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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Lunch Bag

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I made this lunch bag for my mother for Christmas. Yes, it’s nearly June, and I still haven’t blogged all my Christmas projects. This project was even late for Christmas. My mother, bless her heart, knew that I was scrambling to finish all the projects I took on for my own family for Christmas, and she told me not to worry about it if I had to give her a rain check. I finished this and gave it to her mid-January, and I think she found it worth the wait. My mother works as a secretary at an elementary school, and I wanted her to have something nice to hold her lunch each day.

I found this wonderful tutorial for the lunch bag, and it was really helpful and easy to follow. I love the drawstring top on the bag to keep everything covered.

110116_0019-1a webI only made a few minor changes from the directions on the tutorial.

110116_0024-1a webI couldn’t find vinyl-coated fabric for the lining, so I bought some clear vinyl and sewed it in when I sewed the lining. (This is a view of the bag inside-out so you can see the vinyl lining.) Also, even though it was on the inside of the bag where no one would really see, I didn’t really like leaving the exposed seam between the drawstring portion and the lining; I’m just picky. So, to remedy that, I tucked the drawstring portion down into the bag while I sewed a couple rows of topstitching just below the orange band on the bag. You can see the stitching if you look closely at the picture below. It encased the exposed seam on the inside of the bag, added a little character on the outside, and pulled the starting point of the drawstring portion down just a bit. Works for me!110116_0014-1a web

110116_0025-1a webMy mother has loved taking it to work. She says she always gets compliments on it, and she loves being able to tell them her daughter made it for her. One of her co-workers even asked for the directions so she could make one (and of course I shared the link). I just love giving handmade gifts!

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15 comments:

  1. No wonder your mom loves it! It's so beautiful and well made! I love both changes you made and want to try them when I make a new lunch bag for my hubby. You are so clever!

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  2. This is adorable and a GREAT gift idea! nice work :)

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  3. I love your bright fabric colors! It looks great!!! I have been seeing lunch bags on blogs like this and I am thinking about trying one, too. Great job!!!

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  4. I love this! Could you teach it for super saturday!

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  5. This is gorgeous - you did an amazing job!
    Lowri
    http://papervinenz.blogspot.com

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  6. TOTALLY CUTE. What a good daughter.
    Maybe I should buck up and craft something for my mom? :D

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  7. I should have known that was yours! I love the fabrics! You're mom is carrying her lunch in style.
    BTW, what is this super Saturday??? I wanna come!

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  8. Wow! That is a beautiful lunch bag.

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  9. Wonderful!!!
    Kisses from Venezuela!

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  10. Impressive project!! It turned out beautifully. Thanks for your visit to my site!

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  11. That is great! Thanks for the hint on the exposed seams. I'm constructing my bento lunch bag now! I have to say, I absolutely LOVE the fabrics you chose -- so much fun!

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  12. I would love to have the tutorial. Where did you find it? websterkarenl@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Karen. I linked to the tutorial above, but I guess I need to change my blog settings so the links are an obvious different color. I had to search to find it myself! The words that say "this wonderful tutorial" are the link to the tutorial. But I'll also list it here:http://ayumills.blogspot.com/2010/08/tutorial-lunch-bag.html?m=1 Thanks for your interest!

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  13. It's gorgeous! Did you use regular cotton fabric, or something heavier? Also, did you only use the clear vinyl in the lining? Do you know if you can throw this in the washer or not? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Kathy. I used regular cotton quilting fabric, found at Joanne's. Nothing too fancy. I only used the clear vinyl in the lining. I gave this bag to my mother for a lunch bag for work. I told her she could wash it, but it maybe shouldn't go through the dryer. It might last longer if it only gets wiped out with a damp cloth, but it can be washed. It lasted a year or two for my mother before the vinyl lining started to get brittle and crack a bit. If you want something longer-lasting, you might buy duck cloth for the lining or get an actual vinyl-lined fabric. I haven't tried those because they are more expensive, but they might work better. Happy sewing!

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