Travel Laundry Bag Tutorial - guest post by Amy Chappell

I always love when guest Amy Chappell of Ameroonie Designs shares one of her clever projects. This time she has a practical (and pretty!) Travel Laundry Bag Tutorial that you can make for your own travel needs.

Hi! I'm Amy Chappell from Ameroonie Designs. Living out of a suitcase can be so fun if it means you are traveling. The downside is keeping the clean clothes from the dirty clothes. You can always use a grocery bag or the plastic bag from the hotel, but why would you when you can use this gorgeous, washable, drawstring travel laundry bag?

Fully lined and generously sized, this travel laundry bag also includes a loop to hang your bag from a hook in the bathroom or on a door to keep it up off the floor and easy to access.

The travel laundry bag makes a great companion to my curling iron travel case and my nesting travel pouch set. You can find both patterns on my blog for free, or, if you prefer a printable PDF version of these patterns (the laundry bag included) you can find them individually in my Etsy shop or get the all three in one set here. 

Travel Laundry Bag Tutorial

Please read through the entire pattern before beginning. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the measurements and instructions, no warranty is written or implied. 

Supplies for laundry bag: 

fabric: It is best to use non directional fabric

½ yard exterior fabric

½ yard lining fabric

fat quarter for channel/accent fabric

5” ribbon for hanging loop (I used cotton twill tape)

Cotton cording- 1 yard for drawstring

Sewing supplies

Cutting:

Trim your two half yard fabrics to 18” X 40”

Cut the accent fabric into 2- 8 ½” X 18” pieces

Add the hanging loop:

Center your ribbon loop on one 18” side of your exterior fabric.

Place one of the accent strips right side down and line up the 18” sides.

Sew across the top seam using a ½” seam allowance.

Back stitch 2-3 times over the ribbons to secure the hanging loop.

Press the seam allowance away from the accent fabric.

Top stitch across the seam allowance using approximately ¼” seam allowance.

Sew the second accent strip to one side of the lining fabric along the 18” sides. Press and top stitch the same as the exterior piece.

Sew fabric pieces together:

Lay the lining fabric on top of the exterior fabric right sides together, with the accent fabric strips on opposite ends.

Sew the 18” sides together to create a fabric tube.

Press seam allowances away from the accent fabric, and top stitch the seam allowance using a ¼” seam.

Create the bag:

Line up the accent fabrics so they are opposite each other.

The exterior fabric and lining fabrics should be folded in half against each other.

Line up the sewn seams as well as you can.

Mark the center of the accent fabric.

Measure ½” away from the center toward the exterior fabric and mark both sides.

Now, measure 1” away from your previous mark (again toward the exterior fabric) and mark. (this will create the opening in the side seam for your drawstring. The red butterfly pins indicate where to mark)

Mark a 4-5” opening on one side of the lining fabric to leave open for turning right side out. (The yellow butterfly pins indicate where to mark)

Pin the rest of the sides together.

Sew down both sides of the bag, using a ½” seam allowance, leaving the marked openings unsewn. Back stitch each time you begin and end your sewing.

Finish assembling travel laundry bag:

Turn laundry bag right side out through the opening in the lining.

Fold under the seam allowance of the opening and sew closed using a top stitch.

Press the side seams of the exterior and lining well.

Slide the lining of the bag into the exterior of the bag, lining up the seams where the accent fabric is sewn to the exterior and lining fabrics.

You may need to manipulate the side seam allowances so the lining sits well inside the exterior of the bag.

Press the top seam of the laundry bag.

Sew drawstring channel into laundry bag:

Find the top of the opening left in the side seam for the drawstring channel on both sides of the bag, mark.

Find the bottom of the opening on both sides and mark.

Sew around the top of the laundry bag between both marks all the way around the top. (It should be at ½” and 1 ½” from the top of the bag, but sometimes things get a little off while assembling if your seam allowances are a little different.

Back stitch at the beginning and ending of your sewing.

Cut your drawstring in half.

Use a safety pin to thread the drawstring through the channel starting at one side, going all the way around the bag and coming out the same side you started from.

Knot the drawstring.

Thread the second drawstring in the same way, beginning and ending on the opposite side. Make sure as you pull the cord through you don’t pull the first string into the channel.

Even out the length of your drawstrings, knot both sides.

You're ready to store your laundry in style!

Fabric used in this project is Fleur collection by Sedef Imer for Riley Blake Designs.

Thank you so much Amy! 

Amy has had some other amazing tutorials such as a Dolly Diaper Bag and Accessories collection, and a wealth of information and tips on Hand Embroidery stitches.

Be sure to check out Amy's blog, Ameroonie Designs for lots of sewing and quilting projects and inspiration as well as her Ameroonie Designs Etsy shop with her darling patterns.