Sewing: 20 minute Cotton Bag

20 minute cotton bag? Yes, you read that correctly…you can make this adorable and functional cotton bag in 20 minutes!

What You Need

1/2 a yard of heavy cotton fabric
pins
matching thread
machine
56 inches of cotton webbing

56 inches x 3 inches of coordinating fabric

Gather all of your supplies. Here I’m going to make two bags, one with the cotton webbing handle and one with a handle made out of matching fabric – you pick which one you want to use.

First, cut your fabric so it measures 15.5 inches wide and 33 inches long.

Turn right sides together and serge or stitch along the two sides. If you’re stitching, you’ll want to finish off the edge with a zigzag stitch so it doesn’t unravel on you – plus, it’s the inside of your bag, you’ll want it to look nice. Press.

Time for the top. Serge or zigzag the top edge. Fold down 1/2 and inch. Fold under 1 inch. Top stitch along the whole top of the bag. I did this twice – once 1/4 of an inch in and then 3/4 of an inch in – this gave it a more polished look and also will hold down the full 1 inch fold on the inside of the bag.

Handle Time

Okay – if you’re using cotton webbing, you can skip some of this part.

For making handles that match, you’ll need a piece of fabric that is 3 inches wide by 56 inches long. Cut it in half so it measures 3 inches wide by 28 inches long. Fold in half with right sides together. Serge the ends and serge about 3 inches down each side, leaving a large opening.

Now, turn the handle right side out. Press.

Pin the large opening closed. Top stitch all around the strap, closing the large opening.

Okay – time to attach your strap to your bag. I measured 1 inch from the edge of the bag and 2 inches from the top. Pin. Now stitch with a square that has an X in it…I’m not too sure of the technical name of it, but you can see what I mean.

If you’ve used the cotton webbing, I serged the end of it first, so it doesn’t unravel on me, and I also folded it under 1 inch on each side. This little trick makes it more polished looking.

That’s it! Done.

Now you have a little cotton bag that’s good for your lunch, a trip to the book store, or a bag that will hold your yoga gear for practice after work.