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DIY Bag Organiser: The End of Losing Stuff in Your Bag!

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DIY Bag Organiser: The End of Losing Stuff in Your Bag!

Back in July, one of my lovely readers emailed me to ask if I could write a tutorial showing how to sew a DIY bag organiser. She said that she is forever losing stuff at the bottom of her bag, and some sort of organiser might help.

Having found myself more than once frantically hunting for my phone because it’s ringing but being unable to find it because it’s sunk to the bottom under all the other stuff and the assorted junk, I thought this was a very good idea!

My first attempt at making a DIY bag organiser wasn’t a success. It involved sewing canvas, buckram and a lining and to be honest, it was a bit of a nightmare. I had imagined something fairly simple that would come together quickly, but this really didn’t.

In the end, I ran out of time because we were going on holiday, and when we got back I didn’t have any inclination to finish it.

Sometimes when things aren’t working, the best thing to do to give up and try again, and I’d definitely reached that point!

So having had a few weeks to re think, I’ve had another go and this time it was a success!

Instead of using fabric that needed lining and a stiffener added, I used some firm felt that didn’t need either.

I’ve also kept the design very simple. The pockets don’t have gathering, zips or anything fancy, and they’re only on the outside of the organiser, not on the inside. As felt doesn’t fray, I could trim the seams closely and the raw edges didn’t need finishing.

The organiser I made fits my Kath Kidston bus bag. If you have a bag that is a similar size this will work for you. If not, just adjust the dimensions so that it fits your bag. The finished dimensions of the bag organiser I made are 28 cm x 8 cm x 28 cm.

The felt came from Minerva Crafts (affiliate link) and I would recommend using this as it made the whole thing so much easier and quicker!

Here are the instructions for making a diy bag organiser! If you don’t fancy making your own pattern, you buy a pattern for it from my Etsy shop here.diy bag organiser

How To Make a DIY Bag Organiser.

You Will Need

Stiff felt (affiliate link) or other fabric with fusible stiffener added, usual sewing supplies.

Cutting Out

From the felt, cut 2 rectangles 33 cm x 33 cm, 2 rectangles 28 cm x 14 cm and 2 rectangles 28 cm x 18 cm.

The bag main pieces include a 1 cm (1/4 inch) seam allowance.

You might want to cut a handle in the top of the bag main pieces. The handle in mine is 9 cm long and 3.5 cm down from the top. If you want to make the top of the bag main pieces curved, you could use a French curve or a plate.

OR skip this stage by buying the pattern.

If you are using a bag with different dimensions, you will need to measure from the centre of one side to the centre of the other, and from the bottom of your bag to 3/4 of the way up the front.

The pocket pieces will need to fit on the front and the back without going round to the sides (unless you want them to!).

Sewing Up

1. Take one of the larger pocket pieces and one of the smaller pocket pieces. With the right sides face upwards, pin the smaller piece to the larger piece. Mark 1 third and 2 thirds along the smaller piece.diy bag organiser

2. Sew along where you marked so that the pocket pieces are sewn together. The front pocket piece here will have 3 sections.

3. Now pin the pocket pieces you’ve just made to one of the bag main pieces. If you are using the same dimensions as I did, the bottom of the pocket pieces will need to be 5 cm up from the bottom of the bag main, and 5 cm in at each side.

Sew the edges and the bottom of the pocket pieces to the bag main. The front pocket will have 3 sections and the pocket behind it will have 1 large section.diy bag organiser

4. To construct the pockets for the other side of the bag organiser, pin the smaller one to the larger one in the same way as you did with the other pocket section. Mark half way along on both pocket pieces.diy bag organiser

5. Pin this pocket section to the other bag main piece. Sew around the bottom and edges of the pocket pieces. Then sew down the centre of both pieces where you marked in the previous step. This will give you 2 pockets in the front, with 2 taller pockets behind.diy bag organiser

6. With the right sides together, pin the bag main pieces, then sew along the sides and the bottom. Trim the seams.diy bag organiser

7. Take one of the corners and open it out. Then squash it flat so that the seams are together. This will give your bag organiser some depth without having to faff about with a gusset. 🙂 Pin to hold it.diy bag organiser

8. Sew across the corner at right angles to the seam, close to the bottom corners of the pockets. Repeat with the other corner, then cut the corners off.diy bag organiser

Your DIY bag organiser is done! Trim the threads and turn it out. Now you never need to lose your phone or pen in the bottom of your bag again!diy bag organiserdiy bag organiserdiy bag organiserdiy bag organiser

 

diy bag organiser

How to Sew a Bean Bag Chair

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How to Sew a Bean Bag Chair

A little while ago, my boys expressed a need for bean bag chairs.

