*UPDATED* HOW TO MAKE QUILTED TOILETRY BAGS! | Rosie Caldwell

Today I'm sharing an updated version of my original toiletry bag pattern. This was the first sewing pattern I released two years ago and it's proved very popular so I thought it was time to update it. So what's new? To start there's a new easier construction method especially for the boxy bag, they've been designed to work with standard zips and I've also added internal pockets. There are still three different shapes, the toiletry bag, tall toiletry bag and boxy toiletry bag. The new pattern will be linked down below so I'm going to get on and show you exactly how to make these quilted toiletry bags. So the first step is to print the pattern, there are instructions in the instruction booklet for how to do this. You can either print it at home on A4 or US letter paper or you can have it sent off to your local printers to have it printed on a larger scale. Just make sure whichever one you're doing you're printing it at 100% scale. If you are printing on A4 or US letter paper you'll have to trim down some of the edges so that you can match up the registration marks. I use a glue stick to stick the pages together first and then I go in and add some clear parcel tape just to hold all the pages together. I'm going to start out by showing you how to make the toiletry bag and the tall toiletry bag, they both have the same construction method. If you want to skip this and see how to make the boxy toiletry bag then I will leave a time stamp in the description down below. So we're going to start out by cutting our outer and wadding fabric around two to three centimetres or an inch larger than the paper pattern. We leave this extra space because when you quilt your design it shrinks all of the fabric down a little bit. I like to use a fusible wadding and I fuse that to the back of my outer fabric. Then we're going to stitch our quilted design joining your outer and wadding fabric together. I use a mid to long length stitch for this, it's setting four on my sewing machine and here I'm just stitching vertical parallel lines with a distance of two centimetres between each line. Once you've finished all of your quilting take it over to your iron and give it a good press and then we can place paper pattern pieces back on top, pin them into place and cut around. If you want to add a label onto the front of your bag this is the perfect time to do that. But if you haven't done so already go ahead and cut out the remaining pattern pieces and then we can move on to making the pocket. So you want to grab your pocket piece and we're going to start by folding the top over by one centimetre, press that flat and then fold it by another one centimetre and press it again. Then we're going to edge stitch along that fold then take it back over to the ironing board and we're going to press the sides and the bottom up into the pocket. I'm using a little ruler that you can iron on top of which is quite useful but also sometimes I find it easier just to do this bit by eye. You can get them in sewing supply shops or on Amazon, eBay. Then your pocket is ready to be stitched onto one of your lining pieces, so the pocket placement is shown on the pattern piece so just copy where that placement is, pin on the pocket and we're going to draw a centre line so that we can have two little compartments in the pocket. I'm going to edge stitch the pocket onto the lining and then once we've gone all the way around the sides and the bottom we're going to follow that same stitch path but 0.5 centimetres away from it and then you can go and stitch down that centre line of the pocket to create two small pocket compartments. Once you've made one pocket you can then go and do exactly the same for your other lining and pocket piece. Now we need to find the zip end cover and we're going to fold it in half right sides facing and we're going to place the closed end of the zip inside the zip cover with the end of the zip meeting the centre fold. Take it over to your sewing machine and we're going to need to change the foot to be a zip foot and we're going to stitch down across the zip as close as you can get to that last zip tooth. Once you've stitched that on give it a press so that the zip cover is facing away from the zip and we're going to measure one inch from the stitch line of the zip end cover. Trim any excess off the end and we're going to match the width of the zip end cover to the width of the zip. Now the zip is all ready to go we can one of our quilted outer pieces and we can flip the zip over so that the good side of the zip is facing the good side of the quilted section and we want to make sure the corner of that zip end cover is at the corner of the top of the bag. Starting at that zip end cover I add a few pins across the zip then I find one of my lining pieces and place that good sides facing the quilted section and pin that along the top with the zip sandwiched in the middle. So once you're at your sewing machine we start by stitching on that zip end cover and we're stitching along with a 0.5 centimetre seam allowance then once we reach the top of the zip we're going to place our needle down lift the foot up and open up the zip. We're then going to take note of where the last zip tooth is and we're going to stitch up into that point and then place the needle down into the fabric. Lift up the top piece of fabric and we're going to pull that zip end out of the bag so we're pulling it out at a 90 degree angle and then you can place the foot back down and we just carry on stitching on top of that. You can add another row of stitches along where you pulled the zip end into the seam allowance just to strengthen it. Then we're going to do the same to the other quilted and lining piece making sure they both match up in the corner with that zip end cover. Pin all the way along and stitch the zip on with 0.5 centimetre seam allowance. Once you've attached both sides of the zip we're then going to do some top stitching on top of that quilted section close to the zip. So to do that we're going to fold the lining away from the zip and the quilted piece is going to be sitting flat and we're going to have the seam allowance that we just created from that seam sitting underneath the quilted section and you just want to edge stitch along the quilted fabric close to the zip catching that seam allowance underneath. Then just repeat the same for the other side. Once you've finished that top stitching you can take it over to the ironing board you can press the lining away from the zip. Then before we do the next step you need to make sure you open the zip just over halfway and then we're going to place both the quilted pieces good sides facing and the lining pieces good sides facing too and we're going to start by pinning the corner where the zip ends. When you're pinning by the zip end cover make sure the cover is sitting into the lining then I like to just stitch that corner and check it's sitting right and then I will go and do the same to the other corner and then I can go ahead and pin everything else into place so good size of quilted and good size of lining together and then we're going to stitch all the way around the edge but we're going to leave a gap of about 12 centimetres at the bottom of the bag and we're going to use this hole to turn the bag through at the end so very important that you leave a hole in the lining so then take that over to your sewing machine and we're just going to stitch all the way around with the usual one centimetre seam allowance. Now we're going to make the boxy part of the base of the bag so to do that find your corner and then we're going to pull the fabric like this so that it's sitting flat and the side and bottom seam should be sitting parallel to each other. I find it's best if you open up the seam allowance and stick a pin through the seam that you can see and see if it comes out in the centre of that seam on the other side then we're going to measure five centimetres or two inches from the bottom corner straight up the side seam mark where this measurement is and then we're going to draw a line at a right angle across that seam and this is where we're going to be stitching. Once you've done that corner you can go and repeat it to the other three corners doing exactly the same as you are on the outer as you do for the lining. Before we turn the bag through we're just going to cut some of that bulk off from the seam allowance where the zip is in the centre so just trim it down to about a 0.5 centimetre seam allowance. Make sure you're not cutting into any of the stitches because those are some very important stitches. While you're here if your stitches don't look very tight on this section then I'd add a few more reinforcement stitches by the zip. Then you can find the hole in the lining and pull the bag through. Check that all of the corners are looking even and then we can pull the lining out of the bag find that hole and pin it shut and then we can go and just edge stitch along there closing up the hole. Then just place the lining back inside of the bag and really go in and make sure you've pulled out that corner where the zip end cover is. So nearly finished the next step is optional if you'd like to add a zip pull you just simply iron it in half then iron the long edges over to meet into the centre then fold all of those edges on top of each other. Take it over to your sewing machine edge stitch down that fold give it another press and then you can tie it onto your bag. I trim off the ends to neaten it up and then I add a little bit of clear nail varnish just to stop it from fraying. And there we have the finished bag and it's exactly the same method for making the tall toiletry bag. Here they are together for size comparison and now I'm going to show you how to make the boxy bag. These next few instructions are going to show you how to make the boxy bag. In the first step you want to cut your outer fabric and wadding around two to three centimetres or an inch larger than the paper pattern piece. I use a fusible wadding which is really helpful because you don't really have to pin it before you stitch on top of it. I've cut the fabric larger than the paper pattern piece because when you quilt in the next step it shrinks the fabric a little bit so we don't want the pattern to shrink and then the zip to not fit. The next step is to stitch your quilted design. You can trace a design you want on top of your fabric with tailor's chalk or an erasable pen. I use a pencil just to create my starting line and then my sewing machine I have an attachment for the foot where I can use the last stitch line as a guide. The design I've stitched for this one is just parallel lines two centimetres away from each other. This part is personal preference so just use whichever stitch design you prefer. Once you finish your quilting make sure you give it a good press and then we can take it back over to the table and place our paper pattern piece back on top. Because I've used straight stitch lines I wanted to make sure that they were sitting really straight on my pattern so I just folded it in half and then I could line up the top of the stitch line and the bottom of the stitch line. Pin the pattern piece back on top, cut around it and we will have our two quilted pieces ready to go. When you put your paper pattern piece back on top make sure you take note of where it says top of bag at the top in case your fabric has a specific pattern orientation. Then if you want to add a label to your bag then I would add it now. When I stitch my label on I like to leave the thread ends nice and long and then I can thread them through into the back of the bag and tie them in a knot. I find this is quite good at preventing the label from falling off because sometimes backstitching just doesn't cut it. Then you can go and cut out your remaining pattern pieces in your outer and lining fabrics. And now we can move on to constructing the pockets. So take one pocket and fold the top over towards the wrong side of the fabric by one centimetre and press that flat. Then we're going to fold it over by another one centimetre and give it another press. At the bottom of the pocket we're going to press that up towards the wrong side of the fabric by one centimetre and press that flat. Then take that over to your sewing machine and we're going to stitch along the folded top edge. And now we can add the pockets to the lining pieces. So make sure you take note of the top of the bag. The top is a little bit narrower than the bottom of the bag. There's a placement guide for the pocket on the paper pattern piece and then you just want to pin the pocket into place and we're also going to find the centre stitch line for the pocket. Then we're going to edge stitch all the way around the sides and the bottom of the pocket. You can also add another stitch line across the bottom if you want to encase the raw seam but you won't really see it. And then go ahead and add that centre stitch line. Give it a good press and then your lining pieces are ready for the next step. Before we attach the pieces together we need to get the zip ready. So to do that you want to find your zip end cover and we're going to place the zip inside the zip cover. So the good sides of the zip cover are facing each other and we're going to pin it on the end and stitch as close as you can to the end of that zip. This is where you'll need to change your sewing machine foot to be a zip foot. So just stitch across the zip end cover as close as you can to that last zip tooth and then we're going to take it over to the iron and give it a little press to hold it away from the zip. Then we need to measure 2.5 centimetres or one inch from the stitched line of the zip end cover and we're going to trim away any excess fabric that we might have on the sides to match up the width of the zip. Now the zip is ready we can place it good sides facing the good side of the quilted section and we're going to line up that zip end cover in the top right corner. Then find your lining piece, make sure you've got the top of the bag at the top of the bag and just place that good sides facing and again pin all the way along the top sandwiching that zip in between the lining and the outer. Taking it over to the sewing machine we're just going to stitch that on with a 0.5 centimetre seam allowance. Once you reach the zip pull you'll have to put the needle down into the fabric, lift up your foot, open up the zip and then carry on to the end. Once you've stitched one side of the zip on we can then go and add the other side of the bag, so just place the top of the bag in that next quilted section on top of the zip good sides facing and then we can also add the other lining piece with good sides facing on top of the other end of the zip. Pin that into place and then stitch along there with a 0.5 centimetre seam allowance. We're going to top stitch along the zip now, so to do that we want to fold the outer quilted side away from the zip and the lining to the other side but we're going to keep the seam allowance under the quilted side as we top stitch along the quilted fabric. I do this as close as I can to the zip using the inside of my machine foot and I'm just making sure I catch that seam allowance underneath. Once you've finished your top stitching you can press the outer and lining both away from the zip. Now we need to create the zip tabs that are going to go either end of the zip. To do this we start by folding the wrong sides together lengthways and pressing a centre crease, then unfold it and then fold the long edges in to meet that centre crease. Once they've both been folded into the middle you can fold them on top of each other and give a final press. Then take it over to your sewing machine, edge stitch along the open side and finish with a press. We're going to measure and cut two lengths of 7.5 centimetres or three inches from that zip tab we just made and we're going to fold both of those in half and place them at either end of the zip. I like to use clip pins to hold them into place and then I just stitch them down with a 0.5 centimetre seam allowance just to hold them into place. Now you need to make sure you open up the zip just over halfway so that we can pull the bag through it at the end. Then we're going to place the quilted pieces together right sides facing and pin along the bottom seam and we're going to do the same for both of the lining pieces. Once you've pinned that into place we're going to stitch all the way along the bottom of the quilted pieces and then when we're stitching along the bottom of the lining we need to leave a gap of around 12 centimetres or five inches in the centre of the seam and this is what we're going to be using to pull the bag through later. You can then press open the bottom seam and the outer and the lining. You don't have to do this but it makes it look a bit neater at the end and it just makes everything a little bit easier. Now we've reached the tricky steps so we're going to open up the lining and the outer so that it's sitting in half so that bottom seam we just created that's now going to sit in the middle. So we're just flattening the lining and the outer and they're going to sit on top of each other so those centre bottom seams should be meeting up with the centre of the zip. We're going to pin those sides together and just stitch with our usual one centimetre seam allowance. I often go in and add a few more stitches over the zip tab because that area can be a bit bulky so it's good to have it really secured into place. The bag should be looking like this and now we're going to find one of the open corners from the quilted pieces and we're going to open those corners out so that right angle there that's going to be pulled out and it's going to sit flat so that seam we just created is now going to sit in the middle of this next seam. It can be a lot easier if you pin as you go holding the seam into place. Then you want to find the same corner but in your lining piece you're going to open that out and you're going to manipulate it to be sitting on top of that seam on top of the quilted section. Pin that into place, this is what it should be looking like with the two layers on top of each other and we're just going to take that over to the sewing machine and stitch down with one centimetre seam allowance. That's one box corner done and now you need to find your other three corners and do exactly the same to them. This is a very fiddly step so just take your time, re-watch these little bits of how I'm constructing it and hopefully it will click and you just want to repeat that until you've done that all four Once you've finished those corners you'll probably be looking at it going what this doesn't look like a bag but you just want to find that hole that you left in the bottom seam of the lining and pull the bag through and push out all those corners, check that you've caught everything in the seam and then we're going to find that hole in the lining, pin it so that it's sitting shut and we're just going to edge stitch along that open hole. That's the main body of the bag done and then I go and add a zip pull, so to do that I just iron it in half, open it up and fold those long edges in to meet the centre. I then fold both of the long edges on top of each other and edge stitch down the open fold, give it a good press and then we can tie it through the end of the zip pull, some zips don't have room to fit the pull through the end of the zip so you could use something else just a pre-made trim or a little bit of I don't know twine maybe or you can leave it without a zip pull but it does add a nice little touch so I tie mine in a knot around the end, chop off the ends and seal them with some fray stop or here I'm just using clear nail varnish. And there we have a finished boxy toiletry bag, I'd love to know what you guys think of this construction method, I love how neat and simple it is once you get the hang of it and the pockets are super handy inside the bag, the pattern is linked down below in the description, you can check out my design Instagram if you want to see some more images of the bags made up, I really hope you guys are having a great day and I will see you in my next video.