Easiest Accessory Bags Ever is a sewing pattern by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts. It’s been on my ‘to make’ list for some time now. Leil’s birthday party provided the opportunity. I managed to make 3 of them while staying up late to monitor the sleep over goings ons. Not a recommended approach, I was still threading drawstrings early the next morning, finishing up just before I made the bacon and pancakes.
While the sizes are accurate on the pattern description, I totally underestimated what 19″ x 21″ meant! I envisioned cute little drawstring bags for the party favors. What resulted were these fabulous large bags that the moms were eying as the girls got picked up!
The pattern includes instructions for 3 different sized bags: the large Laundry & Gym Bag (19″ x 21″, the one I made), a medium Girly Girl Handbag (11″ x12″) and a small Makeup & Travel Bag (7″ x 8″).
Step 3 was a little confusing for me. I was probably making it harder than it needed to be. Ultimately I sewed it in a way that was logical to me and after finishing I’m certain that was the same approach being described in the instructions. I took some pictures of Step 3 (above) and Step 4 (below).
I think this is an outstanding pattern. I love it for several reasons:
- A simple, classic design that is perfectly proportioned.
- The combination of using different fabrics for each piece made for a colorful project. I had fun picking out coordinating fabrics.
- The technique of sewing the lining to the exterior and then turning it inside out before sewing the sides results in lovely finished seams both on the interior and on the folded over drawstring casing. Simple, elegant and oh so functional!
Problems I encountered:
- I found Step 3 to be confusing as I describe above. It’s actually very simple. If you’re like me and take every word literally definitely look at my pictures. Just iron the seam allowance open and stitch it down as shown.
- FYI on the materials list: it is very tight on yardage! The large bag requires 3 fat quarters (18″ x 22″). The instructions call for cutting these down to 18″ x 21″. If you pre-wash your fabric then you may be short. After making the bag I realized it really wouldn’t effect the construction. Your exterior piece would end up shorter than the pattern called for and the lining could be cut to match. Similarly with the lining yardage. It calls for 3/4 yard (27″) and then instructs you to cut a 26 3/4″ strip. Again, if you pre-wash you’ll probably be short but ultimately you can just cut the lining and the exterior pieces to match before sewing them together.
Materials Used:
Pattern: Easiest Accessory Bags Ever by Fig Tree Quilts
Aiden Linen Natural for the exterior base
Ohinasama Princess (one side of exterior) by Alexander Henry in Pink, Green and Red
Ta Dots (one side of exterior) by Michael Miller in Ocean, Tangerine and Lime
Mod Geo (linings) by Michael Miller in Green, Aqua and Blush
The combos: Bag 1 – Pink, Ocean and Green. Bag 2 – Green, Tangerine and Aqua. Bag 3 – Red, Lime and Blush.
Now, a little Giveaway:
3 randomly drawn winners will receive the fabrics and pattern to make the Laundry Bags as shown (one in each colorway). I’d planned to do kits for the shop but it hasn’t happened in two weeks and it’s summer. What else can I say.
and a Contest:
Leave a comment telling me 3 fabrics (2 exterior and 1 lining) you would use (from the shop) to make these bags. Let’s keep it simple and assume natural linen is the base. I’m going to pick a winner or two from the combination I like the best. The winner will receive a set of fabrics and pattern to make their design.
I’ll draw the winners on Friday morning (July 3).
Happy Summer Sewing! xo Kathy
My *exact* first thought was the same as Alisan… Tossed owls, mingle circles, and aviary woodgrain. So, upon further consideration, I came up with this:
1. Red Letter Day Ugly Duckling Pond
2. Red Letter Day Pearl Bracelet Pond
3. Aviary Woodgrain Orange (lining)
What a great idea for a contest… Can’t wait to see the winners!
Oh boy, I am seeing one of these in my granddaughter’s future! After spending a week at her father’s, her clothes come back in a mish-mash of clean and dirty all toghether. She would so love this bag to put her dirties in.
