How to Make a LOAD Bag

Judith McIrvin    www.mcirvin.com

                                                 Make as many bags as you wish and have fun.  Please don’t sell this pattern - it's mine to give away.

                                                This quilted bag is sturdy and it carries quite a LOAD – but LOAD is an acronym for:  

                                                LO = leftover fabric or pieced fabric pieces; A = auditioned pieces you decided not to use in other quilts;

                                                D = deconstructed pieces that were once part of quilt you had planned but never finished.

This sample LOAD bag will be:  about 17” high, 23” wide.  The bag is easily adapted to smaller or larger sizes. 

This one is big enough for quilt shopping and airline travel.

Advantages of the bag:  1. Lightweight but strong, holds a lot.

2. Top opens wide and zips if you wish to make it that way so nothing falls out.

3. Washable - in the washing machine on delicate and dry on delicate or lay flat dry.

4. Can keep your feet warm on trips – if it isn’t too full of heavy items.

5. Uses up some of your UFOs or scraps so you don’t have to finish them or throw them away.

6. Looks like you spent hours designing it – (you can, but it will look nice if you don’t too).

Materials:

USE LEFTOVER FABRIC SCRAPS – PLEASE.

THIS SHOULD BE AN INEXPENSIVE PROJECT

You may need to purchase only a zipper and some thread – read on.

There are three main pattern pieces for the bag. 

This bag is made from two large quilted pieces for sides of bag.  

Two smaller quilted pieces for the top into which the zipper is sewn. 

Two long straps which are strongest if quilted too.

1.  Fabric for outside of bag:  Use some fabric scraps pieced together until you have

something slightly larger than the 23” length x 26” wide.  This will be trimmed slightly. 

This piece includes the bottom of the bag.  You’ll need two pieces this size, one for each side of the bag. 

No need to make them match - it’s more interesting if they don’t. 

If you use washable fabric, this bag washes well in your machine.

Include two dark scrap fabric pieces that are about 4” to 6” wide each at the bottom of your quilted pieces –

 if you wish – so the bottom of your bag will be more dirt resistant.  (See picture) 

The dark piece is included in the above measurement.  Corners will be cut out correctly later.

If you have a UFO big enough – use it!  If it is already quilted – great. 

Combine two UFOs to get two quilted pieces.

2. Fabric for “lining” – which is actually just the “inside of the quilt sandwich” -  find two pieces

of fabric for the inside of the bag – each at least 23” length x 26 wide – you may want them to match but

it isn’t necessary, they’ll be inside.  Dark scraps are recommended so the inside of the bag won’t look dirty

after you haul things around in it.  Skip this step if you are making your bag from already quilted pieces.

3. Fabric for outside of zipper pieces - gather two more fabric pieces at least 26” by 6”each for top of bag. 

They can be any color – but the bag requires less washing if you use dark fabric here too. 

You will be sewing your zipper into these two pieces after they are quilted.

4. Fabric for “inside” of the above zipper pieces or “lining” –  26” length x 6” width.

5. Fabric for handle or strap – dark fabric is good – two strips approx. 66 to 72” long (depending on your height) –

about 3 1/2 “ wide.  Try to find some long pieces of leftover fabric that has been saved from a quilt border or binding. 

These are best and strongest if not pieced and cut on the fabric grain.

6.  Batting:  Two pieces of batting - each 23” x 26” – thin is good; plus two small pieces of batting 26” x 6” for

inside of the zipper pieces; plus two long strips of batting -  approx. 66 to 72” long (or adjust to your height); 1 ¼ “ wide 

 (use the leftover end of batting you cut off a quilt) for the handles

7. Only if you wish: 140” of bias binding to finish the inside of your bag.  Narrow double fold black is fine –

or any color to match bag.  You don’t have to use bias binding to finish the inside – I prefer using a zigzag stitch

for the finish and it is more economical.

8. 20” zipper – strong, industrial strength is fine – but a regular zipper works too.  If you have a leftover zipper – use it.  I

f it’s too long – it can easily be cut off to fit.  If it is a “separating zipper” – sew the bottom shut before inserting into your bag.

9. Thread for sewing the bag and for quilting the bag.  Three large spools may be     required –

depending on how much quilting you want to put on your bag.  You can use thread that you don’t plan

to use on anything else.  If your bag is colorful – use several colors – it works fine.  Heavy quilting makes the bag quite strong.

10. Small basting pins and straight pins.

11. Sewing machine with a darning foot or free motion foot (if you want to free motion quilt) and a foot to sew straight seams. 

