Seattle has some really great libraries, and they are tucked in the middle of neighborhoods which just makes them more fun and convenient to visit! After just 1 visit I knew that Addy needed a library bag-somewhere to store her library books, the receipt with the due date, and her library card. So I filed that in the back of my mind.
The a few days later we were wandering through JoAnn's and I found a cute mermaid iron-on. I had no idea what I'd do with it, but I knew Addy would love it.
Later when I was perusing my fabric stash for bag options, I remembered a cute pirate/hula girl print that I had been saving. Luckily Addy loved the print, too! I got to work finding some coordinates, and ultimately decided to pick up the pink polka dot from JoAnn's. Pattern is a
freebie tutorial from Anna at
Noodlehead!
For the outside pocket, I added the mermaid patch and some jumbo ric-rac along the top. I thought this would make a great place to store the receipt that includes the book titles and their due dates.
I added an inside pocket that has a velcro closure.
It's just the right size for a library card, and the velcro keeps the card nice and secure!
One of the things that drew me to this bag pattern was the binding on the outside of the bag. Typically I would machine sew 1 side of the binding, and then turn the binding to hand stitch the other side. But I decided to experiment with machine stitching using a zig zag this time. I was able to attach the binding all in 1 step, and the zig zag turned out really well on both sides! I think I'll be doing this more often! (Although I will stick with hand sewing my quilt binding. :) )
The only other alteration I made, which isn't really evident in these photos, is that I used a webbing for my handles. I cut a strip of fabric about 3 times the width of the webbing, iron one long edge under about 1/2", wrap the fabric around the webbing and sew down along the turned under edge. It makes a really sturdy handle, and the handle still matches the rest of the bag!
Now we're all ready for our next library trip! We have 6 books to go in the summer reading program, and Addy is pretty excited about that!
5 comments:
So adorable!
Making library bags has been on my list of things to do. I was also thinking that a back pack type may work better with the younger kids. What do you think? Any tutorials on a backpack??
what a great bag!! Ah, I love libraries. What I hate about most of the libraries here in Fresno is that they are part of a strip mall, which is just so wrong. Have you been to the library at Green Lake? My very favorite!
Oops. P.S. I forgot to ask where you got your awesome Quilty Girl tags?
Three cheers for the library! Love the bag!!
Love the tip for webbing in the handles!
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