Just Call Me The Bag Lady!

I really enjoy making bags…so useful for myself and family, and perfect gifts for loved ones. Of course, some of them are so much work, and cost so much to make once you add up fabric, zippers, hardware, interfacing, foam, etc., that they only get gifted to my most favourite people.

Also, once I get started, I often make multiples of the same bag. Sometimes they’re made with only one focus fabric, sometimes with a band of patchwork, and sometimes with something embroidered on it by one of my good friends. Such is the case with the awesome Retreat Bag 2.0 by Emmaline Bags…and the pattern is a free download from their website! I’ve probably made 6 or 7 of these so far…below you can see a sampling of them in the small size that uses the Style A frames from their website (the key fob hardware below is from Emmaline, too). I have made one in the large size, but I prefer the small.

Another great pattern from Emmaline Bags is the Necessary Clutch Wallet. I’ve made at least 6 of these too, but could only find a photo of one of them! I preferred making this one without the band on the top flap, instead choosing to fussy cut a motif and place it there, or leave it off altogether. It has a zippered pocket for change, multiple slots for credit cards, 2 spots for paper money, and enough room for your cell phone. This one does not have a shoulder or wrist strap, but the pattern includes instructions for making them.

This particular bag comes from an old favourite book called Lots of Scraps It’s Time to Quilt by House of White Birches (no longer in print, but you might be able to find a used one on-line). It’s called the Scrappy Sewing Pod and, quite frankly, I’ve lost count with how many of these I’ve made since the book came out in 2008! Sometimes I just highlight a cool print, sometimes it’s made with a patchwork body, and sometimes it’s relatively plain with some free-motion quilting using a great variegated thread. I have one for my mani/pedi supplies, one for make-up and one for sewing notions. The bags shown here are using up some ombre scraps that go really well with the main fabric, Effervescence (AAQ-17061-195 BRIGHT), by Robert Kaufman Fabrics. It, too, changes colour throughout the piece…so beautiful. These bags only highlight the cool colours of this fabric, but there are also reds, yellows and oranges within the same yardage.

Another favourite is the Bionic Gear Bag by Sally at Ripstitcher. I have 3 for myself! One is a travel bag, one is for smaller notions and one was made larger for taking to retreat because it holds so much more. You should have seen Becky and I working out the math/logistics for making it larger from the original pattern…our heads hurt after that workout at one of our retreats! I also made one for my daughter, Kate, and one for my niece, Mackenzie.

This pattern I made up myself. After having made so many bags over the years, I wanted to try my hand at a simple style that used up a lot of extra scraps and tiny blocks that I had accumulated. These are so much fun to make and can be used as make-up bags, pencil cases, for small toys for little ones, or even for the car to keep tissues, hand sanitizer, loyalty cards and spare change all in one place. Marg was getting rid of a bunch of her angle cut scraps from Solar Flare and they were very useful on some of these bags.

An incredible piece of fabric was the inspiration for these next two bags. I fell in love with Brushstrokes Multi from the Nerodiseppia Collection by Benartex and thought it would work well with a bunch of my other brights. Last year, I was lucky enough to get my hands on probably the last 2.5 metres of this fabric in Canada! I was so incredibly happy with how my A Place For Everything 2.0 by ByAnnie worked out, that I wanted to carry on and also make the coordinating Ultimate Travel Bag 2.0 as well. I still have enough fabric left over to make a matching toiletry bag one of these days. I did modify/customize some of the pockets in the A Place For Everything bag for my personal needs, and did not follow instructions for how the pockets were inserted in the bag…I rarely follow a pattern to the letter. Also, I did not add internal pockets to the Travel Bag because I know myself and will just throw everything in willy-nilly anyway!

A Place For Everything 2.0 inner pockets

The iridescent rainbow hardware for both bags was purchased from Emmaline Bags and the cool rainbow zipper was purchased by 2Minutes2Stitch, but I don’t think they carry this particular zipper anymore. I just found out that Zipper Valley, a great Canadian company, does carry it if it’s something you’ve been looking for too.

Don’t be scared off about making a bag yourself. Many people are intimidated by putting in a zipper or sewing through multiple layers or using new products like fusibles and foam. The patterns I’ve used here are by reputable companies whose instructions are very clear and offer many hints and tips throughout the patterns to help you along the way. Or you may become like my friend, Patti, who has made a couple of bags, but has come to the realization that they just aren’t her thing. You’ll never know until you try!

Personal, PatternsSharon GalnaApril 19, 2023emmaline bags, byannie patterns, rainbow hardware, rainbow zippers, bionic gear bag, a place for everything 2.0 pattern, the ultimate travel bag 2.0 pattern, quilted bags, bag hardware, zippers, colourful fabricComment