My current knitting bags are whatever random cloth or plastic bags I throw my needles and wool into but it's not very organised, I'm always losing projects and finding them months or even years later, and the contents of the bags themselves are just a mess of wool tangled with needles, partially finished items, tape measures, pens, scissors, etc. Like a lot of knitters I've always got multiple projects on the go and often like to switch between projects depending on where I'm knitting, for example, on long car trips I prefer something I don't have to look at to knit with a simple pattern I can remember off by heart whereas on a lazy Saturday afternoon I like to tackle the tricker projects which require constant referral to a pattern and have more involved stitches. For a while now I've been looking for a knitting bag to keep everything together but haven't had any luck finding anything which is big enough to hold long needles or have more than one internal compartment so I can separate my various knitting projects. I couldn't even find a pattern for one - most online patterns are for tote bags - so I ended up making one instead.
I wanted it to be long, deep and have 3 compartments with internal pockets. I figured a bag 40cm long x 30cm high x 25cm deep should do the trick. Then I got a little fancy and figured I could throw in tapered sides so it didn't look so much like a giant box so it wound up being 25cm deep at the base and 20cm at the top. Two handles and an external pocket for good measure and I was ready to start drafting the pattern on my trusty roll of greaseproof paper.
As for material, I'd be a fool making this first attempt with nice expensive designer material and Spotlight had a clearance sale on so I picked up some dress material cheap - I don't remember what type, it's the kind you can make jackets and skirts from, drapes nicely but not much body to it for a bag though it does feel nice. I figured I could try to reinforce it by attaching some interfacing and incorporating some thin batting for a little body. Some pink poplin for the lining and a couple of magnetic clasps and my shopping was done...or so I thought. I miscalculated (read: didn't calculate - I guessed) how much lining material I'd need so wound up having to go back to Spotlight - hubby is convinced I did it deliberately so I could go back again and buy more stuff I don't really need but I keep telling him I have no shame and anyway I don't need a reason to shop. Woman's prerogative and all that.
So I cut all the pieces out, including batting pieces and then spent the next 2 days waiting for my back to stop hurting - heavily pregnant with related back problems and standing for hours measuring and cutting material apparently don't mix. Go figure. Anyway yesterday I started sewing it all together beginning with the outside pieces and promptly got stuck trying to figure out how to sew a square corner the inconvenient way, i.e. without simply sewing the sides together, then sew and trim the corners off thus creating a boxed corner. I instead had separate pieces for the sides, front, back and base. Sewing the front, back and base together was easy but how to sew the sides on since they shared seams with all three pieces ?? I eventually figured out that due to all the seams I'd be creating I couldn't just sew continuously and pivot at each of the corners. I'd have to sew one seam, reinforcing both ends of the seam then cut the thread and the begin again with the next side starting exactly where I'd finished the previous side only on the other side of the seam I'd just finished at. Clear as mud, right? Basically it worked and this is what the inside of the exterior looks like:
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The front pocket was sewn in when I joined the front and base pieces and it shares side seams with the front and sides.
Next I sewed the handles by folding the material in half lengthwise and pressing, opening the fold and folding each half lengthwise again to meet the middle crease, press again then fold once more on the first fold line. Sew very close to the edges to close it all up and done. Then came the lining which was way more involved. I started with the internal pockets which would sit against the front and back pieces. I'd cut the material 10cm longer than the width of the bag so that I could use some elastic to gather the opening of the pockets
and pleated the bottom of the pockets.
Next I sewed together the pieces to separate the compartments and then joined them to the front and back pieces with pieces of base between each. Then using the same technique as for attaching the sides before, I attached the side segments to the lining pieces...and discovered a blunder in my measurements. I didn't make the lining sides high enough so had to improvise by adding in a piece.
See the 2 separators creating three compartments. What's the name for those anyway?
Ok, lining was done, now to put it all together. I was worried about the lining moving around too much inside the bag so I tacked the lining and exterior together at the corners which meant I couldn't simply sew the inside and outside together leaving a gap to turn the whole thing inside out. Again I did it the hard way which was to put the lining inside the bag, wrong sides facing, and fold down the top rims to enclose the raw edges before very carefully sewing them together, incorporating the handles where needed.
Interior pockets - plenty of room for bulky things
Outside pocket for books and such
The finished product
I'm pretty happy overall tho I do have 2 niggles with it. First, I can't create crisp edges as this material drapes too loosely and won't be pressed into shape. My fault for choosing an inappropriate material. Secondly, the bag is a little too soft and floppy as you can see in the pic above. I would have liked it to be stiffer and stand up on its own more. I do have some Pellon stabilizer but with this material I don't think even it would help. The pattern though is a success (except the lining sides but that's easily fixed) so I'll definitely be making more of these in more suitable material as I can think of 2 ladies (the 'Mothers') who would love one for their own various craft projects - Christmas gifts coming right up!
