Bags, Uncategorized

Camp Stitchalot Bag

 

I’m very excited to introduce a new bag sewing pattern, the Camp Stitchalot Bag! This pdf pattern is now available in my pattern shop (also available on paper)!

This large bag has a specific purpose: toting all of your crafting or sewing supplies with you wherever you go! Although it would also be perfect for an art student, I designed this with the sewing retreat in mind. My friend, Brenda, from Pink Castle Fabrics, holds weekend sewing retreats several times a year called Camp Stitchalot, and this bag was named for her. There are outer pockets for a 12” x 18” cutting mat, books or magazines, and quilt rulers. The front pocket features a pretty flap and optional decorative button. To get to all of your other crafting supplies, the bag opens up completely flat. There are 4 inner zippered pockets, made from clear vinyl, which can be customized to fit smaller sections of supplies, just by topstitching the vinyl. All-in-all, this is a fabulous bag with so many possibilities!

Finished Size: 20” long x 14” tall
Because of all of the layers to sew through (vinyl pockets, etc.) I do not recommend using very thick fabrics for this project (tapestry, etc.)
Supplies
1-1/2 yards of Exterior Fabric
1 yard fabric for back pockets
1-1/2 yards of Lining Fabric
Note: There are 3 pockets on the back of the bag, and 2 of them are mostly hidden (because of the first pocket); you may decide to use a less-loved fabric for 2 of the 3 back pockets.
3 yards of 20” wide Pellon® SF-101 Shape Flex® fusible woven interfacing (or light-weight fusible interfacing)
3/4 yard of By Annie’s Soft and Stable™, available at local quilt shops or on-line
(Soft and Stable is a 1/8” thick, foam sew-in interfacing; one of my testers also recommends automotive headliner fabric in place of the Soft and Stable; you can also substitute a needled fleece fusible interfacing for the Soft and Stable, such as Pellon #TP971F Thermolam Plus fusible interfacing; also, fusible fleece or batting will work as well)
3/4 yard of Pellon Peltex #70 sew-in interfacing (or other extra-firm sew-in interfacing)
1-1/2 yards of 54” wide clear vinyl (I used 8 gauge/0.5mm, but choose according to your preference)
Four 18” regular zippers
One 1/2” magnetic snap for the large exterior flap
Three 1/2” magnetic snaps OR 2” x 5” strip of hook and loop (Velcro) – to secure Small Flap to exterior of bag
2 packages of (3 yard) double-fold bias tape (minimum 1/2” wide) – If you are more comfortable, feel free to use a wider bias tape, some of my pattern testers recommend it a bit easier to sew with.

