Bag #2: Bottle Bag

How to make a bottle bag

  

I chose to make a bottle bag this week because I needed to take all the glass bottles used over Christmas to be recycled and if I put them in a normal shopping bag, all that clinking makes me sound like an alcoholic.  I spotted this ripstop fabric at my local fabric store and thought it would be idea – strong, hard wearing and easy to clean. It is backed with vinyl so that helps it to hold the shape.  I would have preferred something even stronger but other than canvas which would have been too bulky, I couldn’t find anything suitable.

Skills used in this project

• Working with ripstop fabric
• Attaching handles
• Working out what order to do all the stages in

Step 1: Cutting out

Cut out the following from your chosen fabric:

Main body (back, base and front all in one piece) 28¼ “ x 10¼” (cut 1)

Sides 7¼” x 11¼” (cut 2)

Central insert 11” x 11¼” (cut 1)

Side inserts 3 ¾” x 10½” (cut 4)

Cut 2½ yards (2.3 m) of webbing for handles. 

As the back and front are all in one piece, the pattern will be upside down on one side of the bag so it is best to choose a fabric that isn’t directional.

Step 2: Hemming

All the pieces needed to be hemmed before assembling. I used a ⅜” hem and seam allowance throughout.

Hem all round the main body and sides.

Hem one of the slightly longer sides of the central insert.

Hem one short side of each of the side inserts.

Step 3: Attaching the handles

Find the approximate middle of the main body by folding it in half, short side to short side and measure 1” in from the long edge.  This is where you will start to attach the webbing which is sewn to the right side of the fabric.  Fold over the end to hide the raw edge and pin the webbing to the fabric, keeping a constant distance of 1” from the edge. Keeping close to the edge of the webbing, sew across the end and then along one side, stopping about 1” from the end. To reinforce this part of the strap, sew a x shape across the webbing before sewing back down the other side of the same piece of webbing.

Measure 16½" for the handle and make sure that the webbing is not twisted, then attach to the same end of the fabric, starting about 1” in from the top and the side and sewing a reinforcing x shape before sewing the webbing along one side the whole length of the fabric.  When you reach the other end, stop about 1” from the end and sew a reinforcing x shape before turning and sewing back along the other side of the webbing.  Then measure the other handle and sew the remaining piece of webbing to the fabric so that you are back where you started, turning over the raw edge as you finish.

  

Step 4: Sewing the inserts together

Measure 3¾" along the hem from the edge of the central insert.  This is where you will attach two of the side inserts, one on either side on the central insert, making sure that the hems match and sewing down from the hem towards the bottom.  The side inserts are slightly shorter than the central insert because they will not be attached at the base. The pattern can face in either direction – it is a matter of personal choice.  I chose to have the pattern facing out and the raw edges of the seam towards the centre.

Central insert sewn
to main body of bag
left to right

Measure the same distance from the other end of the central insert and attach the remaining two side inserts as above.

Step 5: Attaching the central insert to the main body

The base of the central insert needs to be sewn to the wrong side of the main body from one long side to the other (this is where you started attaching the webbing for the handles on the right side). You can find the middle by folding the fabric short side to short side and marking the fold line on the wrong side of the fabric.

Step 6: Attaching the side inserts to the main body

Before attaching the side inserts, the outside bottom corner should be trimmed to form a slight curve starting about 1” from the bottom.  This curve will not be attached to the bag.

Measure 3" from the edge of one short side, match up the hems and sew from the hems downwards.  The inserts are sewn to the wrong side of the fabric. The raw edge can face in either direction – it is a matter of personal choice.

Repeat this step for all 4 side inserts.

Step 7: Attaching the central insert to the sides

The bottom corner of each end of the central insert should be trimmed to form a slight curve starting about 1” from the bottom.  This part will not be attached to the bag.

Fold one of the side panels in half long side to long side.  The fold line is where you will attach the end of the central insert to the wrong side, matching the hems and sewing downwards. The raw edge of the central insert can face in either direction. Attach the other end of the central insert to the wrong side of the other side panel.

Step 8: Attaching the sides to the main body

Sew the side panels to the main body by putting the wrong sides together, matching the edges.  Sew close to the edge, making sure that the hem at the top matches.  I found it easier to sew down one side, then the other, then the bottom edge. It took longer but I made sure that the top edges were perfectly aligned this way.

In this project I learnt:

• To take the time to be accurate.  A couple of times I made mistakes and had to unpick them.  It doesn't show on the outside but the vinyl on the inside has puncture holes which will be there forever.
• Ripstop is a great fabric to work with. When you look up close, there are criss-crossing lines all over the fabric.  This makes it easy to cut and sew in a straight line.  Another bonus is that it doesn't seem to fray much.
• The bag handles were really easy to attach and make the bag very sturdy.  I shall use this technique again when I make other bags e.g. beach bag. However, I kept forgetting they were there and sewing over them when I sewed the seams!!