BERNINA Corporate Blog -
The Origami Bag is a quick project to do in an hour or so. It’s such a simple pattern – there are no complicated instructions or technical assembly. Like origami, it just folds into shape to create a little cross the body bag just the right size for your phone and wallet. It’s a great way to use up scraps and I LOVE the way you can make a little matching bag with the off-cuts of your other sewing projects to complete your outfit!
The Origami Bag pattern is here for you to download.
The beauty of this pattern is that you can rescale it to any size. As it is here, the bag is 21cm at the base and 25cm high. However, if you alter the scale on the Print Dialogue box when you print it out, to say 200%, then your bag will work out bigger. At a larger size it would make a great chuck-it-all-in beach bag.
This yellow one on the left is made from a very gorgeous thick marled wool felt that I had in my stash (it’s actually a furnishing fabric from Camira) Because felt doesn’t fray, I’ve made the bag as a single “skin” with no lining. As you can imagine it only took a few minutes cutting and assembling. I’ve photographed it with my favourite silk scarf because they go together so beautifully.
I decided at at the last minute to add a little embellishment and went for a embroidery stitch along the length of the strap. I love this simple bauble design that echoes the little brass dots on the front of the bag – it’s design number 50 on my machine which is a Bernina 350 PE.
The blue one is slightly different. Denim frays and so this need to be double skinned. I’ve made it from two different shades of denim but it would look really sweet with a floral or spotted lining. As you’ll see on the pattern, the pink line is there if you want to add seam allowance for a double thickness bag. (For a single skin just use the the black cutting line.) You cut the pattern out in your two different fabrics and, with right sides together, sew your two fabrics together. Then turn inside out and press and fold in the same way as with the single skin.
To assemble your bag, use the fold lines that are marked on the pattern. The fabric just needs sewing with a few stitches by hand to hold it in place where the two pieces cross at the top (shown in pink on the image above). I’ve used some lovely brass embellishments that I cut off an old jacket to cover my stitches but an unusual button would be perfect too. You’ll need to catch it again at the bottom corner too (again marked in pink).
The tags at the top are to fold over and use for your curtain rings. As a strap cut a length of fabric 4 times the width you would like. Fold in inward from either side to meet in the middle and then fold in half. Sew along the length with a running or a decorative stitch.
And finally, as a third alternative, I’ve made an exotic looking evening version. This fabulous scrap of soft burgundy mohair is lined with some old sari fabric that picks up the colour in the flowers. For the strap I used the off-cuts of the yellow felt.
Sorry , aber das hat nicht geklappt und wird nie eine Tasche . Kann ich knicken wie ich will, Origami war auch nie mein Ding. Wie kommen die beiden leeren Blätter dazu ??
Liebe Angelika,
Vielleicht hilft dir das beim Falten der Tasche:
2. Klappe dann die obere Taschenhälfte auf die untere Taschenhälfte, aber so, dass die beiden oberen Spitzen nicht aufeinander liegen (gelber Umriss)
3. (Die gelbe Fläche ist die Aussenseite der oberen Taschenhälfte). Falte nun die Spitze des übrigen Dreiecks zwischen die beiden Dreiecke der oberen Taschenhälfte. So sind die Dreiecke ineinander gefaltet und müssen nur noch mit Knöpfen oder ein paar Stichen in der Mitte befestigt werden.
Mir hat es geholfen, den Umriss des Schnittmuster auf ein kleines Papier zu zeichnen, und damit das Falten der Tasche erst auszuprobieren. Die beiden leeren Blätter kannst du ignorieren. Diese entstanden beim aufteilen des Schnittmusters auf mehrere Seiten, weil oben rechts und unten links beim Schnittmuster soviel Leerraum ist (siehe unteres Bild mit orangen Vierecken an den Stellen der leeren Blätter). Ich hoffe, die Erklärung konnte dir helfen!
Thanks – can you please show a picture of what it looks like inside the bag or when the bag is opened up a bit? Thanks
Dear Mark,
Maybe a reader will be able to help you who has already made this bag, but since this article is from 2017 and the author is no longer active, I doubt she will be able to send you a picture. But the Origami bag is made all over the world, and maybe you can find a picture of the inside on another website!
Kind regards, Ramona
Love the sophisticated look. Have downloaded pattern but have two blank sheets with no diagrams to reproduce. Can you help please Could not understand why I could reproduce pattern shape Now I know. Incidentally I love my Bernina sewing machine.
Dear Mary,
I am very happy to hear that you love your BERNINA sewing machine so much!
Regarding the two blank sheets: This is normal and you can ignore these two pages. The program which generates the pattern file needs to seperate the pattern onto several pages, and sometimes the empty space around a pattern will result in empty sheets, as demonstrated in this picture:
As long as you can piece together the other pages and get the same shape, you are ready to go!
Happy sewing,
Ramona from BERNINA International
Thank you so much for your help. I have some lovely boiled wool I’m itching to have a go. Thanks again. Happy sewing Mary
My pleasure 🙂
Sewing instructions for Origami bag please
Dear Sudha,
Click on the red highlighted words to download it in the title after the first picture. If you look at my comment further below, I show a picture where to find the pattern for this bag 🙂
If you are not looking for the pattern, but for more detailed instructions then the ones in the post, then you might want to google it. It is a known pattern and a lot of different sewist show on their own websites and blogs how to sew it.
Happy sewing!
Best regards, Ramona from BERNINA International
Please tell us the order in which the folds are made. I have tried Googling with no success. Lots or “origami bags” but all slightly different, and none of which start from this shape.
Hi Shirley,
In the template, you will find blue lines indicating the folding line. I tried it out and started folding at the bottom right corner as shown in this picture:
Hope that helps! Best wishes, Darija from BERNINA International
I like the look of the bag. I am looking forward with enthusiasom.please rush me the pattern. Thank you.
Dear Samirah,
I am happy to hear you are so excited to make this bag! You can find the pattern when clicking on the red words in this title:
Happy sewing!
Hello. I love this little bag. I am working on a scrap version to be sure I can do it nicely. I am using a medium weight cotton and a medium weight cotton as a linerIs it a bit asymmetrical as a finished bag or is that just me?
thanks
at what degree are you angles?
I am not understanding the directions very well. Is there a bottom seam to sew??
Try making a little paper cutout and folding. The only place I stitched, by hand, was the angles that to handles, just because I carry lots of little gizmos in my bag.