Crazy bag Tutorial

I designed this little bag a few years ago. For a class I was teaching in Tennant Creek, on crazy patchwork. I miss my Tennant Creek Crafty friends we used to have such fun, inspiring, sharing and helping each other develop our crafts. My friend, Nancy, fell in love with this little bag and made a few for her friends and family for xmas.

This is a great way to use up those scraps you just can't bear to throw out. It's a nice introduction to crazy patch. too

This bag isn't very big, a nice size for a small wallet and a mobile phome. After making my little one you may like to experiment making a bigger one.

Materials:
Lots of scraps - For beginners a single colour works best - Monochromatic
Lining fabric - a fat quarter will do
a piece of calico or any woven cotton to use as the base for the crazy patch
thread and sewing machine.

Cutting
From the lining fabric cut-
2 drawstrings 22inches by 1 and 1/4 inches
1 bag lining 15 1/2 inches by 9 1/2 inches
2 casings 1 1/2 inches by 6 inches
From the Calico-
1 crazy patch base of 15 1/2 inches by 9 1/2 inches
From the scraps-
2 drawstring tags 1 and 1/2 inches by 3 inches

My pieces ready to go

A pile of scraps - cut offs from a lone star quilt I'm making.

Place a scrap into the center of your crazy patch base piece.

Stitch another scrap to the side of the first piece. Sew it down and flip it.
Press as you go. This is important as it keeps your seams nice and crisp and your piece flat.

Add another piece.
I tend to work around the center.
You can piece scraps together and then treat them as one piece to add to you crazy patch.

Continue sewing, flipping and pressing until you have covered your base.
If you have a fancy machine with decorative stitches, and you want to play, you can embellish the crazy patch along each of the seam lines with the decorative stitching.
I didn't do this today, but it does add a special touch to your bag.

Make the casing for your drawstring.
Fold in the short ends and stitch them down.
Now fold over the long sides 1/4 inch and give them a good press to keep them folded.

Place and sew the casings onto your crazy patch.
I mark the center top with a pin to help me place the casings
You want them 2 inches from the top and 1 inch from the center.
Stitch the casings onto the bag along the top and bottom edges.. not along the ends or you won't be able to thread your drawstrings!

Sew your bag lining to the the crazy patch.
Place right sides together and stitch with a 1/4 inch seam along the top edge.

Fold you bag into half lengthwise
Sew around the edges leaving a 3 inch gap in the lining for turning the bag.

To make a base for your bag.
Pinch out the base seam of the crazy patch.
Sew a triangle at each end about 1 inch in from the ends.
I don't bother doing the lining as you don't see it and I'm lazy.

Turn the bag out through the hole you left in the lining.

Next you need to sew up the hole you turned the bag through
I did it on the machine, by folding in the seam allowance and edge stitching it closed.

Push the lining into the bag and top stitch around the top to keep the lining in place.

Make the drawstrings -
Fold the two edges into the middle and press with the iron
Fold over again and stitch along the open edge.

Thread the drawstrings through the casings.
I use a safety pin to thread the drawstrings.
Thread one from each side.

Make the tags for the end of the drawstrings
take the 1 1/2 inch by 3 inch scraps
Fold them down in half
stitch along the sides
turn them out

Tuck in a 1/4 inch of the tag to hide the raw edge.
insert the ends of the drawstring into the tag
and top stitch the edge catching the drawstring ends.
Do this for both drawstrings.

And You're finished!