Do you sew on the go? Are you always digging around in deep bags, looking for your sewing supplies and projects? This small travel bag might be just what you need!
It can hang on your arm– or the arm of an arm chair. Your hand can slip right in and grab your embroidery thread, scissors, hexagons, templates….you name it. It even works great for crochet or knitting balls of yarn.

The hexagons on the front are just a little fun addition. You can do more, or less of them –you choose.
The bag measures 10″ X 8″ when finished and has a box pleat (just a little one) on the bottom so it makes the bag a little nicer inside. It’s reversible too– so you can pick and choose what you’d like to show off, fabric wise.

Materials Needed:
12″ X 20″ designer weight fabric (outside of bag)
12″ X 20″ fabric (inside lining)
3 scraps of fabric for hexagons
2″ Hexagon templates There are a few other free sizes of printable hexagon templates- you can pick your own if you’d like smaller or the larger ones.
Download template for sewing bag here
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Small Travel Bag for Hand Stitching Tutorial~
1) Print off the travel bag template and cut out
2) Fold your fabric in half so it measures 12″ X 10″
3) Pin your template in place with the fold along the bottom of the bag. Cut your lining and outside bag
4) Sew the sides of the bag right sides together- lining and outside
5) Measure in the corners 1/2″ X 1/2″ and mark with pencil

6) Cut out corner

7) Fold the corner and re-align the corners to make a box pleat. If you’d like other options for box pleats check out 3 box bottom options here.

8) Stuff the lining inside of the outside travel bag piece- right sides together- pin along the arm opening. The top edge will open

9) Sew along the arm openings- snip the curves

10) Turn right sides out

11) Fold the outside handle over the bag bottom and pin to the opposite side- right sides together

12) Sew along the edge- make sure you don’t catch the bag bottom in the seam- it will look like this:

13) Turn the bag so the lining is on the outside.

14) Fold ONE edge 1/4″ and iron

15) Over lap the folded edge on top of the raw edge and hand stitch in place. The sides might need to be stitched as well

16) You can use a ladder stitch for quick stitching

17) Cut out hexagon templates and make 3 hexagons- need help with your hexagons? Check out hexagon sewing here.
18) Hand stitch the hexagons to the bag –feel free to make as many hexagons as you’d like and do your own design.

Load it with your travel sewing kit and you are set!

The sleeve on the bag is large enough to slip on a arm chair too….so you can sit anywhere and hang it. Or take in your car or airplane. Works with any kind of travel.

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Becky Jorgensen is the creative quilter behind Patchwork Posse, the Patchwork Planner and her online quilt group Patchworkers Plus. You can find her patterns in books, magazines, and her quilt membership. Gather your quilting supplies, organize your sewing space, explore the process of disappearing quilt blocks, or finish a free quilt pattern. I'll help you use what you have, finish what you start and make your quilting journey fun!
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That’s awesome!! I’ve got a Craft Gossip post that links to your tutorial here:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-travel-bag-for-your-hand-stitching-projects/2015/01/05/
–Anne
The link to the template for the travel bag isn’t there. I think this bag would be very useful and hope to make one soon.
Thank you for sharing!
The post has been updated with the link to the template. Sorry about that! Enjoy!
This is so lovely. I have to try this. Is that mouline string? I used to make friendship-bracelets and I still have lots of those.
I like this, may make me one or more. I keep some craft in my car so I have something to do when waiting for someone, and to take when I meed to wait for an appointment. Cute way to take my busy work.
I also made a similar by memory from one my daughter make in high school sewing. Is about 10″ by 20 to 24 inches. Use the folded edge as top, cut arches on each side making the opening, about 6 to 8 inches from top and handle about 4 inches wide. The one my daughter made had a pocket inside on one side and bottom of lining small opening for turning. Just don’t remember how was sewn to be able to turn. Last ones I made I used pieces of double sided quilted fabric, surged the openings, turned them in 1/4 inch and stitched decorative stitch. Perhaps your staff can figure the turning of the lined bag, know it can be done just don’t remember how. NOTE: Need to put opening on the folded edge for a stronger handle.
This will be brilliant for my teen f2f who has mild Autism and hates the sensation of a bag strap on her shoulder or near her neck, but needs somewhere for her Asthma inhaler, Epipen, phone and coin purse, tissues etc. When did life get so complivated? Thanks so much x
you are welcome!
Link for this bag goes to Bluprint, but is not linking to anything. Thanks!
Link goes to Blueprint but not showing template for pattern.
thanks Bianka
So glad you reposted this. I grabbed my printout but for some reason had only the top section. Did not read your directions to see the size of the finished bag, so I winged the depth. Had two pillow panels and added some interfacing to beef them up a bit. Also pieced some lining fabric from my stash and likewise had to beef that up too. I also added a double pocket inside because I had such a cute piece of the panel fabric to use. (Dontcha just hate it when we start with your pattern but then make all these changes – I’m really sorry – ) but I love my finished bag. It will be great for having a project ready to grab and go. It finished 9×16. Thank you so much. I so enjoy your posts.
Do you have a video tutorial on how you turned the pieces because your photos and description makes absolutely no sense to me. I am not one that could just read a text and figure it out. Sorry.
currently – there isn’t a video for this. maybe in the future there will be. Great suggestion!