The Spring Bag - with tutorial

Spring is one of my favorite seasons and this year I decided that I needed a new bag to celebrate it! I'd been toying with a pattern for a while, wanting it to be cute, but at the same time functional and really easy to make. 

Well, I'm finally ready to reveal my new 2016 Spring Bag!

This is the perfect bag for spring weekends spent at the park (or at the beach). It easily carries my wallet, cell phone and keys, and still has enough room to add the book I'm currently reading or my latest crochet project. 

 

I made a small tutorial, in case anyone wants to replicate the process. It's not very detailed, so if you're trying to make the bag and have any questions, just leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.   

Check it out below!

What you need to make the Spring Bag

- two coordinating fabrics for the exterior of the bag

- additional fabric for the lining and the handles

- batting

I did not make a pattern, but the measurements I used are below (mind the numbers, not the shapes; shapes are indicative and not accurate to size): 

To make the bag larger or smaller you just need to adjust measurements proportionally. 

How to make it

Start by cutting the two fabric pieces for the exterior of the bag (times two, one for each side): 

 

 Join the two pieces, right sides together, and sew:

 Do the same for the two sides. You should now have this:

Use these pieces to cut the lining and the batting (two of each). For the lining I used only one fabric, not two, so the lining does not have a seam in the middle. Also, when you cut the batting, you should shorten the top by about two centimeters.

Next, place the exterior pieces right sides together, and add a piece of batting on either side: 

Sew down the sides and the bottom of the bag. Before turning it inside out, sew a triangle on each of the bottom corners, and cut off excess fabric (the triangle can be smaller or larger depending on how large you want the bottom of your bag to be. Mine measured about 4 centimeters from the edge).

Place the lining pieces right sides together, and sew the sides and the bottom too. Do the same to the bottom corners (one triangle off each side) and turn inside out.

I did not add a pocket to the inside of the bag, because I rarely end up using the pockets anyway, but if you want to add one follow the instructions for the pocket found in step one of this tutorial, and sew it in place before sewing the two lining pieces together.

Now, place the lining inside the exterior piece (wrong sides together). Fold the exterior fabric over the lining (this is why I told you to cut the lining pieces two centimeters shorter on top). Fold excess lining fabric inside too and pin all around the bag: 

The handles are made with two strips of fabric (about 40 x 8 centimeters each), folded bias-tape style and top stitched. I'm terrible at making handles, so this is the method I'm most comfortable with, but if you want to do things right, you should sew them right sides together, turn inside out, press and then top stitch on both sides.

Pin the handles in place, in between the exterior and lining layers (you may need to move some of the pins you put around the top of the bag before). Once you're OK with the placing of the handles, top stitch all around the top of the bag. 

Remove all the pins and you're done!

I ended up making two more bags, to give as gifts, all in flowery fabrics:

I'm very happy with this pattern, because it comes together pretty quickly with minimum hassle, it doesn't use up a lot of fabric and it allows me to create some pretty, colorful bags just in the right size.

Just perfect to enjoy spring!

Have a wonderful week,