They like the idea of having somewhere comfy to sit where they can read or chill out that’s not a sofa downstairs or their beds.

There’s one chair upstairs in my big boys’ room, left over from the days of bedtime stories while feeding a baby. The little boys don’t have a chair in their room. There is a toybox with some cushions on it, but that’s disappeared under a pile of books and will probably stay that way until I can get a new bookcase (I need to decide where to put it first, we have a lot of books!).

So I actually like the idea of them having them each having their own bean bag chair that they can put where they like when they want to sit down.

With 4 of them, I wanted to keep things simple. I’d also originally planned to let the boys make them themselves, but we ran out of time in the summer holidays.

The design is very simple and is actually the same shape I used for the pattern weights and the kindle pillow. It’s just bigger! My older 3 could definitely have each made their own bean bag chair if we’d not run out of time.

For the fabric, I used polycotton. Other bean bag tutorials will tell you to use upholstery weight fabric. For these though, lighter fabric is fine. I also didn’t want to have to spend a fortune on fabric! Thankfully Minerva Crafts have lots of polycotton in dozens of colours and designs at £2.99 a metre! This is an affiliate link, but it is also where I bought the fabric.

Here are the instructions for making a bean bag chair!how to sew a bean bag chair

Instructions For Sewing a Bean Bag Chair

You Will Need

1.5 metres polycotton or other fabric, bean bag filling (5 cubic feet is enough for 1), usual sewing supplies.

Making the Bean Bag Chair

1. Take your fabric and cut 1.5 metres. Leave the width as it is.

2. Fold the fabric in half widthways so that the right sides and the selvedges are together. Pin, then sew along the open side and the bottom. Turn it the right way out.how to sew a bean bag chair

3. Fold the raw edges inwards, then pin the top so that the side seam is in the centre and the top edge is at right angles to the bottom edge. Sew about 2 thirds along so that there’s an opening in the top seam.how to sew a bean bag chair how to sew a bean bag chair

4. Pour in the bean bag filling. This will make an almighty mess if you’re not careful and I would not recommend allowing the kids to do this! Don’t overfill it. 3 quarters full is probably enough.

To make things easier, I cut the corner off the bag of beans and taped a cardboard tube to the hole. This made things easier as it’s hard to control where the beans go otherwise!how to sew a bean bag chair

The face is because I wouldn’t let him pour it in!

5. Sew up the rest of the top seam.

Give it a shake and your bean bag chair is finished!how to sew a bean bag chairhow to sew a bean bag chairhow to sew a bean bag chair

 

how to sew a bean bag chair

Little House Bag Tutorial and Giveaway

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Little House Bag Tutorial and Giveaway

Recently I was sent some beautiful fabric from the new Tilda Harvest collection so that I could once again participate in their blog hop.

As well as the lovely new fabric collection which you can find here, a new Tilda ebook is coming out at the end of September. It’s available to pre order here and there’s a little preview of the book here. I’ve had a look at it myself and I want to live in that beautiful house with all the quilts!

As with Tilda fabric generally, it was so pretty I didn’t want to cut into it! However the deal was that I made something with it, not just add it to the mountain of fabric behind my bedroom door!

Once I’d got over the whole thing of not wanting to cut it, I decided to make a little house bag.

There was enough fabric to make 2 little house bags, so I’ll be giving the rest away as a kit. If you’d like to win the kit, keep reading because the details are at the bottom of the post!

***Please note that the giveaway has ended***

Here’s the tutorial for making a little house bag.how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

How To Make a Little House Bag

You Will Need

Cotton fabric for bag main, roof, doors and windows, porch and window frames and lining. I used 4 fat eighths in different designs from the Tilda Harvest collection.
1 wooden heart button
1 magnetic snap
Sew in interfacing (I used Soft and Stable. This is an affiliate link.)
Fusible interfacing for the applique
Templates for the bag which can be downloaded here.

