Rag Bag Tutorial

 I worked on making my second purse last weekend so I could share with you all how to make one. As I said before, I was at a quilt show earlier in the year and met a great gal named Bobbie. Her business is A Vision to Remember.   I bought her pattern and decided to make some changes to it to suit my needs. If you want to buy Bobbi's pattern go visit her at her etsy shop.  

I chose darker fabrics for this one and I really like the way it turned out.  Are you ready for a tutorial???  Here we go!

Gather together your fabric and trim. Scraps are great for this project because no piece is larger than 9 X 9. You may want to buy a yard of the same fabric to use for the inside if you want the lining to all look the same. 

Here is what you will need:

Sewing machine
Assorted scraps of fabrics that coordinate the way you like.
1 yard of flannel lining fabric
1 yard of fabric for the inside of the bag
Thread to match your fabrics
Various ribbons and trims
Buttons (if desired)
Sharp scissors

Each section of fabric is made up of 3 layers. (1) The outside of the bag, (2) the inner lining and (3) the inside of the bag.  

 You will need to cut out:
4 sets of 3 layers for the fronts of the bag  (I called both these sections the front of the bag because there really is no back side. Both sides are going to be pretty )
16 sets of 3 layers for the sides, the bottom and the top part of the front of the bag on both sides.
4 sets of 3 layers for the top portion of the sides

Now comes the fun part.  Lay out your lace, buttons and trims and decide where you want each piece to go. Remember that after you sew everything together, each section will be an inch smaller because of the seam allowance. 

 

If you want to add pockets to the inside, do it now. Finish off the edges nicely and sew the pocket to the inside layer and the flannel inner lining. Do not sew it to the outside layer or you will see the stitches.  ( I forget to sew the pockets in when I made the bag for the tutorial, but here is an example from the first bag I made. I used the scalloped edge of the coverlet that I made the bag with.)

 

Sew your trims to outside layer only using at least a  1/2” seam allowance.  If you don’t allow at least a half inch,  some of your trim will get sewn into the seam rather than all of it showing. 

 This is what both the front sections of my bag look like.

This bag gets put together a little differently than what most of you are used to. Everything is sewed wrong sides together. In other words, You should always be looking at the outside of the bag as you are sewing. You want the raw edges to show.

Using a 1/2” seam allowance and a small stitch, sew the two 2.5 X 9” side pieces togethes well as the two 2.5 X 5” pieces together. Do this to both the sides of the bag.

Cut a slit in the seam 1/2” in on both the long side piece and the short side piece. Be careful not to clip the thread.

Sew both sections of the side piece together. Separate the slit so that the seam can travel between the fabric groove.

Add your trim to the side panel now by sewing as close to the stitched seam as possible. (I did this now, instead of earlier because I wanted the trim to go all the way across, and not get sewn into the seam dividing the piece.)

Sew all your sections together the same way, wrong sides together.   When you are finished you should have 7 sewn sections. (2 sides, the bottom, and 4 front sections for the main body of the bag. 

Now join the rest of your sections. I like to use safety pins to hold the layers of fabric in each section together while sewing.  Always clip the fabric if your stitching is going to be running over the seam. You want the raw seam to always be able to stand up, rather than getting sewed down into a section.  Sew all 4 sides together.

Lay your bag flat and trim off any bits of the layers that are sticking out, so you get a nice clean edge on the bottom.

Pin the bottom onto the bag, and sew together. This is the most difficult part of the project, but if you take your time, you should be fine.

Now cut 4- 2.5 X 28” pieces of fabric for the handles,  (I used the same fabric as the main body of my bag) and 2 - 2.5 X 28” pieces of flannel inner lining.

Sew the 3 layers together on the long sides using  the same 1/2” seam allowance. Do this for both handles.

 

Insert your handles into the top of the bag between the lining and the flannel inner lining. Pin everything together and check the handle length. If you need to shorten them, do it now.  Sew a 1/2” seam all around the top of your bag, securing the handles with and extra layer of stitching. (The circles are magnets I added to the bag for a closer. You can get them at most fabric/craft shops)

This next step is why you need a good pair of sharp scissors. About every 1/2” or so clip into the seams all over your bag. Be very careful not to clip the threads. It is a bit of a hand workout after a while, but the results will be worth it!

Now, take one of those nice big emery boards or nail files, and use it to rough up the seam edge. This part is messy because fabric threads will be going everywhere. This is where you really get to see how cool the bag will look.  You can also throw it into the washing machine if you wish. If you don't get the look you want, just go over it with the emery board again.

This is a shot of the inside of the bag, with the hankies I used as pockets. Because I forgot to sew them in in the beginning of the process, I had to hand stitch them in when I was finished.
 

Pin on a fabric rosette if you wish and you are finished!!

This is the other side.

And this is the white one again.  I hope I made the tutorial easy to understand. It's really not a complicated bag to make, there are just a lot of steps!! I hope you have fun. I would love to know if you make one and see what you have created!!