Quick and Easy Bag Tutorial

Laminate/Oilcloth Gift Bags: A Tutorial. 

 It's that time of the year when we're all furiously trying to get our holiday gift lists completed. I'm one of those crazy people who does all my shopping on Black Friday. With the bulk of all that out of the way, now I'm working on adding some handmade touches to my gifts, like making my own reusable gift bags. This tutorial will show you how to make a quick and easy bag from cotton laminate or oilcloth.

I love this line, 'Terrain' by Kate Spain, and I thought this print would be perfect for holiday gifts. 

Cutting: you can adjust these to make your bags any size you want, this makes a bag big enough to hold a book or magazine and some more goodies, finished size 8"w, 10.5"h, 4.5"d.

Front/back panel (cut 2): 8.5"x11.25"
Side panels (cut 2): 5"x11.25"
Handles (cut 2): 2"x12"
Bottom (cut 1): 5"x8.5"

Some ideas: try using a contrasting print on the side or nylon webbing for the handles

First sew together the front, side, back, and side panels to get one long piece. I know what you're thinking, 'why not just cut one piece to begin with instead of cutting it apart and just sewing it back together again?' The seams help the bag to keep its shape. Press the seams lightly with an iron on the wrong side.

Next, fold down one long end of the bag 1/2 inch and topstitch down. This will be the top of your bag. Since you shouldn't use pins with laminate, what I did was used my presser foot and seam guide to help me see where to fold down my fabric. I used my regular presser foot but depending on your machine, you might have some problems sewing on the right side of the fabric - using a walking, roller or nylon foot will help.

Once you have topstitched the top of the bag, you can now sew the last side panel to the front/back panel to make a box.

Next, sew the bottom of the bag to the body

Here we have the body of the bag done. To make the handles I fold my long strips in half to make 1 inch wide handles, wrong sides together, and topstitch on both sides.

I attach my handles to the bag, centering each end about 1 inch from the side. 

Now you have a finished bag to enjoy or give!