Sewing Rewind: Bag & Pouch Edition!

Do you know the reason why I took my first sewing class?  I received an e-mail from one of those websites that send you daily deals.  It was $19 to make a tote bag, and even though I wanted to make garments, I was sold on just being able to touch a sewing machine for the first time.

I was excited to tell my friend at the gym, and she told me about the adult school that offered 8 weeks of classes for somewhere around $35.  REALLY?!?!?!?  And that's how I got started.

Of course, I couldn't start off making super tailored clothing.  I didn't even know what a bobbin was!  Therefore, I went along with the project syllabus during each class session.

Outside of class, I was super antsy!  I looked up all kinds of projects online and found tutorials galore!  Still, I was too timid to try out clothing on my own.  Thus, came my bag and pouch phase.  :)

Embroidered Tote Bag

The first bag I finished was the tote bag during my $19 class.  We started and finished it in the class time, while using their fancy embroidery machine.  

Although it turned out well, I didn't really feel like I had really made something on my own.  It was great, no doubt, but all of the materials were pre-cut.  The whole process seemed like one of those semi-homemade recipes, which is kind of cheating.

However, I did learn the importance of picking a cute lining!

Record Bag

Armed with the instructions from the class, I decided to fashion my own record tote bag!

You might recognize the fabric from several projects I've shared already: my pincushion cuff, sewing machine quilt, goggles case, and cord tamers.  These are the curtains that I took out of the free fabric pile during class, and be prepared to see a lot of it in the next few projects!

Here are the results!

Oh, I probably should have taken the record player cords out of record tote, because that's what that bulge is...  Oops!  Anyways, I think it's awesome for a free project and my records fit perfectly!

Mesh Beach Bag

In class, another beginner brought in a bag that she had worked on outside of class.  It was an awesome tote made of a metal mesh, and I had serious bag envy!  The teacher mentioned that there was plastic mesh that would be a lot safer to use (the girl broke 3 needles while making the project!), so I filed the knowledge away in the back of my mind.

The next time I went fabric shopping, I actually found the exact plastic mesh I needed for $.90 a yard, so I was happy to snatch some up and try it out!

Sorry about the bulge, but it's been folded away since last summer!

I used some old ribbon from my mom's stash, so it was a pretty cheap project, probably around $2!

Perfect for shaking the sand out after a day at the beach.  Yay!



Tie Bag

Meanwhile in class, we graduated from our first projects to a fun project!

I had bought a bunch of Easter fabric on sale for 60% at Joann's, so I was already using it for all of my class projects.  Be prepared to see a lot of THIS fabric in the next sewing rewind.  :)

The lining was more free fabric that someone had left behind for us to use, and I had a button from my mom's old button stash.  Almost free project!

I love the second contrasting pocket in the lining.  Fun!

Zippered Pouches

I was excited to make a few pouches for my sewing notions, so I used my favorite curtain fabric and a zipper from the local store for $1.50.  I followed Crafty Gemini's tutorial.  No big whoop, but here it is.

It turned out okay, but I figured that I needed more.  I didn't like the $1.50 per zipper price, so I went to the swap meet and got 5 for $1.  Here are all 6 pouches (with the original on the bottom left).  The lining (which I should have photographed) is the same pink lining as the Tie Bag above.

Quick, fast and easy!

I haven't been able to figure out the best way to label the contents of each pouch: Zippers, Bias tape, Hook & eye closures, etc.  I can't attach vinyl to it, so the Silhouette is out.  I considered attaching tags, but they are floppy and might get bent easily.

Maybe someone has a great idea out there?

Sandwich Bag

I was successful with the video tutorial, so I decided to follow a couple more!  This is the sandwich bag that I use to store my pedal and sewing machine power cord.  Also, I keep the cord neat with a cord tamer.  I am absolutely INUNDATED with this fabric!!!

I thought I was going to line it, but the fabric was getting bulky.  Therefore, I made a second one out of the cut fabric to contain a few more notions!

Drawstring Bag

The last tutorial I followed was the drawstring bag.  I wanted to make a few shoe bags for my travels, so I decided to make a mini version from my favorite practice fabric and ribbon from my mom's stash (again).  :)

And yes, it holds even more sewing notions.

Whew, probably way too much sharing all these funny pouches I've made along the way.  I hope that you aren't asleep at the monitor!

By the way, with all of the projects that I've made out of the curtains...

I still have a whole one left!  They're the neverending curtains, for sure!  :)  Is there a fabric that you used for all of your beginning projects?