Optional: denim needle web1

web4
As usual, I have a lot of talented pattern testers helping me out through this process! I’m pleased to show you the bags that they have made!
Katie from There and Back made this beautiful fabric with patchwork text fabric. Instead of the flap, she added this really intricate and beautiful applique using Tula Pink Meteors fabric. I think the color of the applique is really stunning against the black and white; fantastic idea Katie!!
Lisa of Sixmunchkin Stitching made this awesome bag (and I hope she doesn’t mind me showing the inside of hers!), but I totally adore the lining fabric…seriously. It’s awesome, and I thought this was a great shot of how good her vinyl pockets look on the inside. Great work Lisa!!
Cindy of Raspberry Sunshine made this pretty blue floral bag. Cindy always does fantastic work, and she is kind of a bag pro herself, so you should check out her site for more of her bag-making adventures!
Aylin of ayliN-Nilya made this awesome version in Echino and Anna Maria Horner linen. She had a little sewing weekend with friends to test this bag, and you can read more about their adventures here. If you visit that link, you’ll also see photos of the inside of her bag; she’s used garden plastic in place of the vinyl, and I’m sort of completely jealous how the inside of her bag looks, because it’s awesome (and perfect for the color of her bag).
Allegory of A Thousand Needles made this great bag to hold all of her art supplies. Can you see all the pencils that she pieced on the front pocket? A-MAZE-ING! Looks like a ton of thought and time went into her bag, and it definitely shows, because it’s gorgeous!!
Maria from Beautiful Blooms made this bag with a totally cute Alexander Henry fabric. She said that after she finished her bag, both of her daughters requested artist portfolios. Wonderful workmanship on this bag, and really great fussy cutting on the flap too!
Laura made this awesome bag, and I feel like I always have to stop a minute when I see that someone has made a bag in polka dot print, because I love it so much; there’s even a pink houndstooth! Very pretty and precise, great job Laura!
Kelie from Craft Nurse Quilt made this amazing patchwork bag with the text fabric as the main print! I think it is absolutely stunning!!!
Mims made this bag in a great textured fabric, with a decorative snap on her flap. I think it’s gorgeous like this, especially with the yellow trim, and shows that this bag would be great for a creative female or male!
Tracy from I’ve Got A Notion made her bag with awesome improv patchwork inside and out! You can tell that she definitely spent a lot of time on her bag! For her vinyl pockets, she actually used a table top protector, which is a pretty genius idea. And she also assembled her photos in this fun collage…gold star for Tracy and wonderful job!!
Chloe made this beautiful bag with pretty tree fabric and an awesome pink and white fabric for her homemade bias tape. I love this bag, and I thought it was cute that Chloe said she couldn’t decide what to put in it because she didn’t want to ‘spoil’ it. lol!!
Melissa made this soft floral bag using Sandi Henderson fabrics, and it’s gorgeous, like a summer day and rainbow sherbet! Melissa recommends not using thicker than 8 gauge (or 0.5mm) vinyl for your interior pockets, as she tried 10 gauge and thought most machines would not be able to handle that thickness. Thanks for your beautiful work, Melissa!
Molly made her bag in a beautiful black and white print (those swirls make me want to free motion quilt, if I was any good at it, of course, ha). Love this bag, and I thought it was also amusing that this is a tree on tree photo. 🙂
Liz from Moments…. made this awesome bag, and I like that she added solid piping to the top of her pockets, which you can see from this photo! Liz has tested other bags for me, made in this fabric, so now she’s got a whole set of functional weekend/quilting travel bags! That is so fantastic, I have no words!
Marta made her beautiful bag using fabrics from Ikea. She also mentioned that instead of the Soft and Stable, she used Dracalon, which is a thicker batting. Lovely bag Marta!
Nancy made this cute bag in sewing-related fabrics (sewing machine, buttons, and measuring tape). She told me repeatedly that her mom chose the fabrics for the bag, and I had to laugh at that, but seriously, this bag is very cute! And appropriate! Wonderful job Nancy!!
Rebecca of Nomadic Sewist made her beautiful version in ‘Frippery’ fabric by Thomas Knauer. That flap is a darn perfect fussy cut, and I like how the white binding on the sides makes her bag look so neat and trim! Great job!
Holli made this beautiful version and actually went outside in 108 degree weather to photograph her bag, what a trooper! This is very lovely, especially with that striped binding. Holli says she will be bringing this to Sew South and loading it up with her sewing supplies!
Sue made this bag in some great Lotta Jansdotter fabrics. I absolutely love this, and she also sent me a photo of the bag all filled up…she got a ton of supplies in hers! Great bag, and I really adore it!
Miriam made this bag in a gorgeous assortment of patchwork pieces! She had a sewing weekend with friends and the three of them completed the testing for this pattern, to take the bag to the Fat Quarterly retreat. I think the results are amazing! You can read more about her bag on her blog!
Jennifer of Taken Patiently made this beautiful sewing bag. I love the different fabrics shown here, and even the straps look different (although I think that was possibly fantastic fussy cutting from the exterior fabrics!). Super job Jennifer!!
Maria of Mia Creates made this pretty graphic bag with lime green trim. I especially like that she quilted this front pocket, as I feel like it gives the bag a lot of visual interest! Smashing job Maria!
Annette made this brightly colored bag in cute pencil fabrics. I think this looks really bright and happy, and shows that the bag would make a great art student tote as well!
Rebeckah made this beautiful royal blue print back, with a lighter lining fabric. I think it’s especially gorgeous with the coordinating straps and small flap. Wonderful work Rebeckah!
Stacey from The Tilted Quilt made this graphic floral version, and I like that she used black bias tape to trim the sides as it blends into the bag very well. Stacey said that she used her walking foot for most of the bag, which made for easier sewing.
Mhairi made this bag out of some of her favorite fabrics (she adores mice). I really like the idea that she used fabrics that were special to her for this project, and she said she is a huge pocket fan and loved all the pockets in this project. Great job Mhairi!
Alyssa made this bag with a decorative closure on the flap, and pleather for the flap and straps. I think it gives the bag a really professional touch, using a variety of fabrics to make the bag. And of course there’s those lovely polka dots. 🙂
Joan made this pretty bag in an almost border print fabric. I think her fabric choice is really great because it really pulls apart all the different parts of the bag (pocket, flap, binding, etc.). And as you can see, she used hook and loop closure for her small flap. Beautiful work Joan!
Thank you again to all of my pattern testers! You have all produced some beautiful work, and I appreciate all the time that you spent making these bags and providing me with your pattern notes!
If you liked this bag, check it out right now in my pattern shop!

