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    Home » Blog » tutorial » Bags & Pouches

    Fat Quarter Bag Tutorial

    July 10, 2010 by Amy 20 Comments

    Originally posted here at Make and Takes.

    RATHER THAN REMOVE THIS POST, LET ME RECOMMEND A NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION OF THE FAT QUARTER BAG TUTORIAL HERE.

    This project is a really quick and easy one creating the perfect little girl-bag. (Or maybe even a grown-up girl bag.) The possibilities are endless.  I’ll demo the basic assembly technique and then a couple of embellishing options and you can let your creativity go from there!

    To start all you’ll need is a Fat Quarter.  If you want your bag to have a contrasting lining, get a second fat quarter and you’ll have enough for two cute bags!

    First of all, what is a Fat Quarter? Craft stores and fabric stores often carry pre-cut pieces of yardage called Fat Quarters.  They are pieces of fabric measuring 18” x 22”. I chose to use two different FQ’s and make two bags.

    Begin by cutting your FQ’s in half creating 2 pieces 11” x 18”.  Cut 2 16” pieces of ribbon for the handles. (I used  1 ½” wide grosgrain.)

    Match-up your outer fabric and your lining fabric right sides together and pin at the two 11”ends.

     Pin the ribbon for the handles between the two pieces of fabric, 2” from the outside edges.   Sew ¼” seam.

    Now take it to your ironing board. Bring the two seams to the center and match them up. Press seams open. You will now have your lining-piece folded in half on one side of the seam and your outside piece folded in half on the other.

    Match up the two seams and pin in place. Pin open sides together, leaving a 3″ opening on one side of the lining fabric for turning right side out. Sew ¼” seams on both sides. Turn bag right-side out and top-stitch opening closed. It will look like a flat, empty pillow.

    Tuck lining fabric inside the outside bag fabric. Now it’s starting to look like an actual bag!

    Press the top edge of the bag and top stitch around the edge of the bag.  I also topstitch again ¼” from the top. (This will help secure the handles a little as well.) This is easy, and it will give the bag a nice, finished edge.

    For a decorative ribbon trim, cut the ribbon length you need (about 23”). Pin the ribbon in place, folding the end of the ribbon underneath itself.  Topstitch ribbon edges to the bag.

    To make the bag have a squared-off bottom edge -or gusset – turn the bag inside out, tucking the bottom corners inside each other. Flatten the side seam lined up parallel with the bottom crease, creating a pointed/triangle.

    Measure 1” down from the top of the point/triangle and make a mark.  Then draw a line at that point, perpendicular to the seam.  Sew a straight line right on top of the line that you marked, backstitching at the beginning and end. Clip threads. Repeat with other bottom corner.  This will give you two little, flappy triangles in each corner.

    Pull the bag right-sides out and you have a nice little boxed bottom.  You can tack-down the little triangles inside if you want. (Depends who I’m giving the bag to – if it’s a 5-year-old, I won’t take the time to tailor the inside of the bag!)

    Voila. A finished bag!

    To make the second bag, I sewed the 11” edges right sides together without putting the ribbon handles in.

    Repeat bag process. (Bring seams to the center, press, seams open, sew open ends, leaving 3” opening for turning bag right side out, sew ¼” seams, pull right-side out, topstitch opening, tuck lining inside, press top of bag.) To make a band of trim around the top of the bag, roll the lining fabric above the bag about ¼″. Pin to hold fabrics in place and press.

    Top stitch around the edge of the bag at the top of the outer fabric AND at the top of the lining fabric. This is easy, and gives the bag a nice, decorative edge.

    This time, sew the ribbon handles to the top of the bag itself using two 15” pieces of ribbon.

    Once again, you could leave the bag as it is now or add the tucks at the bottom.  (It’s slightly trickier to put in a gusset at the bottom edge of the bag since the lining is shorter because you’ve used it as a decorative edge, but the process still works.)

    The possibilities for embellishing the bag are endless: Trims, button closures, fabric handles instead of ribbon . . . Use your creativity.

    And there you go – two really easy little bags – for the price of 2 Fat Quarters (about $2.50 each) and about 2 ½” yards of grosgrain ribbon.

