Carry Your Basics Sling Bag, A Scrap-busting Project

I hope you're not getting bored yet with all these giveaways we are posting! *wink wink ^^) I haven't been creating a lot since I really don't have time plus it seems like I lost or misplaced my flash drive where I keep most of my tutorial photos. Until I find it, I won't be able to post much tutorial : ( 

Also, during the tourist season, my kids, the household chores, Villa Portillo and my work keep me very busy I rarely have time for myself. I am already WAY behind my blogging schedule! There were a lot of posts that should have been published already yet I still have to create them! I always try to stay awake at least for 2 hours after the kids' bedtime but then, I find something else to do around the house (like ironing the clothes so I won't have to iron them in the morning thinking that in the morning I will then have a little time to blog before I leave the house to fetch the kids from school and before I go to work!) or I fall asleep after reading the kids their bedtime stories. 
To make the long story short, I fail in following my blogging schedule. But, there are a lot of times (at least, in my case ^^) when blogging has to take the back seat. I always tell myself that when the tourist season is finished, I'll have lots of time again to be with my family, to blog and create and bake and cook... 
I really hope our list of tutorials and recipes are keeping you entertained before I could post new ones. But today, I will share with you a tutorial of a basic bag where you can keep the basic things you carry with you when you go out to take a walk, to bring your kids to the park, to walk your dog, to run, jog or even just to water your lovely plants in the garden. 

I made this one for my mother-in-law who used to take with her a small bag like this, only that it was already worn and tattered and it was from one of the airlines we used the last time we went to have vacation in the Philippines. I only used fabric scraps for this project and it only took me less than an hour to finish the project (including the cutting of the pieces, gathering of materials, etc.) 
She really found this very useful as she could carry the housekeys, her mobile phone and a pack of tissue in it. You could even carry your mp4 or Ipod in it!
For this "Carry your basics" Bag, you will need:
1 pc. 9" x 7" (pocket) 1 pc. 6.5" x 7" (front bottom piece) 1 pc. 2.5 x 7" (front upper piece) 1 pc. 8" x 7" (back) bias tape (desired length) zipper
You can choose to stabilize your pieces or not. You can also opt to line it.
Instructions:

Get the front upper piece (right side facing up) and place the zipper on it (right side facing down) as shown above. Using your machine's zipper foot, sew the zipper on the front upper fabric piece. Sew edgestitches on the right side of the fabric.

Repeat the same procedures to attach the front bottom fabric piece to the zipper so you will have an assembled piece as shown above.

Get the pocket piece and fold it crosswise, wrong sides together. Sew straight stitches 1/4" away from the folded edge.

Sew close the bias tape by sewing straight stitches all through its entire length.

Get the remaining piece (the back piece) and sew on each side (1/2" away from the side) the bias tape using basting stitches (this means you do not need to backtrack).

You will now have this assembled piece (as shown above).Pin the bias tape on the fabric so it won't get caught later when sewing.

Pin the pocket piece on the front piece and leave the zipper half-way open (or half-way close ^^).

Pin this assembled front piece on top of the back piece (both pieces should be right sides together, wrong sides facing outside).

Sew straight stitches (don't forget to backtrack) all through the sides, 1/4" away from the edge. Serge or do zigzag stitches to prevent the edges from fraying. This is very important for me because I use a cotton linen blend fabric. Clip the tips and turn it inside out.

Edgestitch 1/8" away from the edge on all sides.

Now, it's done! There's less scrap in my bin! ^^) My kids want their own bag, too!

I hope you like today's tutorial. Enjoy! 



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