Sew a Bag to Keep Your Yoga Bag Clean
When I first started yoga I had a yoga mat I could roll up and toss in the car. Then I got a new yoga mat which was plusher and prettier . . . But I noticed that the better material picks up dirt easier. So I decided to sew a custom yoga mat bag for it to keep it clean in the car.
Looking online I saw a few patterns. Some had three seams to make a big bag, but that seemed too basic. Some were shaped more like a roll with a round bottom, but I am not a big fan of sewing on a curve if I don’t have to. So I came up with my own design. The design is similar to the square-bottom shopping totes that a lot of crafters make.
It is pretty easy and you can adjust it. The instructions are for a lined yoga mat bag, but if you used thicker material you would not have to line it. To make the bag just line mine, you will need material 45 inches by 36 inches for the lining and 45 by 40 for the bag fabric plus matching thread.
1. Measure. Roll up your yoga mat and measure how big you need to make your bag. My mat is pretty standard and I started with material 45 inches by 36 inches for the lining and 45 by 40 for the bag fabric. You may need to adjust if your mat is not standard.
2. Cut material for handle. Cut a strip 45 inches by 6 inches.
3. Fold the handle in half, right sides together and iron to get it even.
4. Fold 1/4 inch on the ends and iron.
5. Stitch the handle the long way.
6. Flip the handle inside out by attaching a safety pin to one end and pushing the material up the tube. Then iron.
7. Tuck the ends of handle inside. Set aside.
8. Make the tie and the drawstring. Use the same steps you just used to make the handle. The tie is the same 6 x 45 inch as the handle, only cut from the bag fabric. The drawstring is 4 x 45 inches and cut from the extra bag fabric. Set aside.
8. Fold the large piece of material for the lining of the bag right sides together, pin.
9. Stitch seam on side of yoga bag lining.
10. Fold down and iron 1/4 inch on the top edge.
11. Sew the bottom edge.
12. Make corner gussets by reaching your hand in one corner of the bag and flattening it in the opposite direction. Now fold it so you form a triangle. You are going to sew across the triangle to create the corner. Making a corner gusset is not hard to do, but is a bit hard to explain. Another blogger has a good description of making a corner gusset if you need more help visualizing it.
11. Sew across to form the corner.
12. Repeat above steps to make the bag itself. On the outer bag you can make “edges” by sewing along the fold lines. This makes the bag appear as if it has four side seams and makes it boxier.
13. Make a deep hem on top of bag to form casing. Set aside the lining and now work on the bag itself. To determine the depth of the hem you want, first roll up the yoga mat, and put it inside the bag to measure, then remove. You are going to want about 10 inches of material above the bag after the hem. My deep hem was about 6 inches. So I stitched about 6 inches down to sew down the edge, then stitched again about 1.5 inches up from that. This forms the casing for the drawstring.
14. Make an opening in the side seam in between these two rows so you can insert the drawstring. The easiest way to insert the drawstring is to put a safety pin on the end and push it through. Once it is through you can hand sew the ends of the drawstring together if you like so that it is a big loop and can’t fall out.
13. Attach the lining. Put the lining inside the bag, wrong sides together, matching the seam at bottom and on edge. Pull the top on the lining up and over the bag so that when folded down it would form a hems that ends just above where the drawstring casing begins. Pin and then in place baste by hand.
14. Sew down lining at top. Fold over top of lining and stitch in place, but leave a couple inches open at the seam (so you have a place to insert one end of the strap.)
15. Attach strap. One end goes under the contrasting hem on top you just made. The other end goes at the bottom of the bag. I had mine go across the bottom of the bag and I stitched it in two places as shown in picture.
16. Use the tie to secure your rolled up mat.
17. Enjoy your new yoga mat bag!
The yoga mat bag would be a great gift for a someone who loves yoga. Let me know if you find the yoga mat bag tutorial helpful.
Need help choosing a yoga mat? Read my ehow article on how to pick the perfect yoga mat for you.
After yoga, enjoy a pomegranate smoothie. Here’s my recipe.
If you need relaxing yoga music for home, please check out the reviews for the cd “Cave of the Siddhars
Other craft posts:
How to Make a Prize-Winning Scarecrow
How to Make a Tassel
How to Make Bookmarks from a Photo
How to Make Designer Baby Burp Cloths Using Ribbon