I am going back to my 70′s roots I guess, but I really like the Happy Owls and the Hedgehog Toadstool (in the pinkish) for the outside and would line it with the Echino Dots Cerise + Baby Pink, all from the Japanese line. Oh I gotta make this!
I’m always a sucker for County Fair– raisin posie and pear dotted leaves outside, berry bouquet inside
I love the traffic Jam fabric. I would match it up with one of the colors from the vehicles. I like the orange trucks and the green tractors and would probably pick those colors. Then the lining would be a light blue.
Love your bags! I can believe that the Mom’s would be eyeing the girl’s bags
This is a great pattern! I would do:
1. Fresh Poppies Amy Butler
2.Wildwood Forest in lime
3. Lining: Del Hi Paisley Earth or Kona cotton Violet.
I think I would use:
Jewel mobile natural Alexander Henry
winter forest
lining: pearl bracelet in pond by Lizzy House
Cute bags! I love bags.
1. Resort Cabana
2. Mod Geo Brown
3. Street Stripe lining (I heart MM if you can’t tell!)
Thanks!
I’m going with a more adult fabric selection, even though almost everything I make is for my daughters. I would choose all of my fabrics from the Joel Dewberry Deer Valley line.
Exteriors: Antler Damask in Celedon and Lodge Lattice in Peony.
Lining: Columbine in Natural
This is a really great contest idea, by the way!
Those would make great laundry bags for the kids when they go to camp or a sleep-over to grandma’s house. I so home I win this!!
These look fab!
I would have to go with the Japanese fabrics,
Mushrooms stripe and Scandinavian Sampler, lined with the modern dots brown and orange..
I can’t really tell from the photos how well this will work – but if the colour way doesn’t quite match up the mushrooms appear in both the exterior pieces
My daughter would love the bag to tote all of her treasures!
1. Valorie Wells – Del Hi Pom Pom Scarlet
2. Buddha Party Dot Plaid Orange
3. Ta Dot Bubblegum
I think I have a pink/orange problem. But I love them together.
The bags are so cute, and would be perfect for books or for swimming lessons! I would use on the outside: My Folklore Medallian Chocolate & Kona Chinese Red and the inside would be Strawberries on Black and White Ginham.
I’m loving Anna Griffin’s fabrics at the moment. From the Fiona collection, I would go with Fiona Floral Brown, Fiona Flower Stripes Pink + Brown, and Fiona Winter Medallion Pink for the lining. And It would be super cute to do the girly bag version with Fiona Floral Links Pink for the handles. Of course, I think it would be really cute to do accessory bags in the pink + brown stripes and the links in pink.
Love these bags!! I think if I were making them I would use “Hedgehog Toadstool Stripe – Fuchsia + Amber” with “Echino Dots Cerise + Baby Pink” on the outside with the “Red Letter Day Stripes Feather” on the inside….oh but so many good choices!
What fun – your bags are so cute! Well, I’m going to use it for my sewing projects, so Wonderland Snip Snip Tomato, Street Stripes and then Nice Threads from Alexander Henry. I could choose a million combinations from your wonderful shop!
Ooh! What fun! I absolutely love the Dance with Me Libby Turquoise and would match it with the Pretty Please Pinwheel Stripe Lime and the Kona Cotton Bright Pink. Thanks for the chance to win!
I’m going to make this for a laundry bag for my baby boy that’s due in September. His room is being decorated in grees and reds so my pick for the fabrics are Traffic Jam Beep Beep Green and Mutt Green for the exterior and Hedgehog Toadstool Stripe Lime Orange for the lining. Yum fabrics!
Fun, fun, fun! Here are my choices:
Metro Market Chickens Summer (love that fabric!)
Red Letter Day Walk in the Woods Galosh
Planet Dot Green
What a great bag! Every year I struggle to come up with Trick or Treat bags that are “cool” enough for my 4 boys. I would use
Fiesta De Los Muerto Turquoise and Bohemian Babes for the exterior with Street Stripe for the interior. Thanks for the fun idea.
