Reversible Project Bag Tutorial

 Reversible Drawstring  Gift Bag DIY Tutorial

You will need
2 x screen printed fat quarters from The Knitting Goddess
80cm of ribbon no more than 15mm wide
1 plastic toggle
1 wide eyed blunt needle or bodkin
All seam allowances are 1cm
The finished bag is 34cm tall, 25cm wide at the top, 16cm wide at the base and 10cm deep at the base. It will hold 6 100 gram skeins of yarn.

 Prepare the fat quarters by cutting 0.5cm outside the border of the print. This will give 2 pieces of fabric each measuring 41cm x 51cm. Complete each step on both fat quarters until it’s time to join them together.

 With right sides together fold the fat quarter in half along the long edge so the two short edges meet. Mark 3cm down from top edge. Sew from mark to bottom of seam. Press seam open, including the 3cm which isn’t sewn.

 To neaten ribbon casing fold the top 5cm of seam under itself and press well.

 Sew down one double folded seam for 4cm, sew across seam then back up the other side.

 With side seam at one edge pin and sew bottom seam with wrong sides together. Press flat. Press 10cm of the side opposite the seam as a guide for shaping the bottom of the bag.

 Mark and sew the gusset. With wrong sides together line up the side and bottom seams at the corner so one sits directly under the other. The side seam is pressed open and the bottom seam will sit to one side. Mark 4.5cm down from the corner and draw a line parallel to the seam. Stitch across this line.

 Repeat for the 2nd corner. This time there’s so side seam, so use the line pressed into the fabric and match the bottom seam to this. Make sure that the bottom seam sits to the same side on both corners.

 Cut off the corners leaving a 1cm seam. Turn to the right side and press seams well.

 Join the two section together with right sides together and open seam sections together. The inside section is right ride out, the outside section is wrong side out.

 Pin, matching the open seam sections.

 Stitch the two layers together leaving a 10cm gap in the middle so you can turn the project bag the right way out.

 Trim the seam allowance to 3mm on 2cm either side of the seam opening. Pull the inside layer out and press the seam open all the way round.

 Turn the bag so the right sides are on the outside, then fold one layer inside the other.

 Pin the edges together. Stitch one seam 5mm from the top of the bag and a second 2.5cm from the top of the bag. This forms the channel for the ribbon.

 Using a blunt needle or bodkin thread the ribbon though the channel at the top of the bag.

 Thread both ends through the toggle, knot the ends together and trim.