Sometimes it is just easier to go buy something rather than make it. Is it really saving you any money though? I think not! I love that so many things can be made yourself easier and cheaper rather than buying them. I am so in love with this new diy back-to-school pencil bag I made. It’s so easy and I made it in about an hour. I am sure the next one I make I will be able to make it quicker though. They are just that easy. This would be a great project for your kids to do during those last weeks before school starts. Crazy that summer has flown by so fast, and school is about to start. Lets start out a great year with a pretty rad pencil bag. Enjoy!
Things you need:
1 fat quarter fabric for the lining
1 fat quarter fabric for the outside piece
1- 9 inch zipper
scissors
sewing machine
measuring tape
thread
1st step: Cut both fabrics to be 9.5 x 5.5. You will need two of each fabric.
2nd step: Place one of your outer pieces right-side up, and place the zipper face down along the long edge. Place the lining piece on top of the zipper, right-side down. Pin in place. With a zipper foot, sew all three layers together along the top edge.
3rd step: Fold the sewn pieces out of the way, and sandwich the other half of the zipper between the other two pieces of fabric. Outer fabric right-side up, zipper right-side down, lining fabric right-side down. Pin in place, then sew this edge.
4th step: Pull the fabric layers away from the zipper, and press with an iron.
5th step: Pin the lining fabrics together and the outer fabrics together, folding the seam allowance and zipper toward the lining. Make sure to leave your zipper halfway open. Also I always put two pins right where I am leaving an opening. This way you don’t forget to leave it open.
6th step: Sew around the edges of the lining and outer fabrics, leaving an opening of about 2 inches on the bottom of the lining.
7th step: Snip the corners and excess zipper tape, and turn the bag right-side-out by pulling the outer fabric through the gap in the lining. After you do this, you may need to fiddle with it to get the corners all straight. I pulled the lining out a little and used my sewing machine and sewed the opening up with a zig zag stitch.
Tip: if it bugs you that the lining is not attached to the outer fabric you can sew fusible lining between the fabrics then iron it. This will keep it in place. I just thought it worked great with out.