fully visible and the semblance of a pocket starts to come together. Then I repeated this step for the other side. Now I have the zipper with both sides of the pockets attached. All that was left was to attach these sides to each other.
Since this pocket will be tucked into the exterior lining of the bag, I did not worry about seams at this point. Instead, I just sewed along the L and K side. Then I set the inside pocket of the divided bag to the side and started on making the outside of the bag.
Sewing the Outside
The process for sewing outside walls of the divided bag is very similar to that of the inside. I once again was working around the zipper as an anchor. I sewed the zipper along one set of fabric and then repeated on the other side.
In the end, I have the bag perfectly laid flat with the zipper in the center. And here is where the script changes a little. I then folded the pieces of the exterior fabric set were facing each other. Only the “wrong” side of the material should be visible. I left them pinned together and moved on to combining the interior fabric pieces.
Combing the Two Pockets
But there’s a catch! Because here is where I wanted to add in the inside pocket. So, lining up the interior pocket edges (B to K and L to E) I made sure to pin these firmly in place. The interior fabric for the outside piece will look a bit baggy at this point but that’s not a problem.
Then it was time to sew along the edges. Since this is going to be hidden on the inside of the bag, it does not need to be perfect. With the edges sew, there is one last piece that needs to be addressed: the corners.
The corners were cut out to make a wide base for this divided bag. I folded them over to put the two sides of the same fabric piece parallel to each other. It felt a little like origami, pulling the attached corners away from each other so the nonattached corners could meet at the center.
The difficulty about doing this for 3 layers of fabric was lining up all three layers. I wanted to make sure every piece was included in the fold and sew. This helps stabilize the bag and keeps everything connected at every point.
The Finishing Touches
With the bag still inside out, I moved over to the outside exterior. This was a lot easier since I was working with less parts. I sewed together the B edges and part of the E edge. The only reason I didn’t sew the center on the E edges was because I still needed a place to flip the bag inside out. And, just like the outside interior, I sewed the corned shut using the same folding method.
All that was left was turning the divided bag inside out and sewing that final hole shut. This can be done on a sewing machine if the stitch isn’t easily visible or by using a hidden hand stitch. It really just depends on the desired final look.
Reflections
This was one of the most professional looking projects I have ever done. I was really impressed with how this came out and it honestly made me very excited to do more sewing projects. Having some tips and tricks under your belt can really help a person grow.
I did make this divided bag a little tight for fitting a switch pro controller, but it fits and that’s I really cared about at the end of the day. I do think this bag can be increased in size but try to keep the proportional all the same else it might result in some unintended consequences.
Lessons
Sewing Around the Zipper
One thing that I have always struggled with was sewing around zippers. I know they make sewing machine feet specifically for zippers but I don’t have one. Instead, I end up stopped the sew around the middle and switching the zipper to the other side (either zipping or unzipping) while the needle holds the fabric in place. This has worked well for me as then I don’t get the bump from sewing around the zipper I would get if I just kept trying to go straight.
Pattern
Download the below files for the patterns to size.
Divided Bag
Ingredients
- 2 9 inches by 6 inches (Inside Pocket – ExIn)
- 2 10 inches by 7 ½ inches (Outside Pocket – ExO)
Interior / Plain Fabric:
- 2 9 inches by 6 inches (Inside Pocket – IntIn)
- 2 10 inches by 7 ½ inches (Outside Pocket – IntO)
Cotton Batting
- 2 9 inches by 6 inches
- 2 10 inches by 7 ½ inches
Zippers – 8 inches, 6 inches
- 1 8 inches
- 1 6 inches
Instructions
Prep
- Cut the rectangles to match the pattern. (See notes for measurements)
- Using the scraps from trimming the rectangles, take one square and fold in half. Then unfold and fold both edges to touch that square (dividing the piece into quarters). Only the “right” side of the fabric should be visible.
- Place the end of the zipper between to align with the center fold. Fold the fabric along the original half line so that the zipper edge is fully enclosed by the fabric. Sew along the edge.
- Repeat for the other side of the zipper and for the other zipper.
Inside Pocket
- On the 6-inch zipper, pin the L1 side of (1) IntIn piece and one L1 side of the IntO piece so that the “wrong” sides are facing out and the majority of the zipper is between the two. The zip of the zipper should be facing the exterior fabric. Sew along edge. Flip fabric pieces to make zipper visible. Optional: Sew along edge to flatten fabric.
- Repeat above on the opposite side of the zipper using the other IntIn and IntO fabric pieces.
- Fold the inside pocket flat so that all sides are aligned with each other. Sew along the K1, K2 and L2 side. Set aside.
Outside Pocket
- Using the 8-inch zipper, pin the A side of ExIn and ExO to one edge. The zipper should be between the two fabrics with the zip facing the ExO piece. The “right” side of the fabric should be facing each other with the wrong side facing out. Sew along edge. Flip fabric pieces to make zipper visible. Optional: Sew along edge to flatten fabric.
- Repeat above on the opposite side of the zipper using the other ExIn and ExO fabric.
- Move the two ExO pieces of fabric so that they are facing each other. Align the B, D, and E edges.
- For the interior fabric on the outside pocket, align the edges with the inside pocket – D should match with K2, B should match with K1, and E should match with L2. Sew along these edges.
- Fold the corners of the ExIn pieces, fold so C1 and C2 are flat against each other on both sides. This flattening should also flatten the J1 and J2 edges. The C and J edges should only touch the adjacent side from the same pieces of fabric. Sew shut.
- For the two ExO pieces, sew along lines B and the outside of line D leaving a 2 inch gap. Flatten C1 and C2 so they are parallel with each other. Sew shut.
- Flip bag inside out and gently push out corners. Sew the remaining of the D line on the ExO pieces of fabric.
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