Ready, Set, Sew! Make Your Own Waterproof Beach Bag With Fun Fabric

This season I wanted to make a bunch of Waterproof Beach Bags to gift to our sons school for End of Year presents.  It needed to be wheelchair friendly, easy to use, fast to make and use up some of the waterproof fabrics I had in stash from the past year or two.  I had lots of technical fabrics leftover from making my old Wheelchair Capes.  So this seemed like a perfect way to consume the fabric and make something fun as a gift as well.  I had plenty of OTY Fabric NZ PUL prints in fun designs, including some designs I had designed for OTY Fabric myself!  The amount of Drawstring Bag tutorials out there is overwhelming, and many were close to what I wanted to do but somehow, not.  So as per usual I borrowed a couple of ideas from other sources and combined them to come up with this fast easy tutorial that uses a fun waterproof fabric like PUL and the body of the bag can be a basic plain Waterproof fabric like Sailcloth, Oxford Nylon or even PUL as well.  

So if you too are looking for a bag to gift, or even use yourself this summer then I hope you enjoy what I came up with and find it useful too!

What you will need:

• Waterproof fabric for the main bag (Oxford Nylon, PUL, Sailcloth, Coated Cotton etc)
• a Fun fabric for the outer pocket (PUL - I got mine from OTY Fabric NZ here)
• a 30cm closed end zip
• Thread
• Scissors or Rotary Cutter
• Chalk or Pencil for marking
• Ruler
• Wonder Clips and Pins
• 25mm Webbing for the Tabs (or create wee tabs using PUL scraps)
• Rope for the Drawstring Straps
• Standard Sewing Machine with 90/14 needle or 100/14 Leather Needle 

How to Cut your Bag:

You will need to cut the following items out of your fabric:

• 2 x 40x49cm Main Bag pieces (in plain Waterproof fabric)
• 1 x 10x40cm Upper Pocket piece (in printed PUL)
• 1 x 20x40cm Lower Pocket piece (in printed PUL)
• Some 2cm x 4cm scraps of Printed PUL for the zipper ends
• 2 x 10cm long pieces of Webbing for the Tab Loops

Sewing your Zip Pocket:

Attach the two scrap pieces of the printed PUL to the ends of your zipper as shown.  

Turn and smooth down and topstitch close to the seam

Fold the zip in half meeting the edges of your zip scrap ends where you topstitched.  Using the chalk mark the centre on both sides of the zipper tape. Fold both your Upper and Lower Pocket pieces and mark the centre of each piece

Using the centre markers clip the zip right side to the right side of your Lower Pocket piece.  

Stitch the zip to your Lower Pocket piece.

Using the centre marker on your Upper Pocket piece and your zipper clip the zip to the Upper pocket piece and stitch in place.

Smooth the printed PUL away from the zip and topstitch along the zipper edge on both sides of the zipper stitching right to the end of the pocket pieces as shown.

Fold over 0.5cm of the top edge of the Upper Pocket piece and clip towards the wrong side.  Topstitch close to the fold to create a hem.

Place the completed zip pocket over one of the main bag pieces wrong side of the pocket to the right side of the main bag piece.  Pin along the Upper Pocket piece below your stitched upper hem.  Continue to clip the pocket around the outer edges of the Pocket and Main Bag piece.

Stitching along the upper pocket hem stitches, stitch the upper pocket to the Main Bag piece.  Continue on to baste the pocket all the way around the outer edges to the Main Bag piece.

Measure up 6.5cm from the lower edge and place the folded 10cm Tab Loops.  Baste in place on the edge as shown.  Repeat with the second Tab Loop.

Sewing Your Bag Drawstring Casing:

Measure down the side of your main bag pieces from the top edge 6cm and place a mark.

Measure in 1.5cm from that marker and make a line. 

Place your two Main Bag pieces over each other so the upper edge aligns and cut along that 1.5cm line through both sides and both pieces of fabric

Fold the fabric at the cut to create a thin hem, stitch the ends toward the wrong side as shown. Repeat for each side on both bag pieces.

Finish the upper edge either through zig zag stitching, a thin hem, or overlocking the raw edge.

Fold the upper edge over 3cm towards the wrong side and clip the casing in place.

Stitch the casing down as shown on both Main Bag pieces.

Sewing the Main Bag:

With right sides together place the main bag pieces over each other and align the upper edge where the casing is.  Clip all around the bag pieces.

Stitch the Main Bag together using a 1.5cm seam.

Trim the bag seam close to the stitching

Turn bag right side out and smooth all the seams (don't iron or you will melt the fabric)

Topstitch all the way around the bag seams encasing the seam allowances on the inside and reinforcing at the casing ends.

Threading your Drawstrings:

Cut 2 pieces of rope 1.72m long and sear the ends with a flame if the rope is polyester or nylon to prevent fraying.

Using a bodkin or safety pin thread your rope through the casing on one side and back out through the casing on the other side.  Pass one end of the rope through the Tab Loop. 

