Origami Bento Fat Quarter Bag Tutorial // VeryShannon.com #sewing #tutorial #origami #bento #bag

Ok, you guys. Seriously. About once or twice a year I become obsessed with a fabric line. This year I am head over heels in LOVE with Arizona by April Rhodes for Art Gallery Fabrics Limited Edition line!

**This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for all of your entries. Enjoy the tutorial! **

I seriously need a truck load of this line to fill my house with! I'm smitten by golly! So awesome. It was like April climbed in my brain and picked all my faves and put them in a fabric line! Diggin' it big time ladies! When my pretty bundle arrived I honestly couldn't decide what to make first! So many projects, so little time!

I ended up first making something that I will be showing you later this month and for the tour today I decided to whip up a fun tutorial for an Folded Triangle Bag using only 3 fat quarters! I'm all about project bags, pouches and anything else I can carry all my knitting and journals around in with me. I really love these ones over on Fringe Supply Co. and wanted to try to make a larger one with a sewn handle that I can use for bigger projects. If you don't want to sew your own though I can attest to the loveliness of all of Karen's items. I have a few of her things and they are all awesome!

Folded Triangle Bag Fat Quarter Tutorial // VeryShannon.com #sewing #tutorial #origami #bento #bag

I used the prints Desert Blanket, Tomahawk Stripe and Canyon Wall for my bag. This bag would probably work better with linen, canvas, denim or home dec weights but I couldn't resist putting these prints into this bag! I like it a lot and because it's softer it's great for me to use around the house as well. Now both the girls are asking for them too!

You ready to make one too? See below for the full tutorial and to enter the giveaway to win some Arizona! Yep, that's right - I said GIVEAWAY! Woot woot!

FOLDED TRIANGLE FAT QUARTER BAG TUTORIAL

// MATERIALS

3 fat quarters of your choice cut to the following:

(2) cut to 16.5"W x 17"H

and

(1) cut to 17"W x 17"H

I used

Desert Blanket, Tomohawk Stripe and Canyon Wall

OR

1 piece of fabric that is 49"W x17"H

*Optional: 1 piece of fabric (or leather) 5.5"W x 3.5"H for handle.

NOTE: I used a quilting cotton but if you'd like a sturdier bag I would recommend linen, canvas, denim, home dec weight etc.

Scissors and/or rotary cutter w/mat

Co-ordinating Thread

(1) safety pin

Sewing machine needle suitable for your fabric choice

Iron

// HOW TO CUSTOMIZE

This bag is easy to make in any size of your liking. As long as your fabric width is three times the height of your fabric after hemming all your edges you are good to go!

So for example the bag shown here is 3 pieces of fabric that when sewn together = 49"W x 17"H. We then hem all sides and the bag measures 48"W x 16"H.

Let's check our formula: Height x 3 = Width ---> 16 x 3 = 48

Make sure you take into consideration that you need to finish your seams around the fabric and if joining fat quarters that you will have a seam allowance there as well.

// INSTRUCTIONS

STEP ONE: CUT AND PREP YOUR FABRIC

Cut your fat quarters to the dimensions shown above in the "materials" section and press. You should now have the following pieces:

2 @ 16.5"W x 17"H - we will call these Piece A & Piece C

1 @ 17"W x 17"H - we will call this Piece B

*NOTE: if you are using one piece of fabric you don't need to cut it to the dimensions above. You can simply skip ahead to Step Three.

STEP TWO: JOINING YOUR FAT QUARTERS

Pin Piece B to Piece A with

wrong sides

facing each other (right side facing you). Sew with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Trim your seam allowance down to 1/8". Press seam allowance to one side (not open).

Now fold your piece along your newly sewn seam, this time with right sides facing each other, and press again very neatly for a clean edge. Sew along this edge with a 1/4" seam allowance. Press again. *See diagram above.

Repeat the above steps to join the other end of Piece B to Piece C.

STEP THREE: HEM EDGES

Now that you have your fat quarters joined hem all 4 sides (raw edges) of your rectangle. I did a 1/4" fold, then another 1/4" fold, then topstitched the hem down. Press.

STEP FOUR: ASSEMBLING YOUR BAG

We are now going to fold your bag. Follow the diagrams & instructions below. This part is fun!

Fold as shown below with right side facing you (folds #1-3).

*Tip: On fold #3 fold along the straight line shown going corner to corner bringing your bottom right corner up to form the 4th diagram shown.

Now pin and stitch along your first fold, and then again on your other fold on the other side with a 1/4" seam allowance as shown in the 5th diagram below. I found it helpful to press the fold seams down first for a crisp edge.

STEP FIVE: MAKING YOUR BOX CORNERS

I added box corners to my bag. If you would like to do this simply measure out 2" from the corner of the seam you just sewed with the bag flat. Now draw a line with your removable marker from one edge to the other and stitch down along this line. *See diagram below.

Trim your seam allowance and finish with a serger or zig zag stitch on your machine. Turn bag right side out and press your box corner crisp.

Repeat for your other corner.

STEP SIX: MAKING YOUR HANDLE

Cut your handle out of a coordinating piece of fabric or leather. Your handle should be 5.5"W x 3.5"H or your desired size.

Press a 1/4 fold down towards the wrong side of your fabric on both of your short ends. Top stitch along the inside edge of the fold.

Now with right sides facing each other fold your handle in half lengthwise. Sew along the long edge with a 1/4" seam allowance. Press the handle flat with your seam allowance in the center of the bottom of the handle. You will now have a little fabric tube.

STEP SEVEN: ATTACH HANDLE TO BAG

Attach a safety pin to one tip of your triangle. Pull it through your newly sewn fabric tube and then push it away down a bit from the end of the bag.

Sew the ends of your bag together by overlapping the tips just slightly. Sew back and forth a few times for stability. Now simply slide your accent handle (fabric tube) over top taking care that your seam is underneath.

NOTE: I wanted my accent handle to stay in place and not move so I attached my label to the top center of it which then sewed the accent handle to the bag.

Folded Triangle Fat quarter Bag Tutorial // VeryShannon.com #sewing #tutorial #origami #bento #bag

That's it! You're done!!! Now you have a fun new bag! These make great gifts! I hope you enjoy it!

Now who wants to win some fabric? Yay!

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS FOR YOUR ENTRIES!***

// THE PRIZE

One lucky winner will win a Fat Quarter Bundle of Arizona by April Rhodes for Art Gallery Fabrics Limited Edition!!

// HOW TO ENTER

Simply leave me a comment letting me know what you would make if you won a FQ Bundle of Arizona!

// THE RULES

You must leave a valid email address to be eligible to win or you will be disqualified. Giveaway is open until Sunday, May 18th, midnight, PST. Open to Canadian and US residents ONLY.