Making a Vinyl Lunch Bag

All spring, I carried my lunch to work in the little paper bags you get from Starbucks or (in my case) Fabric Depot.  The bags were the right size, but wore out quickly, especially if I carried them in the rain.  So when I saw a strip of vinyl in the remnants section at FabDep, I thought "There's my new lunch bag!"  I made it on my mending day, while the pumpkin-colored thread was in the machine.  Here's a tutorial, in case you ever want to make a bag with a squared off bottom. 

HOW TO MAKE A BAG

My original yardage

STEP 1: MEASURING
I started with a long rectangle of vinyl.  I wrapped it around the existing paper bag to get a rough idea of how much I'd need for the sides, and cut myself a smaller rectangle for that. 

STEP 2: SEW A TUBE
I then sewed the measured rectangle into a tube, right sides together.  I felled the seam allowance to make a smooth transition. 

The tube will become bottom and sides of the bag.

Tube with bottom sewn.

STEP 3: SEW THE BOTTOM
I put the felled seam in the center, and sewed the bottom straight across. 

STEP 4: SQUARING OFF THE BOTTOM
This is the only tricky part... I popped the corner out to make the bottom seam run down the center of a corner triangle.  I don't know how to explain with words, but the picture is pretty clear.  I used the bottom of the paper bag to draw a line cutting the corner.  Then I stitched along that line. 

Marking the corner

Right side out

STEP 5: RIGHT SIDE OUT...
I turned the bag right side out.  See how that cutting-the-corner step made the bottom a square?  The squaring off step also shortens the sides, because part of the sides turn into the bottom.  

STEP 6: MAKE HANDLE STRAPS
The handles are just long rectangles, edges turned under, and sewn on each side for a consistent look.  In this picture you can see that I used bobby pins for the pinning in the project.  Straight pins would have pierced the vinyl, and I didn't want to do that unless needed.  Bobby pins are also good for pinning leather, canvass, or thick layers. 

Making the handle straps

Facing and handles pinned

STEP 7: ATTACH HANDLES AND FINISH MOUTH
The mouth of the bag can be finished by turning the excess under, or by making a facing.  I made a facing because I didn't want to lose height from the sides of the bag.  Then I tucked the handle ends under the final turn of the facing, pinned everything, and sewed two seams: the bottom of the facing, and the top edge. 

FINISHED PICS!

Since I had a little leftover vinyl, I glued some to the inside bottom, because I think it looks pretty.  Here are the final pictures: