The beach season is just around the corner.Before you know it, summer will come with its sultry, sultry days and drive everyone out of the city – to the water, to the beach, to the beach! And what kind of beach would it be without a beach bag? Of course, you can get by with prosaic bags, but that’s not comme il faut. We are stylish ladies, which means we should look our best on the beach. It’s good if you manage to buy something original and suitable, but what if not? And if not, then there’s nothing left to do but sew a beach bag yourself. But that’s, of course, if we’re friends with a needle and thread. Well, shall we begin?
We select fabric and style
A beach bag should be more than justoriginal and beautiful, but also roomy (imagine how much you might need on the beach!). Therefore, for sewing a bag yourself, it is best to choose a rectangular shape with long handles and several pockets. Any fabric will do, but it must be thick: raincoat fabric, upholstery fabric, tapestry (the ideal option is denim), and you can also make leather handles, pockets or inserts on the bag. The color of the fabric should meet only one requirement - you like it. Naturally, when choosing a color for a beach bag, you should not forget that it should be bright and "summery". So choose any solid, but not gloomy colors, fabrics with geometric and floral patterns, ornaments, polka dots and stripes. Have you chosen? Now let's get down to sewing.
We make a pattern
Before sewing a beach bag, we dopattern. It is best to use graph paper for the pattern - it is easier to calculate the dimensions. First, draw the outline of the main part on the prepared paper. This will be a rectangle, the size of the sides of which depends on the desired size of the bag. So, for example, if we want a bag half a meter wide and forty centimeters high, then draw a rectangle of this size on paper. Next, draw the details of the handles: a strip six to seven centimeters wide and about a meter thirty long. Cut out all the details along the outline and lay them out on the wrong side of the fabric, folded in half. By the way, place the pattern of the main part so that one side of the rectangle runs along the fold of the fabric. Next, pin all the paper patterns and trace, retreating from the edge of the paper pattern a couple of centimeters (seam allowance). And only then cut out the pattern from the fabric. However, if you are confident in your abilities, you can make the pattern directly on the fabric, skipping the step with graph paper.
Sew the bag
Now we fold the rectangle in half(with the wrong side of the fabric facing out) and stitch the sides. We get a bag like this: the sides are stitched, the bottom is the fold of the fabric, the top is the “entrance” to the bag. Carefully overcast the inner seams by hand or on a sewing machine and iron them. After that, stitch the handles, shortening them to the desired length. Fold the blank of each handle in half (lengthwise), with the right side facing out. Turn the edges of the fabric and make two stitches - a connecting one along the edge of the folded edges and a decorative one - along the fold. After that, sew the handles on from the front side of the bag - one handle on each side of the bag. We do this by aligning the edge of the bag with the edge of each end of the handle. That is, at first we get a handle sewn upside down. Then we turn the upper edge of the bag with the sewn-on handle inward, bend the edge and stitch it on. As a result, we get a neatly sewn handle with no traces of fastening on the front side (everything is hidden in the hem). As you can see, sewing a beach bag with your own hands is easy. And if you are aiming for originality, then use additional decorative elements: fringe, braid, tassels, appliques, ruffles, ribbons and everything you consider necessary. If you do not like the laconic shape of a rectangle, then sew a bag in the shape of a trapezoid, expanding towards the top, or make its top curly. Experiment with the clasp: try sewing in a zipper, using buttons or Velcro. Or maybe you will be satisfied with an option without a clasp at all? Try sewing a fashionable beach bag from old jeans or a tapestry pillowcase. Make additional pockets in your beach bag - internal or patch. In a word, fantasize! Try to combine business with pleasure. Enjoy the creative handicraft process and get yourself a beach bag that is so necessary for the summer season. It is, in fact, as easy as pie! We recommend reading:
