Raggedy Bag Tutorial

After a few people on blogger and facebook asked me how I made my Raggedy Bag I thought I would make another with a bit of a tutorial.  Please excuse me if you think I 'm trying to tell you how to suck eggs but I 'm not very good at this sort of thing lol.  Anyway here goes, its a bit photo heavy...

First if all you will need a large pair of jeans, these are size 16 bought from Save the Children charity shop for £3, I didn't have another pair but think £3 has gone to a worthy cause.  You will need some lining about half a metre,I added some fleece to mine but this is entirely optional, it will be easier without.

 

Open up the leg seams on the jeans up to the crotch and using whatever method is available to you you need to cut out 18.. 6 inch squares and enough 2.1/2 inch strips for your handles.

It doesn't matter if your strips are in pieces as you will join them together later.

You also need 18..6inch squares of lining and 18.. 4 3/4 inch squares of fleece if using, and a length of 2.1/2 inch strip of lining for your handles.  Now we have all our pieces we can put them together.

Place a square of lining fabric right side down with a smaller square of fleece on top then your denim square right side facing on top if that, like a sandwich, pin across the corners.  Do the same for all 18 squares.

Take each square and stitch from corner to corner. When all 18 are done its time to make the straps.

Join together all your 2 1/2 inch strips to make one long handle. Machine and press the seams open flat. Mine measured 60inches. I find it easier to make both together so they are identical.

Using the denim and the lining, place right sides together and stitch using a 1/4 inch seam, when you have stitched both sides fold them in half and cut into two equal handles. Turn and press

I like to top stitch my handles, I think it strengthens them and finishes them off nicely. Don't worry about the ends they will be tucked into a square later.

Now we have all our assembled pieces we can put them together into a bag.

Because we want our seams on the outside you need to put the linings together and pin, it feels a bit weird sewing the seams on the outside! 

Sew together with a half inch seam, removing the pins as you go.

At this stage you can either make two blocks of nine, which might be easier or make one block of 18.

When it comes to the seams make sure you have one going one way and one the other, it reduces bulk at the joins.

Next its time to add the handles.

If you just open up your square there is a bit of a pocket, place the end of your handle inside, about an inch, and secure with a pin.

Once they are in position you can stitch them. Stitch all the way across the top edge 1/2 inch seam allowance, I like to stitch over the handles by reversing back and then forward again so they have 3 rows of stitching, just to make sure they are secure.

Sew along the side seams and across the bottom again using 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Now you have something like a bag!

Its time to get snipping! You need to snip every seam at about 1/2 inch intervals, it doesn't have to be precise.

Its a bit tricky when you get to the bulky join but if you tease open the seams with your finger tip you can get in with the scissors to snip it.  Be careful not to get too close to your stitching and snip through. This process takes time and effort and also makes a mess!  Once you have snipped all the seams and the top edge, you have to go either side where the handles are, you are ready for the fun part :-)

This bit really needs to be done outside, the mess it makes is huge!!  Get your hubby's wire brush from the garage and a screwdriver, thats for cleaning the bits out of the brush when it gets clogged up!  Now, brush those seams....hard!  Mind your fingers....it hurts!

Its quite hard work!

Nearly done....once its looking raggy you need to put it into the washing machine...alone... Just a quick wash, this fluffs it up and makes it nice and soft.  Then I put mine into the tumble dryer, this really fluffs up the seams.

While thats drying I made a pocket from scraps. You could use the pockets from the backside of the jeans, just unpick them and re sew inside your bag.

I cut a couple of pieces and stitched them together then added a bigger piece of lining and stitched a1/4inch seam down the 2 sides and across the bottom.  Turn it the right way and press.

Fold over the top edge and press, then fold over the denim and press again.

Top stitch on the machine.  You can hand stitch this inside the bag, its handy to have somewhere for your phone and keys. 

One finished Raggedy Denim Bag :-)

And just incase you think I'm cheating and only made one....

Here they both are :-). I have used the darker one already and I LOVE IT!!  I hope if you make one you love yours too xx

Have fun

Love Karen xxx