Matching the rope ends and making sure they are fairly even tie a knot in your drawstring ends.

Repeat with the second piece of rope but put it through the opposite end of the casing and Tab Loop.  (see pictures)

Optional Zipper Pull/Key Fob:

You can make a fun Key Fob/Zip Pull attachment using scraps of your printed PUL.  You will need a suitable Lobster Clasp and some printed PUL.

Cut your PUL 26cm long by 7.5cm wide.  

Fold the piece in half wrong sides together and smooth the centre to create a crease.  

Fold the sides into that centre marker.

Then fold again to encase the raw edges.  

Clip at the centre and pass your lobster clasp end through that folded piece of PUL.

Fold out the raw short ends and with right sides together stitch a thin seam.  Smooth the seam out and fold the sides back to the centre and then again to create the folded Key Fob as mentioned before.

Stitch the folded fabric along the folded edge to close the strip up, moving the lobster clasp out of your way and stitching in a loop as shown.

Repeat with the other side of the Key Fob to create a topstitched folded edge.

Fold your Key Fob in half keeping the end of the lobster clasp enclosed as shown.  Stitch across the shorter side to keep the lobster clasp enclosed.  

Your Key Fob is done!  Hook the lobster clasp clip end over the zipper pull on your bag and your bag is done yay!

Thanks for following another one of my tutorials.

Vivien

Adapted Series - Free Waterproof Bandana Bibs Tutorial

 Adapted Series - Free Waterproof Bandana Bibs Tutorial

One of our most popular products at our old Adaptivewear Business Picklefish NZ was the Waterproof Older Kids Bandana Bibs. They are a quick easy sew and so functional yet fun.

I wanted to share how these were made and offer our pattern for FREE so you too can make your kids and adults a functional bib with personality.

Perfect for those who are a bit dribbly or spilly.

You'll enjoy a quick easy sew and be making these in no time.

So heres our Free Waterproof Bandana Bib Tutorial...especially for you!

What you will need:

• Our free multi-size Bandana Bib Pattern (Download link below)
• Scissors
• Weights or pins
• Cotton Flannelette, Cotton Woven, towelling or Microfleece fabric for the outer
• Cotton Flannel, Bamboo fleece, Toweling for the inner soaker layer
• PUL or TPU Towelling for the backing (you can buy it here at OTY Fabric NZ)
• Sewing Machine, Thread and Needles suitable for sewing different weights of fabric 90/14 Universal is recommended
• Snaps or Velcro to create the closures

How to Cut your Bandana Bib:

Download our FREE Pattern here: DOWNLOAD

First cut 1 x Outer Bib piece from your flannel (print piece)

Then cut one inner soaker layer from your flannel (plain piece)

Then you will need one waterproof layer cut from your TPU Towelling.

Sew Your Bandana Bib:

Lay your TPU Towelling face up and place the Outer Layer print side down (wrong side up) on top aligning the outer edges, do the same with your inner plain soaker layer.

Pin or clip around all the edges of your Bandana Bib sandwiching the layers together.

Stitch around the layers with a 1cm seam allowance and straight stitch leaving an 8cm opening on one of the longer angled sides of the bib as shown.

Trim the seam allowance to the stitching leaving the opening un-trimmed.(see photo)

Turn right side out through opening making sure the tpu towelling layer and print layer are showing as you turn.

Tuck through hole, push bib ends first using your fingers to push edges out as much as possible.

Turn bib right side out and tuck the opening edges inside the bib. Press.

Smooth bandana flat tuck in raw edges of opening and press.

Pin opening closed.

Topstitch outer edges of the Bandana Bib with a straight stitch closing the opening as you go. (NB. You can pop a label into the opening if you like as you topstitch).

An optional way to stitch the bib is to sandwich the waterproof layer between the two flannel outer layers so it's reversible.

If doing the reversible sandwiched style lay the two flannel pieces right side together and lay the TPU layer right side down behind the print layer. Pin and stitch all layers as per steps above. Turn right side out with both flannel sides showing right side as you turn.

Finishing your Bandana Bib:

Snap closure version:

Add your KAM Snap socket to one side (usually the left) with the socket side facing you. Add two sockets so you can adjust as needed. You can use a snap press or snap pliers or hammer the snap in place depending on which type of snaps you have purchased.

Apply the Stud side to the right side with the stud side facing away from you (see photo).

Use awl to push a hole in the bandana Bib end.

For stud end push the cap facing away from you on the right side of the bib and add stud to the back.

Add to socket snaps to the left side with the sockets facing towards you and about 3-4cm apart.

Velcro closure version:

Cut a 3cm rectangle of Hook and Loop Velcro and attach the loop side to one corner facing towards you and the Hook side to the corner that faces away from you. Use a straight stitch to stitch around the outer edges of the velcro to keep it in place.

You're completed bibs. The left is the reversible sandwiched waterproof style and right is the tpu towelling waterproof outer layer style.

And you are done!

Thanks for following another one of our easy Adapted Sewing Series Tutorials. More to come in the future.

Vivien