Del Hi Tapestry Cinnamon and Del Hi Stones Cinnamon for the outside and Del Hi Stones Scarlet as the lining.. would be a great combo in my opinion! i’ve seen this pattern before but i haven’t bought it… maybe now i’ll give it a 2nd look!
Ooh how fun!!
Shell – Red Letter Day Ducks in a Row in Feather and Red Letter Day Walk in the Woods in Feather
Lining Kona Cotton Pomegranate….what a yummy color!!
I love the bunny fabric you chose! But, after some fun perusing, here’s my choices:
Dance With Me Libby Turquoise
Cathedral Dusk
lining – Pretty Please Pinwheel Stripe
This was fun! I have many more combinations in mind, but this one makes me think cheery summer. Thanks for the chances! You have great fabric to play with!!!
Love these bags! I’d like to make a beach or pool bag from these fabrics:
Exteriors in Michael Miller Resort Cabana and Ta Dot Bubblegum with the lining of Mod Geo Aqua
I love the Del Hi Flora Blossom and the Del Hi Stones Scarlet! Thanks for the review. I can’t wait to try them.
Hmmmmm, this is hard! I would probably pick the Tina Givens Honeysuckle Pink, and Coneflower brown with the punchy Berries green for the lining! Love the colors and I really love SALE fabrics! Looks like a great pattern – I need to make hostess gifts for the hostesses of my future daughter-in-law’s shower and this bag just might be the one! Thanks!!!
I would use the following:
1. Joyful Damask Lime (exterior)
2. Ta Dot raspberry (exterior)
3. Mini Flowers Red Green Orange (lining)
I would use Far Far Away Snails Blush + Tangerine and Far Far Away The Frog Prince Blush for the exterior. And a solid Kona Cotton for the lining, probably the Tangerine in that as well.
This is such a fun contest! My choices are as follows:
Exterior 1: Kokka Strawberry Farm
Exterior 2: Little Japanese Birds Cardinal Red
Lining: Timeless Treasures Apple Stitched Swirl Green
Thanks!
I have to agree with everyone, it’s super hard to pick just one combo from all the wonderful fabrics that you have online! I would have to stray from my usual pink for this, and think more “boy friendly” fabrics/colors, now that I have a son. Trying to find crafty things for boys is so much harder than it is for girls!
Anyways, I can picture my son using this wonderful bag to tote his toys, snacks, and whatnot for when we go on picnics. So I picked out food related fabrics. My choices:
1. Japanese Mushroom Stripe
2. Metro Market Apples in blue
3. Red Letter Day Pearl Bracelet Pond (lining)
Thanks!!
cute bags!!
Sweet!!
Perfect Pattern Black
Wonderland Snip Snip in Glass
Mini Flowers Red Green Orange lining.
Ooh! There are so many combinations I could do with this!! But this morning I was feeling very “aqua” – maybe it’s spending so much time at the pool. So here’s my pick…
For the exterior fabrics
1. Vicki Payne’s Savoy Glass
2. Michael Miller – Mod Geo Aqua
And for the interior -
Jennifer’s Pretty Please Fushia.
Couldn’t tell on my computer screen if the pink in the savoy glass is the same as the fushia in pretty please – but you get the idea.
Thanks for the chance – darling bags! I’m going to have to get that pattern.
susan
I totally have this bag pattern on my list too! Thanks Kathy for all the tips during construction…here are my 3 fabric choices…
Wildwood Checked Floral Grey
Wildwood Wallflower Lime
Ta Dot Lime
Once again, you do beautiful work. I think I’d pick:
Metro Market Chickens Summer
Metro Market Apples Blue
Mingle Circles Summer (lining)
Thanks!
