This month marks the fifth anniversary of my blog. I have all kinds of fun and exciting events coming up to celebrate, but today I want to talk about a project I did way back in the beginning. In fact, it was one of the first tutorials I wrote. Don’t just me too harshly here, but it was this Lip Shaped Bag.
Gotta love the combination of the dark wood banquet table and flash. I’m no photographer, but I like to think I’ve improved some since then. Since this was a project I shared back when I had fewer people reading this than were in the coffee shop I was at this morning, I never felt like this cute little thing got the attention it deserved.
I was planning to sew this again and take better photos. But rather than a remake, I decided on more of an inspired-by. The original was a makeup bag, and now it’s the mama bear in this family.
I started with the baby version on the right. It’s just big enough for a tube of lip balm or hand sanitizer.
In a first for me, I somehow lost every single photo I took during the process. I guess the fact that I made it five years before that happened is something to be happy about. So, since I have two to share here and it will help keep this post from getting too long, I’ve typed up the instructions and included them with the pattern.
Fortunately, I made the handbag a different day, so all my photos from that one survived. Hurray!
While I made the smaller bags from ordinary cotton, I wanted the handbag to be more durable so it could survive the everyday beating they tend to get. Not just mine, right? I happened to have some red duck cloth on hand, but you could also use denim or a heavy home dec fabric. I kinda wished I had some of that red leather left for this. You’ll also need fabric for the lining, which can be a little lighter weight. I used a medium weight home dec. I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be floppy, so I added a layer of iron-on heavy craft interfacing, but that would be optional and probably unnecessary if your fabric is stiff enough on its own. The last item on the supply list is a white 9” zipper.
Cut out the pattern and piece it together, matching the dotted lines. Cut out two of the lip shape from the outer fabric and two from the lining. Cut one of the zipper facing from the outer fabric and one from the lining. Cut two of the loop from the outer fabric.
Iron the interfacing to the back of the fabric if you’re using it. Draw the rectangle shown on the zipper facing onto back of the fabric pieces.
Pin the zipper facing to the bag with right sides together where it’s shown on the bag pattern. Stitch around the rectangle you drew on previously. Do the same with the lining. Cut along the lines shown on pattern – down the center of the rectangle with a clip to each corner.
Turn the facing to the inside and press on both the outside and lining.
Lay the lining piece right side down. Center the zipper over the opening, face up.
Add the outer piece on top, right side up. I’m not usually a fan of basting, just because I hate to have to remove it later, but you really want all three layers to stay in place while you’re sewing and this is a little thick for pins. Some large hand stitches will do the trick.
Stitch around the zipper, close to the fold. When I flipped mine over a small section of the lining didn’t get caught in the stitching, so I added a second row about 1/8” from the first. Remove the basting.
Lay the remaining lining piece face up. Pin the lining piece attached to the zipper on top with right sides together. Keeping the outer piece out of the way, stitch around the lining pieces with a 3/8” seam. Clip the corners. The larger seam is to make sure the lining is a bit smaller and will fit easily inside the bag.
Trim the seam.
Fold the loop pieces in half and press. Turn both edges in to meet the fold and press again. Stitch close to the side with two folds. Fold with the two raw ends together and stitch very close to that edge to make a loop.
Lay the remaining outer piece face up and pin the outer piece with the zipper attached to it with right sides together. Slip one loop between the two layers on both sides where the pattern indicates with the raw edges even and the loop to the inside. Stitch with a 1/4” seam, keeping the lining out of the seam and leaving at least 3” open for turning. You may want to leave an even larger open if your fabric is very stiff. Stitch again over the loop ends for reinforcement.
Turn the bag right side out through the opening. Press, turning the opening in 1/4”.
Hand stitch the opening closed. Use carabineers or jump rings to attach your strap of choice to the loops.
This isn’t a big bag, but it will certainly hold the basic necessities. You know, like your phone and lipstick.
Or the baby Kiss Bag. Nom nom.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day!
It was fun to go back and reimagine something from the early days, so this might not be the last craft remix you see from me!
