Yellow: Little Messenger

My kids love bags.

I originally made this as a library bag for my kids to tote their books back and forth all summer, but they’ve been using it for imaginary adventures in our house, escapades around the neighborhood…much more than the just the literary adventures I was thinking of.

So I’ve dubbed it simply the…

A small tote for all occasions.

It’s fairly simple to bring together. It just takes a little time…about two hours if you want to do it right.

Materials:

1/2 yard of Duck cloth or canvas
1/2 yard of cotton (liner)
2 large D-rings – I used 11/2 inch wide D-rings
2-3 inches of velcro and or a small D-ring – the depends on how you want to close the bag

**You may also want to use a heavy duty needle. I didn’t. I just use my universal needle, sewed slow (a big reason it takes two hours to make), and lengthened my stitch to a 3.

Before you begin, cut all the pieces you’ll need.

*Please note that this image is not drawn to scale…or with a ruler for that matter. 🙂

STEP ONE: Create the main bag.

*Take your two 18×25 inch pieces and fold them in half.

1. Measure out and trace 2 inch by 2 inch squares at the corners of your outer and liner bag.
2. Use those lines as a guide as you pinch the corners into a triangle.
3. Draw a line straight across. Pin.
4. Sew.

Optional: Add an inner pocket. 

*Cut it to the size desired. (I didn’t measure. I just eyeballed it). You can see the water splotches from when I pressed it.

*Trim the corners off just before the seam.

*Bring your outer and liner bag together.

I like to lay down some fabric glue to adhere the liner to the outer bag. Just a few beads here and there do wonders.

STEP TWO: Create the flap.

*Turn it right side out and press with a hot iron. The Duck cloth is pretty stiff. You’ll want to spray it with a good amount of water.

*Sew all the way around. I sewed twice at the end, but you can skip this and just sew along this edge when you attach it to the bag.

*Now attach it to the main bag.

You can sew up the sides but I left it open. It’s a hidden pocket/sleeve where a sweater can be laced through, for sticks to be stashed…etc… 🙂

You’ll end up with a line on the inside but it’s not really noticeable. I could have even used gray thread in my bobbin if I wanted to disguise the line more.

STEP THREE: Straps.

I found that putting the D-rings on the shorter strap worked best.

I sewed two rows about 1 1/2 inches apart.

STEP FOUR: Add a closure.

Depending on what kind you want to use, you either add this in STEP TWO or here.

For this yellow bag, I used a D-ring/velcro closure which you want to add here at the end.

I cut a strip of Duck cloth about 10 inches by 3 inches.

Then I cut a 3 inch piece for the top flap and an 7 inch piece for the main bag.

I sewed it on like so…

…using two lines of stitching for strength.

I also made a bag for my youngest son, Reid…

and used a simple velcro closure.

In Step 2, simply sew some velcro on before attaching the flap to the bag. I put it over the arm of my sewing machine to sew it on. You could sew it on the liner before sewing the two pieces together as well, but I like how this ensures I get the velcro strip exactly where I intended.

When the bag is almost completely assembled, then add the corresponding piece of velcro to the main bag.

I like how the extra line of stitching gives the straps a nice contrasting effect.

And done!

Please feel free to criticize how great 😉 I attached the liner on this one.

Looking at this yellow one, I feel I could have made it more manly. 🙂 But Owen doesn’t seem to notice or mind.

Reid says, “Good job Mom!”

Thanks kiddo. 🙂

Be sure to stop by Kojodesigns for this adorable sunshine yellow maxi dress!