Click to Carry Bag by Rachel Measham-Pywell from Four Wise Monkeys
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 5:53PM The Click to Carry bag is a great storage option for kids on the go. With its cute lion motif it’s sure to be a favourite with kids!
The bag features a strap with both adjustable lengths and a satchel clip that allows the strap to separate. This versatile bag can be attached to the back of a head rest in the car with the strap shortened to carry those bits and pieces children require for a trip. It will keep the bag off the floor and also at a height so that children travelling can reach into during the trip and help themselves to their essentials. The bag strap can then be lengthened with a slide adjuster to be used as a messenger style bag. The side release buckle lets you clip the bag onto a pram, shopping trolley or onto your own bag for security- keep your kid bits and pieces safe while you are out and about!
*A quarter inch seam allowances has been used unless otherwise stated. Iron all your fabric before starting.
What you need - kit available here
38mm Side Release Buckle - Available from Nicole M Design
38mm Plastic Slide Adjuster - Available from Nicole M Design
1 button
1 Fat Quarter Yellow Stripe Fabric
1 Fat Quarter Blue Fabric
20 cm Red Spot Fabric
35 cm Yellow Fabric – Lining
Scraps of fabric for the appliqué and thread to match the appliqué and lions face embroidery detail.
1.5 m of binding
30 cm Pellon
Small amount of light weight iron on interfacing
10 cm x 25 cm piece of heavy pellon such as Peltex 71f for bag base
Small amount of vliesofix
Download Stitchery and Applique Design
Getting started
Print your pattern and cut out your bag flap pattern piece. The top of the bag flap pattern piece should measure 5” across. Measure to ensure accuracy.
Onto vliesofix, trace the lions mane, face, ears, eyes and nose leaving a gap between each shape for cutting out. Following the manufactures directions fuse the visofix to the wrong side of the fabric scraps. Cut around the shapes. Set aside.
From the blue fabric
1 bag flap piece – cut on the fold
1 x 7½”x 12½” rectangle
From the yellow stripe fabric
2 x 8½” x 12½” rectangles
From the red spot fabric
2 x 2½” x 12½” rectangles
3½ inch strip across the width of the fabric and cross cut into 30” and 8” rectangles (straps)
From the yellow fabric
1 bag flap piece – cut on the fold
1 x 27½” x 12½ rectangle
From the pellon cut
2 x 2½” x 12½” rectangles
1 x 23½” x 12½” rectangle
1 bag flap piece – cut on the fold
From the light interfacing cut
1 x 29½” x 3” rectangle
1 x 7½” x 3” rectangle
From the binding cut
2 x 12½” strips
1 x 6” strip
Remaining binding is left uncut to bind the bag flap.
From the Peltex
2 x 2” x 9½” strips
Step 2 - Adding the appliqué shapes
Using the photo as a guide, iron the appliqués into place using a warm dry iron. Don’t forget to overlap the appliqué pieces for the lions ears. Mane down first, then the ears, then head shape. The lions head is placed lower on the mane, so there is more mane showing at the top of the head than below it.
Applique the shapes using your favourite method. I used 2 strands of matching thread and the button hole stitch technique.
Using the photo as a guide, lightly draw the lions mouth with a fine lead pencil or fade away pen. Stitch the mouth with 3 strands of thread using back stitch and add some little crosses on the cheeks. Also add a French knot and a stitch in white on the eyes.
Step 3 – Making the bag flap
Iron the pellon to the wrong side of the bag flap lining. Place the bag flap front and lining wrong sides together and base around the outside edge so that all three layers are sandwiched together.
On the right side, pin the binding around the edge of the bag flaps rounded edge, carefully easing the binding around the curves and leaving a short overhang at the ends. Sew into place using a ½ inch seam.
Turn the bag flap over and in the binding into place so it just covers the stiching line.
I prefer to sew my binding on from the right side so that I am top stitching the front as I go. As I stitch I remove the pins. Press your completed bag flap and trim the binding overhang. Set aside.
Step 4 – Bag construction
Take the blue 7½”x 12½” rectangle and sew an 8½” x 12½” rectangle to each side to create the bag panel.
Following the manufactors instructions, iron the pellon to the wrong side of bag panel, and to the back of the two red spot rectangles measuring 2½” x 12½”.
