Day 8: A Project Bag for a Knitter

I have a lot of friends who knit, and every holiday season we have a Pollyanna and go out to dinner.  We usually wait till the new year, but I am getting a head start on my gift with this great project bag.  Here are the instructions so you can make one for the knitter or crocheter in your circle. 

Materials and Equipment
1/3 yard 45 inch fabric
1 yard cord or ribbon for drawstring
Thread
Chalk
Pins
Scissors
Sewing machine
Iron

First and mark your fabric for cutting your main piece.  You want your piece of fabric to be 12 1/2 inches by 22 inches.

Once your piece is cut give is a good pressing and fold it in half width way.  (Or hamberger way if you ever had a kindergarten teacher like mine.)

On the folded edge mark 1 1/2 inches in and over to form a square.  Do this on both corners of the folded edge.

Cut these square bits of and set aside your main bag piece

Now with the remaining fabric cut a piece of fabric that is 10 1/2 inches by 12 1/2 inches.  Fold this piece of fabric in half so that the right sides are touching.  Pin along the edge and sew into a 5 inch by 12 1/2 inch tube.

Turn the 5 by 12 1/2" piece right side out and press so that the seam is at the bottom of the piece.  This is your pocket piece.

Pin your pocket piece to the right side of your main bag piece making sure that there is a 3/4 inch space between the pocket and the cut out corners.  Top stitch along the bottom and up the middle of your pocket piece.  use a zig zag stitch to attach it to the sides of the main fabric piece.

Lay your main bag piece with right sides facing and pin your side seams together leaving about 1 1/2 inches open at the top of the bag.  Sew two straight side seams.  Press your seams open.

With a straight stitch sew your seam allowance at the top of your bag down on either side.

When you have done this it will look like the picture above.  This is where your drawstring will hang out of the casing.

Give the top edge of your bag a quick zig zag stitch on either side to prevent fraying and fold it over and press.

Sew the casing for the drawstring with a straight stitch.

Pin the side edge of the cut out sections to the bottom of the bag.  When you pin them they will look like this. This is how you will get a box bottom on your project bag.

Here is the bag all sewn up standing mostly by itself with its two pockets in the front.

Next feed the cord threw the drawstring casings with a safety pin and tie the ends.  There you have it a project bag perfect for socks or a hat or whatever you want to carry along.  Put some yummy yarn and new needles inside for a great gift for a knitter.