The Reversible Bag…for kids!

Posted by Ashley

So excited to have Kristin from Grandma’s Chalkboard here again today, contributing these darling Reversible Kid Bags. What child would not FLIP for one of these! :)

-Ashley

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Want to know what’s even better than a cute, brightly-colored bag sized just right for your little sweeties? Yep, that’s right, an equally adorable bag that is REVERSIBLE!

Let’s face it, a girl likes options. And I’m excited to be here today sharing a tutorial for that cute little bag, just in time for Spring.

DIY Reversible Bag...for kids! --- Make It and Love It

The real fun of this project comes when you hand this bag to a child and show them how it turns ‘inside’ out. My four year old thought this was the best thing EVER! He was so proud of ‘his’ bag (which happened to be pink with butterflies and hearts) and had to show everyone how it worked. Haha, don’t worry, I have a boy version in the works! My six year old loves her bag too. This pattern is a keeper!

And since they are so quick to make, they are great little gifts! Or you could make a bunch for birthday party favors.

Want to make one? Great, let’s get started!

Supplies:

1/3 yard of outer fabric
1/3 yard of inner fabric
interfacing (optional)…(more on interfacing here)
coordinating thread

The funnest part of this bag is definitely picking out the fabric. I chose to use a twill fabric since twill is a little thicker than a standard quilter’s cotton, and will give the bag just the right amount of stiffness. A medium weight home-decor fabric will work nicely too, and you should be able to find a good selection at most fabric stores. If you find a fabric you love and it’s not quite sturdy enough, consider using interfacing to stiffen up your fabric. (More on interfacing HERE.)

I knew I wanted polka dots (I’m slightly addicted to them) and found just the right fabric at Fabric.com.

The pattern for this bag is really basic. Follow the photo below to create your own paper pattern.

Fold your fabric and place the pattern on the fold. Cut two from each fabric.

After cutting, the ‘body’ of the bag will look a lot like a trapezoid.

You’ll also need to cut a strip of each fabric for the strap, measuring 2.5 inches wide by 24 inches long.

Place your main body fabric pieces together, with right sides together, for each of your fabric colors.

Starting at the top, sew down one side, across the bottom, and up the other side of the bag body using a .25 inch seam allowance. Leave the top open. Sew the other set of fabric the same way. We will sew the strap together in just a little bit!

Now, we are going to make the bag have a squared base by pushing the corners out to create a point and sewing straight across. This will make the base of the bag like a box so it can stand on its own.

Put your hand into the bag body and push the corner out. With your hands outside of the purse, line up the side seam with the bottom seam, making a point.

Sew across the point, creating an extra flap of fabric.

My line of stitching was approximately 2.5 inches long. Go ahead and cut off the extra.

Repeat this step for each corner, until all 4 corners are boxed. Here is what it will look like right side out!

Turn the main body pieces inside out again and press the top edges down .5 inch, as shown. Set aside.

Now, let’s get the strap ready now. Place your strap pieces right sides together, and sew down one side, using a .5 inch seam allowance. Iron open.

Fold the outside edges of each fabric in a half an inch and press.

Now fold the strap in half lengthwise, meeting up the two pressed edges. Press.

Pin if desired, then top-stitch along both of the long edges of the strap. (I love using my blind-hem foot to ensure my top-stitching is straight.)

As you can see, these bags come together pretty quickly. We are almost done! Slide one of the bags into the other so all the seams are sandwiched between the layers.

Line up the side seams and pin the tops of the bags together so the top edges meet evenly. Slide the ends of the handle between the layers of the 2 fabric layers, at both side seams of the bag. (Let each handle end hang about 1/2 inch towards the inside of the bag layers.) Pin those in place too.