Please note that these are available as a content upgrade and although you can download them for free, I will require an email address in exchange for them. You can find out more about content upgrades here.

Cutting Out

Cut 2 main bag pieces from outer fabric, 2 from the lining and 2 from sew in interfacing. You might like to use some fusible interfacing on one of the bag outer pieces too to give it some weight for the applique.

Cut 2 roof flap pieces from the fabric you’ve chosen for the roof and 1 from sew in interfacing. I used the same fabric to line the roof flap as for the outer.

From the same fabric you’re using for the roof, cut a porch and 2 window frames. Iron some fusible interfacing to the wrong side before cutting out.

From the fabric you’ve chosen for the door and windows, cut 1 door and 2 windows. These will need fusible interfacing too.

For the handle, cut a piece of fabric 14 cm x 10 cm.

Sewing Up

1. Applique the windows to the window frames and the door to the porch.how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

2. Take 1 of the bag main pieces and position the door and windows on the right side of the fabric. The door will need to be 3 cm up from the raw edge. Appliqué the door and windows in place.how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

3. Attach one half of the magnetic snap 3 cm above the apex of the porch. If you need more detailed instructions showing how to install a magnetic snap, you can find one here.how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

4. Take the other bag outer piece and, with the right sides together, sew the sides and the bottom of the bag. If the sew in interfacing you’re using isn’t too thick, you could sew that with the outer pieces. Otherwise you’ll need to sew it separately.

5. To make the boxed corners, take one of the corners and press it flat so that the seams are together. Measure 3 cm up from the corner. Pin, then sew across the corner at right angles to the seam. how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collectionhow to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collectionCut the corner off. how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collectionThere’s a more detailed tutorial here showing how to make boxed corners if you need it.

6. Make the lining in the same way as the outer. If you’re using Soft and Stable, you’ll need to sew that separately as well.

7. With the right sides together, sew the lining to the outer across the front. Make sure you leave enough of a gap at the back to slip the roof part in. how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collectionTurn it the right way out.

8. Take the inside roof piece and attach the other half of the magnetic snap 2 1/2 cm up from the lower edge. You might want to iron on a little bit of fusible interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric first.

9. Take the 2 roof pieces and the sew in interfacing. With the right sides together, sew the sides and the bottom. how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collectionTrim the seams and cut off the corners. Turn it out and press.

10. Fold the open part of the bag main inwards. Slip the roof into the opening and pin. Top stitch all the way round the top of the bag.how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

11. To make the handle, take the handle piece and fold it in half lengthways. Open it out, then fold the raw edges into the centre. Fold the ends inwards, then fold half again. Sew all around the handle.

12. Sew the ends of the handle to the roof, near to where it joins to the bag main.how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

13. Sew the heart button above the door as shown in the picture below.how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

The finished bag is roughly 20 cm square and is perfect if you want a smaller bag. You could use it as a lunch bag or for storing a small crochet project or some embroidery.how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collectionhow to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collectionhow to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

 

how to sew a little house bag tilda blog hop harvest collection

How to Sew a Cushion With a Pocket

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How to Sew a Cushion With a Pocket

My son Aidan is a boy after his mothers’ heart.

Like me, he prefers the colder months, and when the weather gets cold, he likes to curl up in an armchair near the fire and read.

Along with sewing and cuddling my babies, this is also one of my favourites!

Recently Aidan has taken to removing all the cushions from the chair in his room and putting them in his bed, along with a couple of blankets. This has had the unfortunate side effect of making the chair look anything but cosy, so I offered to make him some cushions just for his bed.

As Aidan is an avid reader and is rarely seen without a book, I decided to make him a cushion with a pocket. There are usually a lot of books in his bed, and this way he can keep his kindle safe (I know how easily those things can break from past experience!).

The cushion is easy to make and has an envelope back. I added some piping because I like piping on a cushion, but you could leave this out if if you wanted to.how to sew a cushion with a pocket

The finished cushion with a pocket measures 34 cm x 34 cm. I used half a metre of the striped fabric and one FQ of the houses and boats.

