The baby years are way behind me, my daughter is 10 and my son is 12 years old already, but I do remember the days when I packed a lot of (too much!) stuff when I left the house with one of my cute little pink bundles of joy. My sister made me a big nursery bag– one that could be hung on a stroller. But after a while, I needed a smaller bag for quick walks, little errands, or visits with friends. That is where this little diaper bag made its entrance. It is an easy make, and it was an instant hit. I remember I used a free tutorial from 2009 on the Madame Zsazsa blog, so the idea is all hers (link at the end of this article). I used this diaper bag all the time when my children wore diapers. I also made a lot of friends happy with this diy gift. You can just put it in your shoulder bag, or in the tray of the stroller, or even in that big nursery bag as an extra organizer. It can hold 2 spare diapers and a package of wet wipes. Less is more!

You don't need a lot of material and it is a fast and beginner proof project. Even adding the bias tape is easy in this project because there are just 4 straight pieces to attach. No difficult curves or corners. You can also use this organizer to hold envelopes, letters, invoices or ..? Can you think of other uses?

• • • 2 pieces of fabric 10 x 20 ½ inch. You can use oil cloth, a firm cotton, some canvas, or a combination of these. If your fabric is a bit floppy you can opt to stiffen it a little by adding some interfacing.

• • • 48 inches of bias tape (2 x 10 inch + 2 x 20 ½ inch). Make the tape yourself with a bias tape maker or get store bought tape.

1. Cut out the pieces of fabric and the 4 strips of bias tape. The orange fabric is my lining. The black raccoon fabric is the outer fabric. It is from Birch Fabrics.

If you want to make bias tape yourself, check out this tutorial:

2. Apply a couple of markings on one of the fabric pieces:

• • • • 1 fold line, left, at 3 1/2 inch from the 10 inch edge (The shorter side), on the right side of the lining (by “right” side, I mean the side that will be showing when the bag is finished).
      • 1 fold line, right, at 4 1/2 inch from the 10 inch edge, on the right side of the lining.

• • • • Next, mark the position of the 2 velcro pieces on the right side of the outer fabric for the bag closure:
        
        • 2 inch from the bottom 10 inch edge, centered
        • 1 inch from the top 10 inch edge, centered

3. Attach the 2 velcro pieces on the outer fabric in the designated spots (1 and 2 inch from the edge). I sewed a little cross over the 2 adhesive velcro tabs I used to make sure they won’t come off easily.

4. Put the 2 fabric pieces (outer fabric and lining) on top of each other, wrong sides facing each other, the right sides should be facing you. Attach a piece of bias tape each short side (10 inch), grabbing the 2 layers.

I use 2 rows of stitches to attach the tape (but you can also attach the bias tape at once with the adjustable bias binder foot). Pin one side of the bias tape, right sides facing to the lining (for me, that is the orange side) at the edge of the 2 layers. Stitch down. Next, I always trim the seam allowance a little to make sure that the raw edge fits inside the bias tape. Fold the bias tape over and turn in the edge. You need to make sure to cover your first line of stitching completely. Pin the bias tape down (I like to use clips for this part). Topstitch on the side that is not attached yet– on the outer fabric. Use thread that matches the bias tape color.

5. Fold the fabric on the markings that you made in step 2. The outer fabric facing outward. Pin down. Now attach bias tape on the long ends, grabbing the 4 layers where the fabric is folded. Use the same steps as in 4 to sew the bias tape. Fold over the ends of the bias tape a little before you top stitch them down so you get a nice finishing.

That's it!

If anything is unclear, don’t hesitate to ask an@madamsew.com or leave a comment below!

An
Sewing, blogging and vlogging for MadamSew
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Download the Diaper Organizer Bag tutorial HERE

Madame Zsazsa Diaper Bag Blog HERE