Over 2 years ago I made my first rug bag.. I was at the dollar store wandering around and I saw a pile of these rugs…and I liked them…and I wanted to do something with them besides throwing them on my floor. So I made this bag…
…and then another…
…and another…
…and even all this time later I still can’t stop.
(And I can’t stop wearing those ugly pants either…my husband keeps trying to slip them into the donation pile but it’s not happening!)
(And I can’t stop wearing those ugly pants either…my husband keeps trying to slip them into the donation pile but it’s not happening!)
Anyways, over the summer I made piles of them for a craft fair we did…and while making them I realized I should share how to put these guys together because for very little money you can make a really usable bag.
If you want to make some here’s what you’ll need:
*A rug like these. (I’ve seen them at Wal-Mart and Target but I’ve always gotten mine at the Dollar Store.)
*1 yard of cotton webbing or something similar to use for the straps. (Most of what I use for the straps costs anywhere from $2 to $3 a yard.)
*What ever supplies you choose to embellish your bag with. In the picture above (and the tutorial below) I used a trivet that I bought at the dollar store and some felt pieces. But in the very first photo of this post I just used scraps from my scrap bin.
Now that you have the supplies let’s get started.
Fold your bag in half with RIGHT SIDES facing OUT.
Select which side will be the front of your bag and then position and pin on the elements that need to be sewn onto the bag.
(For this bag the only element that I needed to sew on was the trivet.)
After you to-be-sewn embellishment is pinned into place, unfold your bag and sew the embellishment onto the rug.
Now fold your rug with the RIGHT SIDES together (making the wrong sides face out).
Sew down each side of the rug to form your bag.
(I usually leave about a half inch seam allowance.)
Now turn your bag right sides out again.
And add your handles.
Do this by placing the end of each strap one against the edge of your bag and keeping it sandwiched between the front and back sides of your bag.
(Like in the photo below.)
And then sew horizontally across bag & strap sandwich to hold them in place.
Now all you have left to do is embellish.
On some I’ve added felt bows and on others I’ve added fabric flowers that I have made.
It’s up to you.
As is how you add it—hot glue or hand-stitching—either way works and I’ve done both.
Now your done.
Super easy and it costs less that $5.
Perfect!
Have a good weekend everybody!
-liZ
This is a brilliant idea! They would make really rugged shopping totes as well.
those are adorable! what a fab idea:)
genius!
Such a great idea! And different too!! 🙂 Have a great weekend!! Hugs, Holly
My SIL saw something like this at a boutique one time and they were asking waaaay too much for it! Thanks for sharing it.
So fun, so simple, and so colorful! Loving that! Would you consider sharing here?
http://www.oneartsymama.com/2012/09/shine-on-fridays-47-and-michaels-gift.html
Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts – you were featured yesterday! – – Mandy, http://www.SugarBeeCrafts.com