Divided Grocery Bag in Garden Serenade
Please Note: Links to fabric in this post are affiliate links.
Those of you with the Grocery Bag pattern might already be aware of this, but if not, there are lots of ways to customize these super simple to sew bags! If you take a look at the pattern description here there are links to the various ways I've changed things up with these bags.
Today let's revisit the "divided bags" mod because I just finished up three of these awesome bags and want to give you a few additional specifics about how I make them so they turn out a little more robust than the basic Grocery Bag (i.e. what is made in the pattern).
But first, let me give you some other general info:
- All three shown here are the medium size in the pattern. This is my go to size for this mod. These bags turn out lovely and are really quite sturdy, so they make great project bags, lunch totes, shopping bags, or even your everyday purse.
- The fabric dimensions are in this blog post.
- The denim fabric can be found here. Links to the floral fabrics used are given below the bag images.
Divided Grocery Bag in Roseberry Cottage
Below is my special recipe of what goes where in this bag to make them very sturdy. These instructions assume you are using quilting cotton for the top of the bag and an 8-10 ounce utility fabric like denim or canvas for the bottom and handles.
- Cut fabric pieces using dimensions in this post.
- Back the top fabric with a piece of muslin. Cut the muslin layer about 1/8" smaller all the way around so you can see the edges of the exterior fabric while you sew. Interlinings should be cut smaller so you can see the edges of the exterior fabric while sewing to help you sew everything together accurately.
- Back the lining pieces with a layer of muslin. Also cut these about 1/8" smaller all the way around.
- Interline the handles with a layer of muslin. You can also use interfacing in the handles, if you'd like. Interfacing for the rest of the bag is ok, but not something I personally recommend if you want to wash the bag. When the bag is washed, the interfacing might separate from the fabric and the bag will never quite look right again.