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    Filed Under: Bags & Pouches, gifts, tutorial

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Irina

      July 16, 2010 at 3:04 am

      nice tutorial!

      Reply
    2. Gaertegang

      July 16, 2010 at 5:50 am

      Thanks for the tutorial! I had actually printed this off last week. I made one for my daughter yesterday! She LOVES it!! I plan to show pics of it on my blog next week. I will try to remember to send you the link…Have a great weekend!

      Reply
    3. Michelle@Somedaycrafts

      July 16, 2010 at 1:01 pm

      I love this! I will feature this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com! Grab my 'featured' button.

      Reply
    4. Pati @ A Crafty Escape

      July 16, 2010 at 8:40 pm

      These are SO cute… thanks for the tutorial!!! I can&#39;t wait to make some.<br /><br />P.S. So excited to now be your follower!

      Reply
    5. MomBrose

      July 17, 2010 at 8:43 pm

      Wow! Thanks! That was so clear! I think I have to try it now 😀

      Reply
    6. Pati @ A Crafty Escape

      July 19, 2010 at 6:15 am

      Quick question: What&#39;s the finished size for these?

      Reply
    7. Sylvia

      August 03, 2010 at 10:11 pm

      Thanks for this tutorial!! I just finished making my daughter one and plan on doing a few for upcoming birthdays. Very cute!

      Reply
    8. celebi74

      August 05, 2010 at 7:13 am

      veryy nice

      Reply
    9. DJ Rose

      August 21, 2010 at 8:45 am

      Hi, I&#39;m a primary pres. Do you mind if we use this to make scripture bags for our kids? They would love them SO much. (Plus a few for a humanitariam project?)

      Reply
    10. nicky

      December 12, 2010 at 2:51 pm

      Thank you for a great, fun tutorial! I linked back to you from<br /><br />http://bluebirdandtheboy.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-can-do-too.html

      Reply
    11. Marie

      January 22, 2011 at 1:26 pm

      I just made this for my daughter with my new sewing machine! My second project ever! 🙂 Thanks so much for the clear tutorial!

      Reply
    12. Anonymous

      February 11, 2011 at 11:09 pm

      OK so I got lost when you said to cut the Fat Quarter which is already suppose to be 18&quot;X22&quot;. So how big are the two pieces you are sewing together, are they the 18&quot;X22&quot; or 9&quot;X11&quot;? Or did you buy 4- 18&quot; X22&quot;?

      Reply
    13. amy smart

      February 11, 2011 at 11:54 pm

      Hi Anon – The two pieces you are sewing together are going to be 18&quot; x 11&quot;. Fat Quarters are pre-cut pieces of fabric that are 18&quot; x 22&quot;. Cut the Fat Quarter in half length-wise so that you now have 2 pieces that are 18&quot; x 11&quot;.<br /><br />You only need one Fat Quarter per bag, but since I wanted contrasting fabrics, I bought 2 different Fat Quarters. This way I

      Reply
    14. Canadian Kristin

      May 26, 2011 at 6:35 pm

      Okay, that looks easy enough for even ME to figure out!!!! And instructions usually confoozle me, so good job on your tutorial! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    15. Anonymous

      September 17, 2011 at 9:34 pm

      i am so happeee! i managed to make one! my first project! <br />but i took 5 hours cos i dun have a sewing machine. i handstitched the whole thing. <br />I LOVE MY BAG!

      Reply
    16. mary

      October 01, 2011 at 2:20 pm

      I did it. The handle part was confusing too me because I have never made a bag before. It made more sense when I sewed it together. It turned out really cute.<br /><br />Mary

      Reply
    17. Dolores

      December 11, 2011 at 11:51 pm

      I&#39;m trying to get my head around whether you can sew the gusset on the wrong side before you turn it through, just to make it neater? I plan to make these bags for my nieces for Xmas.

      Reply
    18. Jenny

      October 16, 2015 at 1:14 pm

      Thanks for this I’m a just learning how to sew with a machine and this was my first project that really looked good and sharp

      Reply
      • Amy Smart

        October 19, 2015 at 6:48 pm

        Awesome! I’m so glad!

        Reply
    19. Debbie

      August 07, 2019 at 5:10 pm

      Is tere a printable pattern for this?

      Reply

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