Weekly Attempt: Boxy Cosmetic Bag

Hello cuties! Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween weekend. I spent the first part of my Halloween night sitting around waiting for trick or treaters, and after I realized there weren't going to be any, I had a choice:

Facebook stalk, or use my spare time wisely and get a project done.
...Obviously I decided the latter!

 So, this weeks attempt was to make a "boxy" cosmetic bag. I've only had experience with making a very basic bag with 3 straight sides & a zipper, but this week I wanted to see if I could get a little more advanced, which spooked me a little, but I grew some cajones & began my research for patterns. Being a tutorial junkie, I found one that was perfect for my current skill level at ThreeBears. It seemed like something I could tackle in one evening, so I hopped to.

If you're going to try this project as well, here are some of the fixin's you'll need:

-Two contrasting fabrics, or one (whichever you prefer)

-Iron

-Sewing machine & zipper foot

-Rotary cutter & mat

-Zipper (I used 12")

-Clear ruler (as you can see mine is definitely not clear, which is just fine, but it can help with producing accurate/straight cuts)

-Fabric & pinking shears

Alert: The lighting in these photos is wretched, so I apologize in advance. 

Now before I show you more pictures of the finished product, let me take a moment to go off on a tangent here; I have a newfound love for my zipper foot. I was far too intimidated to even take my presser foot off, so I've previously avoided using my zipper foot all together. Now that I've become a sewing warrior (or at least working towards it) I realize how much easier it is to sew on a zipper, and how close it gets to the actual "teeth." So if you're like me, google how to change your feet, and give er' a go! You won't regret it. :)

I cut my two contrasting fabrics to 9" by 7" with my rotary cutter, you can choose any measurements your heart desires! Fold a half inch seam along the long side, then press with your iron so it will give a clean edge & stay put. Make sure you're folding as the picture shows below, with your right side of the fabrics being folded inward.

 Following the heat, pin those long folded edges to each side of the zipper, getting the folded edge as close to the teeth without covering them, & stitch with your lovely zipper foot. 

Once the fabrics are attached to the zipper, sew along the opposite 9" edge, stitching all four of the pieces together. Your result will show both sides open, so place the bottom seam directly on top of the center of the zipper.  Make sure you open that zippy about halfway, don't miss this step or you won't be able to turn your bag right side out! Being cognizant to make sure they match up perfectly, you can then sew along the remaining two sides, making sure to backstitch and go over where the zipper is an extra time for durability. This will be where the zipper begins & ends for your bag, so just cut off the excess leaving about 1/2".

This is where it got a wee bit tricky for me...

pinch the corners in, and find a good measurement (depending on how tall you want your bag to be) and pin. After you've achieved even corner measurements, stitch across that corner, and follow up with pinking shears to get rid of the excess and prevent shedding.

This should be your end result, hopefully even more fabulous than mine!

I used a paisley fabric, and I now realize I probably should have matched the print up where the sides meet at the zipper. 

I'm workin' on it...ok? ;)

Something I may add next time, is a little handle, or "flap," into the seam where the end of the zipper is located. I've seen this in other cosmetic bag photos and tutorials, and it adds a nice touch.

The most challenging step for this bag had to be sewing across the corners to create that boxy effect. I mean, I guess its not that difficult, but the OCD perfectionist in me thinks I could have gotten those measurements muuuuch more accurate.

The one step I added to the ThreeBears tutorial was that I added a liner (as seen above.) I used a poly/cotton blend, which is thin, and I also wanted to add some extra pizzaz to it. 

Next time I make this bag, I will use a vinyl lining so it's easy to clean out. I don't know about you ladies out there, but I use Bare Minerals makeup, and no matter how hard I try, it eventually gets everywhere in my current makeup bag. With vinyl, all you'll need to do is turn the bag inside out, wipe down the fabric with a damp cloth, and BOOM! All clean. :)

I discovered today that you can purchase fusible vinyl interfacing at Beverly's, Hancock's, or Joann's, which is music to my ears knowing that I don't have to search for the right vinyl or laminate fabric, I can just make it from any old fabric around the house. I seem to forget that stores don't stay open for night owls like me, so I will be going out to purchase this tomorrow :) 

Stay tuned for an update on how that interfacing works out...

I'm so pleasantly surprised with how simple this was, and how little time it took me to complete. Usually I have to mess one up beyond repair, and then make an entirely new one, but this time it was different! I think I'm getting better with reading directions carefully, and not rushing as much. :)

In closing, I know I've been awful with taking pictures as I go through each step myself, so from here forward, I will be working towards improving that. In the interim, take a lil' peep at the tutorial I hyperlinked for assistance! 

It's time for me to hit the hay, hope you come read again soon! If you have any tips, feedback, or comments don't hesitate to submit them below! 

One tired chick,

-Sierra