If you wanted to make it for a full sized cushion pad, you would need more fabric. I’ve included the measurements below.

For the fabric, I wanted to use something with a seaside theme and this is perfect! It’s Marina by Makower and it came from Ebay (this is an affiliate link).

Sewing a Cushion With a Pocket

You Will Need

Half a metre of the striped fabric and 1 FQ of the pocket fabric (you will need more if you want to make a full sized cushion), bias binding (the wider the better!), piping cord, a cushion pad. A zip foot is also useful.

As I still have some old pillows knocking around that I don’t know what to do with, I upcycled one into a cushion pad. The tutorial for this will appear over the next week or 2!

Cutting Out

From the stripy fabric, cut a front piece 36 cm x 36 cm and 2 back pieces 36 cm x 27 cm. If you’re using half a metre, fold it in 3 to get the width, then measure each piece to get the length (this is what I did).

To make a full sized cushion, you will need to cut 1 piece 42 cm x 42 cm and 2 pieces 42 cm x 30 cm.

To cut the pocket, you will need 2 pieces 36 cm x 20 cm, or for a full sized cushion, 42 cm x 26 cm.

From the bias binding and the piping cord, cut 150 cm for the outside edge, plus 40 cm for the pocket. For a full sized cushion you will need 175 cm for the outside and 45 cm for the top of the pocket.

Sewing Up

1. Make your piping. Fold the bias binding in half and slip the piping cord inside. If you have a zip foot, put it on your machine, then sew the piping cord inside the bias binding. There are detailed instructions for making piping here if you need them.how to sew a cushion with a pocket

2. Take the pocket pieces. Place the shorter length of piping along the top edge of one of the pieces on the right side. The piping needs to be on the inside and the edge of the bias binding needs to be aligned with the top edge of the cushion.how to sew a cushion with a pocket

3. Pop the other pocket piece over the top so that the right sides and the top edges are together. Pin, then sew, taking care to catch the bias binding in the seam. Turn the pocket the right way out and press.how to sew a cushion with a pocket how to sew a cushion with a pocket

4. Place the pocket piece on the front of the cushion front, right way up. Check that the sides and bottom edges are together. Pin it in the centre to hold it.

5. Pin the piping to the cushion front and the pocket, on the right side. You will need to snip the bias binding to get it go round the corners. how to sew a cushion with a pocket When you get back to where you started, trim the piping so that the ends meet, then overlap the bias binding with the piping inside.how to sew a cushion with a pocket

6. Sew the piping to the cushion front.how to sew a cushion with a pocket

7. Hem both the back pieces.how to sew a cushion with a pocket

8. With the right sides together, pin the top back piece to the cushion front. Check that the sides and the top edges are aligned and that the hemmed edge is somewhere in the middle. how to sew a cushion with a pocket Then take the bottom back piece and pin it to the cushion front, overlapping the top back piece and with the sides and bottom edge aligned.how to sew a cushion with a pocket

9. Sew all the way round the cushion. Check the seams to make sure that the piping and the pocket pieces are caught in the seams. Trim the seams and cut across the corners. Turn out and pop the cover on the cushion pad.how to sew a cushion with a pocket

Now you have a cushion with a pocket! This could be adapted so you could personalise the cushion with appliqued letters, or you could sew the pocket in half to make 2 smaller pockets.

Here’s a cosy corner all ready for somebody to curl up in with a book. Although I don’t think I’ll be letting Aidan use my new favourite mugs that came from Love the Sales!how to sew a cushion with a pockethow to sew a cushion with a pocket

You might also like these cushion tutorials:

Easy tea towel cushion

Quilt block cushions

Reindeer cushion

Linking up here.

How to Sew a Passport Wallet

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How to Sew a Passport Wallet

One of the things that worries me the most about going on holiday is forgetting the passports.

If people forget to pack pants again, or sun cream or extra wipes, it doesn’t matter. That’s fixable.

If we turn up at the airport without the passports, well that’s a different story!

Our passports used to live in a sandwich bag in a basket in the kitchen. Although this did the job of keeping the passports together, I thought it would be nicer if they had a little wallet to keep them safe.

This tutorial has 2 versions of the passport wallet. The first is a standard one that has 2 pockets and will hold up to 2 passports.