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29 thoughts on “Camp Stitchalot Bag

  1. Katie says:

    this looks liek a great bag. what fabric is that usedon the top one with the singers in bright colors — i would surely love to be able to get some

  2. Vera says:

    What a great idea for the vinyl pockets! As usual I enjoyed the pretty parade.

  3. DebbieS says:

    Wow! What a great group of bags! Lots of great fabric combinations.

  4. Samantha says:

    Great selection of bags, they’re all lush!

  5. Ali says:

    Gorgeous bags, and I love that sewingmmachine fabric.

  6. Love! You knocked another one out of the park, Sara!! I’ll be purchasing this one too!! 🙂

  7. Joan says:

    I’d love this bag even more if it were 24″ wide instead of 18″, to accommodate my 24″ rulers. Is that an alteration that would be easy to make?

  8. They all look awesome – great pattern!

  9. Great job everyone!!! I love Sara’s release days because I get to see all the testers fabric selections and their sewing processes 🙂 Congrats to you Sara!

    Cindy

    1. I agree–I love seeing the testers’ ideas and processes. I am on my way to check out your blog right now :O)

      Holly

  10. I am trying SOOOO hard to purchase this but it just wont go through to paypal to complete the purchase 🙁

  11. Huge thank you for helping me out. I am looking forward to making my new bags. Hugs

  12. Kelly says:

    They all look amazing! Gorgeous pattern again Sara!

  13. Wow…one bag is more beautiful than the next! This would be an amazing bag even if it was used for fun crafty purposes!

  14. Sonia says:

    These look great – what a fab pattern and so many great versions of it!

  15. Sara–this is a smart design for a bag! I love it. I also love that you show all those pattern testers’ bags…it is very inspirational. Seriously…the one that pieced all those pencils…oh my…sooo cool and beautiful. I am STILL not finished with your camera bag. I have a son with severe autism who DOES NOT SLEEP regularly, so I literally work on it five minutes here and five minutes there. But, progress is progress. I love your blog and ideas. And…I loved the posting of your real sewing room. Thank you. I get irritated when I see these “perfect” sewing rooms that are set up for the photo. I think your followers should stop what they are doing…go take a picture of their sewing areas as is RIGHT NOW, and post them! Keep it real people!

    Holly

  16. mumziepooh says:

    Wow – I love this – I need to make this pattern! And would I LOVE to be a tester for you if you ever need! That is too fun. You have some very talented ladies helping you! Beautiful!

  17. Carolyn says:

    Love this bag! And all the different ones that were made by the testers. They all look great.

  18. Nilya says:

    REally enjoyed sewing this bag. The result is stunning!!!

  19. Michele says:

    I had a bag this size on my To Design list but you beat me to it. It turned out great and all the testers’ versions are wonderful. I couldn’t pick a favorite if I had to.

  20. Katy Cameron says:

    Great bag, I love the fabric choices!

  21. MamMama says:

    Hi there… I am making this stichalot bag, and the instructions say to stitch the large “tab” on the side with the three pockets. The tab holds these three pockets together. So…when you finish, there is nothing to hold your bag together. You can just open wide. I was wondering why the tab didn’t come from the seam on the front with the large flap pocket. That way, when you place the bag down, it is still held together.

    Am I misunderstanding something? or is this is as intended?

    thanks so much…I am so pleased with how it is coming out!

  22. sohbet says:

    OH is a huge quilt shop with an international presence.

  23. Teri says:

    Has anybody ever made the pockets with vinyl mesh instead of clear vinyl?

  24. Mutlaka gelinemsi görünmesi gereken bir site.

  25. sohbet says:

    çok güzel çantalar

  26. DJ says:

    Is this available as a kit. I love the black and white poker dot with pink hounds tooth.

    1. Sara Lawson says:

      Hello DJ! Unfortunately, we no longer sell supply kits for the patterns, although you should be able to find fabric and interfacing at your local quilt shop. If you need to shop online, some of my favorite online fabric shops are Hawthorne Supply Co., Stash Fabrics, and Fat Quarter Shop.

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