Congrats to yesterday’s winner, Rhonda Best, on winning Day 5’s daily giveaway! We will be in contact so that you can claim your prize.
It’s Day Six of National Sewing Month! Don’t forget to visit Seams and Scissors every day to find daily giveaway opportunities and sewing ideas! To enter today’s daily giveaway, find the contest rules and leave a comment below. Also look out below for details on how to enter our National Sewing Month grand prize that includes a BERNINA 215 Sewing Machine! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.
Today’s National Sewing Month post is brought to you by Judith from Cocojude!
My name is Jude and I have been blogging at cocojude.wordpress.com since the end of 2012. I tend to flit around different crafts as the mood takes me, but I mostly enjoy sewing, crochet and jewellery making. I came up with this great little sewing project especially for the Seams and Scissors blog – I hope you like it.
The idea for my pack away bag came from a really useful bag I was given as a present a few years ago, and I finally got around to trying to replicate it. It is surprisingly easy, and and doesn’t require masses of equipment. These fold away bags are small enough to bung in your handbag, and very useful when I go to visit my family in Wales (where you have to pay for plastic bags).
Ingredients
- Cotton fabric (a nice, thick good quality one is recommended. My bag is made from some very retro old curtains)
- Cotton thread
- Sewing machine
- Pins
- Sharp scissors for cutting fabric
Recipe
To make the main body of the bag
- Measure and cut a piece of fabric to 44cm by 70cm.
- Hem the top edge, fold in half width ways and sew around the bottom and open side. Zig zag the edges for a tidy finish.
- To make the straps, cut out two strips of fabric, each measuring 60cm by 9cm.
- Fold in half length ways, right sides together, and sew down the length. Turn the right way out and iron flat.
- Turn the bag inside out, and sew the straps securely into place, by sewing backwards and forwards a few times. Make sure they are evenly spaced!
To make the mini pack bag
- Cut out two rectangles of fabric – one measuring 13cm by 16cm, and the other one 13cm by 22cm. Hem the top edge of both rectangles.
- Lay the bigger rectangle right side up on your workspace. Fold the hemmed edge to make a 5cm flap.
- Right sides together, lay the smaller rectangle on top.
- Pin everything into place and then sew around both edges and the bottom. Zig zag the edges for neatness.
Assembling the pack a bag
- Turn both the big bag and the mini bag inside out. Stitch the bottom of mini bag to the bottom of the big bag.
- Ta da! Your bag is now finished! To pack it away, all you need to do is stuff the big bag into the mini pack bag.
Why not check out another of my tutorials, suitable for beginner sewists? – How to make self drafted pyjama trousers.
Be sure to see all of the projects and ideas available on Cocojude right here!
Also remember to check out the Project of the Day right here!
To enter the daily giveaway, leave a comment below telling us:
Do you remember the color your first backpack?
Official Rules for Daily Contest
- There is a maximum of one entry per person. The entry will be based upon a comment left on this blog post. Duplicate comments will be deleted and are not tallied.
- Winner will be selected at random from the comments on this blog post below.
- You have until tonight, September 6th, 2014 at 11:59p EST to leave your comment on this post. Comments posted after that will not be counted.
- Contest open to anyone 18+ in US and/or Canada.
Enter here for the National Sewing Month 2014 Grand Prize.
- How to Make Autumn Bunting - September 25, 2021
- DIY Envelope Pillowcase - September 24, 2021
- Recycle a Shirt Into a Fall Skirt in Four Easy Steps - September 23, 2021
Just getting started, loving this blog…..
My first back pack was red and white. For the university I was attending.
No I can’t remember but I remember my daughter had a red one and my son had a yellow one.
Gosh,no. Way too long ago. Neat tutorial. We always keep reusable bags handy for shopping, so this will be great. Thanks
The first one I remember was navy blue – a hand me down from my brothers!! thanks for the tutorial!
I believe it was black. Thanks!
never had aback pack
I do not remember my first back pack but I remember the first one that I made. It was the cutest pastel plaid colors. I used that backpack until it could not be patched up anymore. I loved it.
We did not have back packs when I was in school. I did get one years ago that was dark blue. I used it to carry stuff for my kids.
Sadly I do remember all those years back and t was just plain black. These days, the more colors the better for me!
No, don’t remember. Thanks for the tutorial or is it a “tote-torial” 🙂
Mine was red!
Black boring black, no color added, no decorations just B L A C K. (not even shiny black)
I don’t remember ever having a backpack but my children did. My daughter’s first backpack was homemade by her grand-mother and it was made from one of her old dresses. Thanks for the directions so I can make some for my grand-kids.
I always went for the basic backpacks, but I remember getting a patchwork backpack around 5th grade that I loved.
My first backpack is brown leather. An old boss of mine won it at a silent auction. He gave it to me on administrative assistants day. That was 10 years ago when I was 41.
My first backpack was a Boy Scout pack in college. Tannish brown.