WIP Bag theme:
Exterior
1) Nice Threads – Alexander Henry
2) Home Sewing is Easy – Alexander Henry
Lining – Minny Muu Fabric Whimsy White
So I sat down to breeze through a few of my favorite blogs … one hour later I’m still dreaming up fabric combinations.
How about Dena Design Monaco Stems in Blue with Mod Geo Blush and Kona Cotton in Pear?
Or, how about Metro Market Apples in Red and Yellow, with Kona Cotton Canary and Kona Cotton Red?
Can I do more? What fun this has been!
Those bags came out adorable. I can see why the mommies would eye them, as I would have, too. I’m a new sewer and would LOVE to try those beautiful and easy patterns.
Oh, I had so much fun ‘shopping’ for fabric for these bags. They are so sweet. Here is what I would pick
1) Deer Valley Damask Celadon
2) Mushroom Stripe
3) Lining – Little Japanese Cardinal Birds (Red)
Thanks for a great giveaway!
As a bag freak, I love the pattern and the casing for the drawstring.
My bag would be all Alexander Henry: Home Sewing is Easy and Nice Threads on the outside, lined with Perfect Pattern Black. For my 9 year-old ballerina/ violinist granddaughter I think the Japanese designers with Kokka Bluebird Patchwork and Music Friends on the outside and Strawberry Farm lining.
Thanks for the chance to win.
I just love it when I open my email and I have news from Pinkchalk!!
I had so much fun looking through all of the beautiful fabric designs.
My daughter is getting married and I think I’m going to use this idea to make all of her bridesmaids these cute bags as gifts. She’s getting married in Missouri so I thought these bags would be a great travel companion for them to use, considering that the wedding is 8 hours away. I chose 3 patterns that complimented her wedding colors. I would use: Livingston Seagull Black and Joy Pink on the outside and line it with Mod Geo Green. This was so much fun!!!
Really cute bags! I would choose Robert Kauffman Mingle Beads in Black and White for the inside of the bag and Metro Market Chickens in Licorice for the outside of the bag.
Cute bag!
I would choose Metro Market Chickens in Licorice for the exterior, and Mingle Beads in Black and White for the interior of the bag.
Thank you.
What a great idea to send us into the shop. I’ve gotten stuck wandering around in there twice. But here are my picks:
Red LetterDay Ugly Duckling and Holiday Ditzy Lime for the outside and Red Letter Day Stripes Feather for the lining.
Thanks for the contest.
Had a really hard time picking only three!!
1. Midwest Modern Fresh Poppies Ivory
2. Dance With Me Leann Grass
3. Ta Dot Celery (lining)
An adorable toy bag:
1. Traffic Jam White
2. Traffic Jam Confetti Blue
3. Traffic Jam Road Stripe Blue (lining)
what a fun contest!
I would pick:
Buddha Party Dot Plaid Orange
Far Far Away Princess + The Pea Tangerine
and Far Far Away Snails Blush + Tangerine for the lining.
What sweet bags! I would make one from fabrics I’ve just been working with: Amy Butler Nouveau Trees Moss, Ripple Stripe Sand, and Martini Linen. Or I’d try the Anna Marie Horner Festival Dusk, Cathedral Dusk, and Buttoned Up Sea.
Wow! Those really turned out cute!
I would one in:
Traffic Jam:
Beep Beep Green
Transportation white
Confetti green (interior)
OR
Far Far Away:
Princess Tangerine
Frog Prince Tangerine/yello
Snail Tangerine/Fuchsia
Thanks for the chance to win!
Thanks for the chance to win! I’m going to go visit the shop to pick out my fabrics for a chance to win the contest as well!
I would make the bag for my son so I would chose these fabrics:
Tip-Top Buses Blue Lime Periwinkle
Martini Yellow – Midwest Modern
Red Letter Day Pearl Bracelet Pond (interior)
Thanks again!
Kinda classy for a laundry bag, but I’d choose: Deer Valley Antler Damask Celadon, and Deer Valley Architetural Barnwood with Deer Valley Lodge Lattice Peony for the lining.