The fifteen-minute bag

For some time now, a German pharmacy chain has been selling cotton bags in ever-changing designs. Their shape is incredibly practical – not too large and not too small – but after just one wash the bags just don’t look as nice. So I decided to make a similar model from wax cloth:

To do this, I fold the lining fabric in half vertically and lay the bag on top, also folded in half vertically.

Next I cut the lining fabric twice, including a seam allowance…

… and then I do the same thing with the wax cloth. The rotary cutter and ruler make quick work of this.

For the handles, I use two 50 cm long pieces of cotton webbing (4 cm wide). I fold the webbing lengthwise in half in the middle section…

… and sew it together using a zigzag stitch:

Next I place one handle on the wax cloth…

… and then place the lining on top. To make sure nothing slips, I sew the edge together with the walking foot. This ensures that all the layers glide evenly through the sewing machine.

The other pieces are sewn together in the same way.
Now I open up both bag sections and place them together. Here’s the first one…

… then place the second one on top and sew them together all round the edge. Don’t forget to leave an opening in the lining to turn the bag:

Turn the bag, close up the opening…

… and then push the lining down into the bag. Now you can topstitch the upper edge however you like, or do what I’ve done and add a tassel and felt flower.