$5 Friday - Quick Zip Lunch Bag
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Wow, Friday sure does come again so quickly. I hope you are enjoying the $5 Friday specials.
On my end it works out great because it gives me some structure, and one specific thing I can focus on for the week. Since the special isn't always my pattern or supply, getting it ready doesn't take ALL of my week, and I can still work on other things to keep it interesting. I like a lot of variety.
So speaking of "not my pattern" and "variety", this week the $5 Friday special is a pattern from Erin Erickson for this sweet little lunch bag!
This bag is adorable as a lunch bag and it turned out SO nice! It could also be made with less batting/insulation and used as a small purse, bag for a little girl, project tote, etc.
Erin is the author of the Two-Zip Hipster pattern and The Essential Wristlet and does an awesome job showing how to install zippers.
Her instructions are concise, easy-to-read, and she offers lots of big pictures. This pattern is 30-pages (22 instructions/8 pattern pieces). My color printer really goes through ink like mad and gets cantankerous if the ink levels get even the slightest bit low, so I printed only the pattern pieces. The large, clear pictures made it simple to just follow the instructions on my laptop screen.
The finished lunch bag opens up wide, sits up nicely on the wide base, and overall it just looks really professional. People will be impressed with your sewing skills!
It took me about 2 hours to make this bag. It is easy to put together, and Erin did something clever with the batting inside that I would not have thought to do! I would have done it the hard way, but now I know better.
The only variations I made were to skip some of the taping and cut the pieces on a fold, and I did NOT use my walking foot. It was just fine sewing without it. You have to sew through 2 layers of batting at times, but never all four.
Cutting on the fold is efficient for me. Since the pieces are half size, they are easy to cut out on my ironing board. I can do all the sewing prep right in one small area. Considering my ironing board is almost always half covered in other sewing stuff, it really is a tiny area! But it works and it's fast.
The habit I've gotten into is to cut the interfacing pieces (and any other fusible products) and batting pieces first. While I'm cutting those, I let the iron warm up. Then I press my lining and exterior fabrics and cut those pieces. Since the iron is ready to go I can immediately move on to applying the interfacing/fusible products.
This bag pattern is on sale for $5, but only through Monday morning.
It turned out so well I'm going to make another this weekend! Maybe you will find time to make one too, or get the pattern now and save it for later.
