A DIY Mat Bag
After hunting for the perfect mat bag and coming up without one, I thought it would be fun to design and sew my own.
Do It
- Before I cut the fabric, I measured the size of the mat in relation to the fabric.
2. After eyeballing how big the bag should be, I took some measurements with rotary rulers.
3. After taking measurements, I made the first cut using a cutting guide and rotary cutter.
4. After cutting the fabric, I laid out the rectangle to see how the straps should be placed.
5. I flipped the fabric over to iron a hemline before sewing it, then, I pinned it in place.
6. After preparing the hem, I stitched together the two sides of the bag with a sewing machine. I used a straight stitch. I made sure to leave some fabric at the top to create a flap closure.
7. Once I sewed the sides together, I flipped the fabric right-side-in so I could check my work. Next, I hemmed the flap of the closure with a zigzag stitch.
8. Next, I played with the fabric to see what type of pocket I wanted for my cell phone and keys. Flipping the direction of the stripes was a must, of course.
9. After deciding how big I wanted the pocket and which stripes I wanted to showcase, I measured the pocket fabric and sliced it to size before ironing a hemline around the edges.
10. When the body of the bag was completed with stitching up the sides and along the hem of the flap closure, I flattened the bag to start making the pocket. I examined the stripes of the pocket fabric to decide how I wanted them to lay on the front of the bag.
11. I chose two white buttons and mapped out where to place them on the pocket. After the lines were drawn for the width of the button holes, I used the sewing machine to create them. Next, I trimmed the excess thread.
12. When the buttonholes were complete, I sewed the pocket onto the front of the bag. I sewed the sides first, but realized when I made this mistake, I should have started by stitching the bottom.
13. Pinning the fabric is the solution to straight sewing. Don’t forget to lift those pins as the fabric feeds through!
14. Here’s the completed pocket on the front of the bag.
15. I stitched the top of the pocket with a zigzag pattern for a cute look. I placed the pocket back on the bag to consider my button options before sewing them on.
16. Here’s a closeup of the pocket stitching and what it will look like with buttons sewn on.
17. This is what the bag will look like with both buttons.
18. Now it’s time to see how the mat looks inside the bag before adding the final touches.
19. Nearly completed, this is my yoga mat bag!