The eco-friendly reusable bag has now become a must-have item when shopping. The featured bag comes with a cute cat’s ear shaped pouch made of matching fabric. A textile collaboration between Kokka and marble SUD, an apparel brand popular for its unique world view with a sense of storytelling, is used for this project. The adorable material with polar bears, penguins, seals, and foxes squeezed into the dots is marble SUD’s popular “LOTS OF DOT” design. The slightly thin cotton linen sheeting can be used for a wide range of items such as clothing and interior décor pieces like cushion covers, not to mention reusable bags.
Fabric shown for this sample:EGXA-8500-1D
Materials:
□ Fabric: 110cm wide x 60cm
□ Fusible Interfacing (light weight): 3.5 x 5cm
□ Zipper: One piece (20cm)
□ Artificial Leather Tape: 2.5cm wide x 5cm
□ Ribbon: 0.3cm wide x 50cm
Size:Bag 37.5cm (L) 32.6cm (w) 8cm (gusset width)
Pouch 14cm (diameter)
We interviewed Satomi about her creation:
Kokka Fabric (KF): What did you think of the fabric you used for this project?
The fabric was neither too thin nor too thick, and the sheeting was relatively solid, so I decided to make a single-piece foldable bag.
KF: Can you tell us any special elements or ideas that you incorporated into this creation?
If you look closely at the large circle, you will see that it is filled with lots of hand-drawn animals! The pattern was so unique that I turned it into a pouch with a cat’s ear shape, which was also inspired by the animals. To make it easy to put the folded bag in and out of the pouch, I used a 20cm zipper to create a large opening.
KF: What are some tips for making this bag?
The folded bag may not fit into the pouch depending on the thickness of the fabric, so you may want to change the size of the pouch based on the size of the finished bag. It is fun to change the shape of the ears to a dog, a rabbit, or whatever shape you prefer.
KF: How should we use this bag in everyday situations?
As eco-friendly reusable bags have become part of our everyday lives, I too have come to carry one with me at all times. Taking the bag out of a lovely pouch makes you feel good and your shopping more fun. How about making many bags with your favorite fabrics and give them as gifts?
KF: Thank you very much, Satomi! Here are sewing instructions along with step by step photos from her. Enjoy crafting!
Instructions
1.
Cut the fabrics for the bag and prepare the materials.
2.
Fold the handle in half as shown and iron to crease. Fold again toward the center line to fold in four.
Apply stitches at 2 to 3mm from the edge on both sides (as shown) and also apply zigzag stitches at the seam line with the body (shown as red circles) to prevent fraying.
3.
Fold the top opening of the bag in three (at 1cm and 2cm), and apply stitches in two locations at 2mm and 1.8mm from the edge.
4.
Place the handle on the lining side of the bag and securely stitch in a square as shown.
5.
Sew the sides of the bag body. Start from the front side, stitching at 5mm from the edge. Turn it over and stitch at 7mm from the edge on both sides.
6.
Sew the gusset. Fold both right and left bottoms at 4cm from the stitch line and apply stitches at 5mm from the edge. ※Fold the right and left sides to the back and front respectively.
Turn it inside out and iron to align the shape. Additionally, apply stitches at 7mm from the bottom.
7.
The bag is finished!
8.
It is convenient to use the construction paper when making the pattern for the cat’s ear shaped pouch. Using a pair of compasses, make a 14cm-diameter circle and draw cat’s ears freehand.
Prepare the materials.
9.
Cut out the logo printed on the selvage of the fabric to make a tag. By adhering a light weight interfacing on the back, it makes a clean tag. Attach it to the pouch fabric.
10.
Piece together the zipper and pouch fabrics. With the front sides facing each other, sew together at 5mm from the edge. Turn it inside out and apply stitches along the edge. Fold the artificial leather tag in half and baste it on the front side.
11.
With the front sides facing each other, piece together the pouch body fabrics, leaving the zipper open. ※ Make a slit where indicated in red in the picture. This way, the curved portion comes out clean when the pouch is turned inside out. Please be careful not to accidentally cut the stitch thread!
12.
Turn it inside out and iron to align the shape. After turning the bag inside out, hand stitch the edge of the zipper to secure.
Finished!
◎Sewing Instructions (PDF format / A4 size)
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