The other passport wallet has a larger, family sized pocket for people who need to carry around a lot of passports (Jason Bourne, this one’s for you! 😉 )

They are both constructed in the same way. The only difference is that the standard sized passport wallet has 2 pockets the same, and the family sized one has a larger pocket with pleats, plus a standard pocket.how to sew a passport wallet holder

Instructions For Sewing a Passport Wallet

You Will Need

Cotton fabric (1 fat quarter will be enough), 1 m bias binding, 1 magnetic snap, buckram or some other stiffener, a small amount of fusible interfacing.

I’ve included some affiliate links at the bottom for the things you’ll need to make it. Please away that the map fabric is not the same as the one I used!

Cutting Out

From the cotton fabric, cut 2 rectangles 24 cm x 16 cm for the main section. For the standard pocket, cut a rectangle 16 cm x 20 cm. If you need 2 standard pockets, cut 2 of these. For the family pocket, cut 1 rectangle 25 cm x 22 cm.

Sewing Up

1. Cut 2 squares of fusible interfacing about 3 cm x 3 cm. Take one of the standard pocket pieces and measure up 2 cm from the bottom edge. In the centre, fuse 1 square of interfacing to the wrong side.

Repeat for the other pocket. If you are making the family pocket, measure up 2.5 cm from the bottom, then fuse the interfacing in the centre.

2. While you have the iron on, fold the pocket pieces in half and press.

3. Attach each half of the magnetic snap to the pocket pieces where you fused the interfacing. On the standard pockets, the centre of the snap will need to be 2 cm up from the bottom edge. On the family pocket, it will need to be 2.5 cm up from the bottom. If you need a more detailed tutorial showing how to install a magnetic snap, there’s one here.how to sew a passport wallet holderhow to sew a passport wallet holderhow to sew a passport wallet holderhow to sew a passport wallet holder

4. Take the pieces for the main section of the passport wallet. Put them wrong sides together with the buckram in the middle. Pin the pieces together in the centre. This is so that the pins don’t get in the way of the pocket which you’ll be doing in a minute!how to sew a passport wallet holder

5. Take your standard pocket and pin it to the main wallet piece. The pocket piece needs to be folded and the raw edges matched up with the side, top and bottom of the main wallet pieces. The magnetic snap should be on the outside of the pocket.how to sew a passport wallet holder

If you are making the family version, sew the edges of this pocket to the main wallet section, keeping close to the edge. This is to make things easier when you sew on the bias binding.

If you are making a standard sized passport wallet, pin the other pocket to the other side of the main wallet section, then sew all the way round.

If you find it difficult to sew near the snap, using a zip foot will allow you get closer.

6. To make the family pocket, find the centre of the bottom edge of the pocket section and measure out 3 cm on either side. Fold outwards to make a pleat. The magnetic snap needs to be on the outside of the pleat. Pin in place.how to sew a passport wallet holder

Pin the edges (not the bottom!) of the family pocket to the edges of the main wallet section. Sew them in place, keeping close to the edge.how to sew a passport wallet holder

Pleat the sides so that the pocket sits flat. Pin in place, then sew along the bottom, again keeping close to the edge.how to sew a passport wallet holderhow to sew a passport wallet holder

7. Take the bias binding and fold it in half lengthways. Fold one end over and pin it to the inside of the passport wallet so that the edges are together. how to sew a passport wallet holderSew the bias binding to the inside of the wallet. When you get back to where you started, overlap the ends of the bias binding and sew over them.how to sew a passport wallet holder

8. Fold the bias binding over the raw edges. Top stitch all the way round, taking care at the corners.how to sew a passport wallet holder

Now you have somewhere safe to keep your passports! This would make a nice gift for somebody who likes to travel.

Here’s the standard version…how to sew a passport wallet holderhow to sew a passport wallet holderhow to sew a passport wallet holder

…and here’s the family version.how to sew a passport wallet holderhow to sew a passport wallet holderhow to sew a passport wallet holder

Here are some affiliate links to things on Minerva Crafts you would need to make a passport wallet.

Map fabric

Magnetic snaps

Bias binding in various colours

Linking up here.

how to sew a passport wallet holder

 

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