For our 2nd Annual Scalloping Trip, one of my best friends (and Alpha Phi big sister) Ashley H came down to visit. She has some awesome bath and body products (which I reviewed here) at her shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RareEarthBathAndBody?ref=pr_faveshops. She is also going through a lot of dental work right now and is documenting it all on her blog. Her orthodontist had given her a little plastic zip top bag to keep everything for her braces (wax, floss, etc) and it was such a cheap piece of junk that it already broke. Since she was already down here, we figured we could just whip up a cute replacement based on my scraps.
Since Ashley was looking for a pretty simple bag, I decided I would just “wing it” and not make a formal plan. Her old bag was around 4” x 9” and she wanted the new bag to be similarly sized. I asked Ashley to pick up a zipper from Joann Fabrics while I was at work because I don’t usually keep them stocked. She got a 7” black zipper – after we finished the bag we realized I had a light gray one that would have matched better but this one will be functional even though it doesn’t quite match. We chose two different fabrics from my stash of canvas and home décor fabrics: a patterned one for the outside and a solid blue for the lining. Here’s how to make this bag:
Cut 2 rectangles from each fabric measuring 5” x 10” or slightly larger than what you want the finished size to be. Obtain a zipper the same length as your rectangles or longer (you can cut off the excess). Since the zipper we used was a little shorter than what I wanted the bag to be, I sewed a couple of scraps onto the ends of the zipper that will get encased in the bag.
Cut 2 rectangles from each fabric measuring 5” x 10” or slightly larger than what you want the finished size to be. Obtain a zipper the same length as your rectangles or longer (you can cut off the excess). Since the zipper we used was a little shorter than what I wanted the bag to be, I sewed a couple of scraps onto the ends of the zipper that will get encased in the bag.
To sew in the zipper, I’m going to send you to my favorite tutorial! Check out the Heart of Mary Zippered Wristlet Tutorial for a really good explanation of how to sew the zipper into a bag with a lining. I never really understood zippers and was always a little afraid of them but this tutorial really helped me understand what to do!
Once all your rectangles are sewn onto the zipper, unzip the zipper and flip the fabric so you have the two lining pieces on one side (right sides together) and the two exterior pieces on the other side (right sides together). Sew all the way around, leaving an opening on the lining side to flip the bag inside out. See the Heart of Mary tutorial linked above for more detailed instructions.
Flip your bag right side out and sew closed the opening in the lining. I chose to just sew all the way across so it was uniform.
Tuck the lining back inside the exterior, add a little zipper pull and TA DA! You’re done! A cute, easy zipper bag to replace a cheap icky one.