Lay the bag panel so it is flat and centre the two binding strips measuring 12½” over the seams and top stitch on both sides of the binding to secure them into place.
Fold the bag panel in half with right sides together, carefully matching the binding strips. Pin and sew along the long edges. Pin the short edges of the red spot fabric and sew together.
To form the bottom of the bag, fold the side seam across the bottom so it forms a triangle.
Mark the line across the triangle where the edge measures 2” across and sew along this line. Repeat on the other side. Trim the corners and turn the bag right side out. This will create a box shaped base to the bag.
Fold the yellow lining fabric in half, right sides together and the edges aligned. Sew along the sides, leaving a 3” gap in one side for turning. Form the base of the lining as you did to form the bottom of the bag.
Step 5 – Make the adjustable strap
Iron the two strips of light fusible interfacing to the wrong sides of the red spot fabric, leaving a quarter inch seam allowance around the interfacing.
Fold the straps in half lengthways with the right sides together and stitch along the long edges with a ¼ inch seam allowance. Turn them right sides out and press with the seam along one side. Topstitch along both long sides of your straps and two rows a quarter inch in to create a decorative finish.
Using the 8” strap, with the picture as a guide, thread the fabric through the end of buckle so that the ends meet. Pin into place. Sew a row of stitching as close to the buckle as possible to secure the double thickness of fabric. Open the clip.
With the 30” handle piece, thread the fabric through the slide adjuster as shown. Using the pictures as reference, fold the edge of the strap under, covering the raw edge and pin into place. Top stitch across the raw edge, then up the side for ½ inch, back across the top, and then down ½ inch to form a stitched rectangle that will secure the fabric into place.
Thread the other end through the second buckle,
And back down under the buckle attachment and through the slide adjuster.
The back of the second strap will look like this.
Step 6 –Attach the straps
On the right side of the bag, centre both the straps with their wrong sides facing up over the seams and pin into place.
Take the red spot fabric and place it over the bag, with the seams matching the centre of the straps and sandwiching the straps in between. Sew along the top edge.
Press the seam toward the bottom of the bag. Sew a row of topstitching below the seam, flipping the straps upward and out of the way of the machine.
Step 7 –Add a base
Sew the two strips of your bag base together by stitching around the outside edge. Turn the bag inside out, and attach the base by hand stitching the bag base the seam allowance so the base will sit in the box shaped base of the bag.
Step 7 – Finish the bag
Make a button loop by trimming ½ from the side of the 6” piece of binding. Press the binding flat, then refold the edges into the centre and press. Fold the binding in half again and press and in into place. Stitch along the long edge.
Take your bag and your bag flap and mark the centre point of the bag flap and the bag back. With right sides together match the centre points and pin into place. Fold the button loop in half and pin to the centre of the bag flap on the wrong side.
Place the bag inside the bag lining with the right sides facing and the top edges and seems aligned. Stitch around the top of the bag. Turn the bag right way out though the gap in the lining. Push the lining into the bag, press. Top stitch around the edge.
Take your bag straps and place them upwards against the top of the bag. Pin into place, ensuring that the lining is smooth inside the bag. Following the line of top stitching, stitch a rectangle across the straps to hold them securely in place. Your straps should be placed so the bag flap is free to drop forward to close.
Give your bag a good press, close your buckle– snap! Stitch a button to the centre front to close your bag and slip stitch the opening closed.
Ready for your next adventure!
Carry Bag, Rachel Measham-Pywell, Tutorial, craft, sewing
Reader Comments (8)
Oh my goodness . . . this is awesome!! My daughter is a little older, but I will definitely be using this wonderful tutorial as a guide for making a messenger bag for her Apple computer. Thank you!!! Shirley
So love this bag - must make one for myself first, then one for the wee one. Thanks so much.
Oh, I have just the fabric for this project - now all I need is time!
That is a really cute bag. I love it! Thanks for sharing. First visit!
what a lovely bag!! thanks for sharing... :)
wow, great tutorial!! thanks so much for sharing!!
THANK YOU so much for this wonderful tutorial and for the extra assistance you gave me along the way. Your time and patience is much appreciated! I have FINALLY finished, and it looks great (well, i think so!). Again, thank you so very much for your tutorial and your excellent personal advice. Much appreciated.
I've just finished making one,and it was my very first bag making experience. Although it was not perfect, love how it turned out!! Thank you so much for this wonderful tutorial~~~