You will also need a zipper foot. 

How to Begin

                                              Cut out the pieced fabric using the pattern but – allow about one inch extra large all the way around to

                                              allow some room for shrinkage when it’s quilted.  You can make this bag with plain fabric rather than 

                                              pieced if you wish – or with only a little pieced fabric and some large scraps sewn around it.  Remember 

                                              that in addition to the quilting which will shrink the fabric size a bit - the bag’s “straps” are going to cover

                                              part of the quilted “design” on your fabric piece.   (Picture illustrates how the bottom of bag is dark and

                                              how much of the design is hidden by the straps.)

                                                                                                                   Place one of your pieced fabric pieces right side down on table,

                                                                                                                   then the batt, then inside bag fabric right side up. 

                                                                                                                    (In other words, make a quilt sandwich.)

                                                                                                                    Baste the three layers together with safety or quilting pins or use

                                                                                                                    spray basting glue if you wish.

                                                                                       Free motion or meander quilt on your quilt sandwich.  If you quilt from the back –

                                                                                       in other words – sewing with the inside fabric up – it may easier.  If you really want

                                                                                       to spend the time – mark a quilt pattern on the fabric – it will be inside the bag

                                                                                       when you’re finished.  It’s easiest to meander stitch or follow the outlines in your

                                                                                       fabric design.

Now cut the whole quilted sandwich to exactly fit the pattern piece you saw above.  Make sure

you don’t cut on the fold!  It should look like the picture to the right when you are finished.

Do it all again – you need two pieces the size of your pattern.

Create your handles or straps.  Cut long pieces of fabric – 66” to 72” long by 3 ½” wide (wrong side up);

fold the fabric in ¼” on each edge and press.  Place batting on one side of the wrong side of the fabric handle

pieces, tucked inside the ¼” edge, fold the other side of the fabric over the batting (1/4” pressed edge tucked

 inside), pin, and sew a topstitch/seam all the way down the length of the strap – sewing on the right side

(outside) of the fabric.  Now topstitch down the other side or left side of the strap.

Repeat the process from the beginning – make two of these very long handles.

Free motion quilt (or otherwise quilt) inside the narrow handle pieces to make them sturdy.

Pin and then TOPSTITCH the handles (sewing over the topstitch already stitched on them) onto the right side

of the quilted fabric pieces for the bag.  Caution - Stop sewing the handles approximately 1 inch below

the top of the bag.  This will give you room to put in a zipper if you wish and help the bag open wide.   

Adjust the length of the handles a little (cut them shorter), if you wish, before you sew them on. 

(This pattern was made for a 5’7” woman.)

Stitch together the side seams of bag. Either bind the side seams with double fold bias seam binding or zigzag the seams. 

(See illustration.) The bottom of the bag is still open at this point.

You can now choose to simply sew the zipper in by folding in the upper edges of the bag and sewing the zipper on each side. 

But…the bag will be nicer and open wider if you insert your zipper using two of the pattern pieces below. 

For first two pieces, put right sides of a dark fabric together and cut out above pattern piece.  Then put right

sides of the quilt lining fabric together and cut out above pattern piece again.  Make two quilt sandwiches

(using your four pieces) with right sides down on table, batting if you want some, then right sides up of lining fabric. 

(No batting is necessary but it’s a little sturdier with batting.)   Use a meander or other quilt stitch to quilt the

 “sandwiches” together.  When you finish, you should have two quilt sandwiches which match the above piece –

one the reverse of the other.  You are now going to insert a zipper to connect the two quilted pieces.

Insert zipper into shorter side of these two quilted pieces in whatever manner you prefer – making sure you

insert it with the zipper opening on the correct side of the pieces.

Suggested method:  close the zipper, baste the two above pieces together along the 5/8” seam allowance,

pin the closed zipper underneath the basted seam, baste in the zipper.  Then machine stitch each side of the

zipper using a zipper foot, remove basting.  Now stitch these two quilt sandwich pieces together at the short

ends (at each end of zipper).

With right sides of the fabric together, sew end seams of the zipper sandwiches (exactly as you would sew

the bag bottom corners together).  Unzip.

Sew the entire zipper piece onto the bag – right sides together (turning both inside out to sew together.)

matching handles.  Bind the bottom seam or finish with zigzag stitches.  Then fold the bottom corners of the

bag and sew the seams together.   Zigzag or bind the corner seams.   

ENJOY the bag!