Sewing machine bag instructions

Sewing machine bag

For my bags I used quite a heavy woven cotton in two patterns, and canvas as thick as I could sew through! The size will fit a standard sized sewing machine with a bit of room to spare, you could adapt the measurements for a larger machine. I used foam board for the base which is sturdy enough but can be cut through, you can buy this from craft shops, or use ply wood or mdf which you will have to saw.

1.       For the sides, cut two rectangles of fabric measuring 17” x 13.5”

2.       Cut two of the same size in canvas.

3.       Apply Heat and Bond with a hot iron to each piece of canvas, peel off the backing and re-iron onto the wrong side of your fabric.

4.       Using a cup or mug as a template, round off the top two corners of each rectangle.

  

5.       For the pocket, two pieces of fabric measuring 9” square, sewn right sides together top and bottom to make a tube, turned the right way round and pressed. I added a strip of lace to the top, ribbon would be okay too.

   

6.       For the bottom of the bag, cut a rectangle of fabric 17” x 8”, and Heat and Bond this to a piece of canvas the same size.

7.       For the hard inner base, cut a rectangle of foam board or similar to 7” x 16”.

8.       Cut a piece of your fabric to around 18” x 14” and wrap around the base, gluing to secure.

 

9.       For the zipped section, you’ll need a 45” length of continuous zip with two sliders that meet in the middle, and four strips of fabric measuring 45” x 4”.

10.   The handle is a piece of upholstery webbing 3 yards long. [There may be a couple of inches left over]

11.   Sew the bottom of each side right sides together to the bag base.

12.   Place the pocket in the centre of the front panel and sew down each side.

13.   Pin the handles in place, starting at the base of the bag, up the front and loop over the top for the handle, and back down the other side. Make sure both sides are equal distance from the sides, and about 7.5” apart, covering the sides of the pocket.

14.   Take the strap around the second side of the bag, keeping the handles the same length.

15.   Sew in place, sew a cross at the top of the handle for strength, and don’t sew the handle too close to the top of the bag to leave room for fitting the zipped section.

    

16.   To sew in the zip, sew the first edge of the zip face down onto the long strip of fabric. Lay the second strip over the top and sew again. For the confident, you can do this in one movement, sandwiching the zip between the two strips of fabric. Open up and press, then stitch the other side of the zip to the remaining two strips in the same way. Open up and press again.

      

17.   I sewed all the way around the outside of this panel just to hold its shape.

18.   Lay your bag face up, and pin the zipped panel face down to the base, and sew across the two ends.

  

19.   Pin the side of the zipped panel all the way around one side of the bag, and sew, leaving the other end open for now.

       

20.   Pin and sew the other side of the zipped panel to the second side of the bag.

21.   Open the zip enough to turn and finally sew the base of the bag to the other end of the zipped panel. You’ll find that the zip will need trimming by about an inch, I did this to make sure the zip wasn’t too short, it’s easier to shorten the zip than to try and add length to it!

22.   Turn your bag the right way round.

23.   Fold the handles in half where you’ll hold them, then stitch together.

 24.   To stop the zip opening too far, put a dab of glue on the teeth of the zip where you want it to stop.

25.   Push 4 bag feet through the base of the bag, close to each corner, these are affixed in the same way as large brads.

      

Done!

This is a bag made by another Debz, Debbie Walker, following the pattern above...