That’s waaaaaay to far back for me to remember. But I like this tutorial. I spend a small fortune on reusable bags. I buy them and use them for everything from shopping to taking things to family and friends and I don’t usually get my bags back. Plus the store bought ones aren’t all that durable unless you’re spending “serious cash”
I have no idea what color backpack(s) I may have had, or even when I first used one. I’m sure I’ve never had one as jazzy as the one Jude made though!
I am an older sexist, so I did not have a back pack until a few years ago. It is blue and red paisley print.
Sewist! Darn you autocorrect! Patty
During the time I was in school, back packs hadn’t been “invented”!
I actually do because I still have it! “Blue Hawaiian Print” I bought when I first moved here in Hawaii 26 rs. ago!
They didn’t have backpacks when I was a child, but when I was an older adult and went to college my first one was black.
Yes, denim with red straps.
I didn’t get a backpack ’til I was long out of school. It was black leather, and Oh So Cool!. I wish I still had it now.
I ‘ve never had a back pack. Have bought several for my kids.
I never had a backpack. We just carried our books. Kids today are pretty lucky. Will have to try making this one. thanks.
I’m not too sure, I think it was black or dark green, love the project, I’m thinking of making some for my little nieces,
My first backpack was in Grade 1. It was a yellow and red lambchop backpack. I loved that character as a child!
I never had a backpack, just guess that’s showing my age. Or maybe it was the fact that I came from a large family and my parents could not afford 8 backpacks, lol!
This is so cute! I am just getting back into sewing, and when I get up to speed, I would like to try this. It would be a cute diaper bag, too.
I think m y first backpack was purple.
My first was blue
I’ve never had a backpack with that much pizzazz!! Thanks for the tutorial….it’s great. I think my first may have been a sort of tan color. But I had a denim one back then too…
We didn”t have backpacks when I was in school. Many years later I had a dark blue or black one when I went to college.
My first backpack was navy blue. Used it until the zipper gave out 😀
My first backpack was black and blue,
I’ve never owned a backpack.
I didn’t get my first backpack until I went to college! It was a magenta Jansport and I loved it, I felt awfully “grown up” with it 🙂
This is bad but back in my day we did not have backpacks-I would have liked a purple one if I could have had one
My first back pack was only about 5 yrs ago. It was light blue. X
I think it was blue floral!
looks easy enough . wonder if it would work for 12 inch fashion dolls scalled down
I used a clear backpack when I broke a bone in my foot and had to walk with crutches. (I am a member of the generation that did not have backpacks.)
I did not have a backpack….but my kids had a red and blue one.
When we went to school we did not have back packs/
My first backpack was brown,
We didn’t have backpacks as kids. When my own were little, one child’s was black,the other blue and the third child’s was purple.Love the fun design on that fabric used in the tote tutorial.
The Blog is great, the ” tutorial”is fabulous and wonderfully illustrated. Thanks for all the directions and tutorials. The”” giveaway”” however, is just an added incentive to continue returning, the information is the best reason for return.
Thank you
Too old to have had a backpack for school.Didn’t get my first one until 1987 when my second child was born and needed additional bags because his sister was only 11 months old! Diaper bag didn’t cut it alone so I added a green huge backpack from LLBean. Still have it and use it!
My first backpack was pink, I’ve always loved pink!
My first back pack was denim.
Pretty cool.
My first backpack was recycled denim and I loved it until it fell apart then I used it for a pattern for my next backpack.
I don’t remember my first backpack but I made my niece a kitty backpack for her to take to kindergarten.
I have never owned a backpack.
My first backpack was plain black nothing special but served it’s purpose. I need to try this pattern for my grandson who walks with a walker. He needs a back pack to keep his hands free for the walker.
I think it was pink with Miss America on it…
One can never have too many bags!!!
In all my school years I never had a bookbag & I don’t recall anyone else in my classes having one. We carried everything we needed in our arms including our brown lunch bag & later our TV- inspired lunch box !!!
When I was in School we didn’t carry Backpacks.( I graduated in 1973). but I bought my son’s Backpack at the Army Navy Store -It was Army Green canvas bag and just the Right size for his books and it was alot stronger than the plastic ones they sell today.. ( He is now 34 yrs old.) and If I looked hard enough I might just find it somewhere in this House… 😀 ! ! !
The first one I remember clearly was blue. It was a birthday present at a time when a new backpack wasn’t in our budget, and I loved it.
too long ago
Love the colors. I’ve only ever made a draw string sort of backpack before:) I’ve been sewing a couple years but really seems like I’ve just gotten started..
Sorry, they didn’t have backpacks then, but they did have wagons with stone wheels. lol To tell you the truth I only new about the ones they gave our husbands the first day of boot camp. But, I did just happen to buy one yesterday when I was shopping a Kohl’s. It is a beautiful Swedish design in black & white. I got it for $4.90 with my coupon. Yippie & Yahoo for coupons 🙂
God Bless