About this blog

I make bags and post tutorials on how to make them. I'll tell you what went well and warn you about any disasters.

Tuesday 2 January 2018

Waterproof Wash Bag



I made this bag as a Christmas present for my Dad.  He wanted a 9" x 6" bag to store miniature toiletries when travelling.  I chose this cotton backed PVC fabric as it seemed quite masculine and fitted in with the travel theme.  I lined it with a waterproof fabric which I already had in my stash (PUL - polyurethane laminate).  It has a flat base, so it stands up by itself and has a zip closure.  I wanted it to have a rectangular shape once completed which meant making the bottom edge wider than the top edge to allow for the extra depth at the base.




I made the zip tabs differently this time.  Usually I make them so that they join up with the side seam, but I've noticed that commercially made bags have a shorter zip and a slight gap between the side seam and where the zip starts to avoid the bulk you can get in the corners.  I didn't know how much shorter to make the zip so I guessed at ½" shorter than the width of the bag and covered each end of it with very narrow zip tabs, as shown in the photo.




Then I sewed up the side seams, ensuring that I didn't sew into the tabs.   I really like the result. Not only is it easier to make, but it also looks better.  If I was doing it again, I would probably make the zip even shorter to keep the top corners more square.

I wasn't sure how deep to make the bag, so I waited until I had sewn all the edge seams before sewing across the corners to create the flat base.  It was harder to do, but enabled me to put off the decision until I had a better idea of what the bag looked like.

I was very happy with the end result.  More importantly, so was my Dad.

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