Monday 9 July 2012

Small and Easy Nappy/Diaper Bag Tutorial

I thought it was about time I made a mini nappy bag for my handbag as I'm always stuffing a nappy, wipes and nappy sack into my bag then they always get in the way when I'm trying to get my purse out plus I wanted everything in one place.  This bag can also hold a small fold up changing pad.

I didn't use a fancy sewing machine to make this as you can see from the stitch selection!  I just did a single layer of fabric too - no lining as I wanted as little bulk as possible.




 I started off by cutting some pieces of fabric 30cm x 45cm, 10cm x 30cm and a pocket 14cm x 10cm.
 With the wrong sides facing sew the 2 long edges together.
 Now if you're sensible (unlike me) you can sew your little front pocket (for hold a few nappy sacks) onto the front now (picture for this a little further on) otherwise fold in half and sew down the side and along the bottom, leaving the top open.  Neaten the edges if you want to prevent fraying.
 I folded over the bottom corners and sewed across them about 2.5cm in to create a boxy shape to my bag.
 Turn over your top edge and tack in place against the seam then sew around to neaten it.  It saves having a raw edge just on the inside of your bag and looks a little neater.  It also makes a double layer for attaching press studs for keeping it closed.  Of course you could also use Velcro, poppers or leave a gap in the top of the bag and thread a cord through and drawstring the opening closed.  It's up to you!
 Now here I am attaching the front pocket, which would have been a whole lot easier if I'd done it before sewing the side and bottom seams!  I pressed the edges over before pinning it in place then sewed around, obviously leaving the top open.
And here's the finished bag!  It easily holds a couple of nappies, a small folding changing mat, a packet of wet wipes and of course a few nappy sacks in the pocket :-)