Project Bag

Every quilter needs at least one of these zippered bags with individual storage compartments to keep things neat when toting around supplies and notions.

MATERIALS

• 5/ 8 yard black dot* • 7/ 8 yard multicolored print for outer bag and lining* • 18" x 24" rectangle fusible fleece* • Thread* • 18" x 64" black vinyl window

screening • 1/4 yard fusible interfacing • 8 (7") colorful nylon zippers • 32" No. 5 heavy- duty separating

plastic black zipper • 21/2 yards 7/ 8"- wide yellow grosgrain

ribbon • Freezer paper • Seam sealant • Basic sewing tools and supplies

CUTTING

From black dot: • Cut 1 (21/2" by fabric width) strip. Subcut strip into 2 (21/2" x 11")

handle strips. • Cut 2 (11/2" by fabric width) strips.

Subcut strips into 8 (11/2" x8") A strips. • Cut 21/2"-wide bias strips to total 100"

when joined for binding. From multicolored print: • Cut 1 (24" by fabric width) strip.

Subcut strip into 2 (18" x 24") rectangles. From black vinyl window screening: • Cut 8 (8" x 18") rectangles for interior bags. From fusible interfacing: • Cut 2 (21/2" x 11") strips.

COMPLETING THE PROJECT BAG

1. Placing the bag body pattern given on folded edge of freezer paper as indicated, trace the pattern onto freezer paper. Cut out on traced line and open for complete bag template. 2. Place one 18" x 24" multicolored print rectangle right side down on a flat surface with fusible fleece on top; place the remaining 18" x 24" rectangle right side up on top of the layers; pin or baste to hold. 3. Quilt as desired. Trim to 15" x 221/2". 4. Iron the freezer-paper bag template shiny side down on one end of the quilted rectangle and trim to round the edges as shown in Figure 1; remove and repeat on the opposite end. 5. Fold the trimmed piece in half lengthwise matching the curved ends to make a 71/2" x 221/2" folded rectangle; press and crease to mark the center of each end as shown in Figure 2. Place a pin at each end of the center crease. 6. Fuse a 21/2" x 11" strip fusible interfacing to the wrong side of each same-size handle strip. 7. Fold each fused strip in half with wrong sides together along the length and press to make a center crease. Unfold and press each long edge of each strip toward the center crease as shown in Figure 3.

8. Fold the strips in half again along first creased line and topstitch close to the open long edge to complete the handles as shown in Figure 4.

9. Pin and stitch one handle strip at each end to the right side of the quilted rectangle 21/4" from each side of the pinned center as shown in Figure 5.

10. Using a zipper foot on your machine, sew a length of grosgrain ribbon to both sides of the 32" separating zipper 1/4" from the zipper teeth and leaving 3/4" of grosgrain ribbon extending beyond the ends of the zipper as shown in Figure 6.

11. Place a narrow line of seam sealant on the cut ends of the ribbon.

12. Pin the zipper/ribbon right side up to the lining side of the quilted rectangle even with the edges, starting at the center of one side and ending at the center of the other side as shown in Figure 7.

13. Turn under the zipper tape on the closed end as far as it will go; baste to hold.

14. Beginning at the zipper opening end and leaving the zipper tape ends loose, baste the pinned edge of the zipper in place. Unzip and repeat with the other edge of the zipper on the opposite end of the quilted rectangle.

15. Join the bias strips to make a long strip; press seams open. Press the bias strip in half with wrong sides together along length to prepare binding.

16. Stitch the binding strip with raw edges even with the outside edges of the quilted rectangle all around, overlapping at the beginning and end. Backstitch over handle ends a couple of times to secure as shown in Figure 8.

17. Turn the binding to the inside and hand-stitch in place to complete the outer bag, enclosing the zipper/ribbon edge in the binding.

COMPLETING THE INTERIOR ZIPPER BAGS

1. To complete one interior bag, mark a white chalk line 1" from one 8" edge of a screening rectangle. 2. Press under one 8" edge of an A strip 1/4". 3. Place the unpressed edge of the A strip right sides together on the screening above the marked line and stitch 1/4" from the edge of A as shown in Figure 9.

4. Press the A strip to the right side and topstitch the pressed edge and the stitched edge to the screening rectangle to finish the trim as shown in Figure 10.

5. Lay a 7" zipper right sides together on the 8" edge with the A trim, placing zipper pull 3/4" from left edge of bag as shown in Figure 11; pin to hold.

6. Sew 1/4" from the teeth along the zipper edge. Fold the zipper up and finger-press; topstitch close to the edge of the folded screening just below the zipper teeth as shown in Figure 12.

7. Fold the bottom of the screening up and place right sides together with the top edge of the zipper as shown in Figure 13. Stitch 1/4" from the zipper teeth.

8. Turn right side out. Fold screening up from top of zipper and finger-press; topstitch close to the edge of the folded screening just above the zipper teeth, being careful not to stitch through the back layer of screening.

9. Open zipper. Turn wrong side out. Arrange bag top, leaving 1/2" of screening above the zipper; pin. Stitch along both side edges using a 1/2" seam allowance as shown in Figure 14.

10. Trim any part that’s needed of the zipper or fabric band even with the sides of the bag. Turn bag right side out and close the zipper.

11. Repeat steps 1–10 to complete a total of eight screen bags, placing the zipper pull 3/4" from the right edge of bag in step 5 for four bags.

12. Place four zippered screening bags with the same zipper direction on one side of the center of the inside of the outer bag, overlapping side to side evenly. Repeat with the remaining

zipper bags on the opposite side of the center with the screening-bag bottoms overlapping in the center of the bag by 3/8" as shown in Figure 15; baste to hold in place.

13. Cover the overlapping bottoms of the bags with a strip of the grosgrain ribbon and stitch edges of ribbon in place, turning each end of the ribbon under to complete the project bag as shown in Figure 16.