4 (Project) Bags with Clear Fronts

I wanted to make a few bags to hold some scraps and glue sticks, and since I had a lot of clear vinyl, I thought I would make project bags and add clear window pockets to each of them so I could insert a label so I would know what was inside each bag. Of course it might be obvious that the glue sticks are inside that bag, but by adding a pocket, I could at any time put an actual knitting or sewing project into the bag and change the label in the pocket thereby making these bags more versatile. But for now, I wanted a place mainly for holding scraps of interfacing, fusible web, and Peltex scraps. I had put these items in shoe boxes or large produce clamshell boxes before, but those took up more space and since I added a handle to these bags, I hung all but the glue sticks on a door knob.

I varied the construction a bit on each bag. The left has a boxed bottom that can fold flat. The one on the right I decided to sew flat. I like the boxed one better, but thought the flat one was easier to sew without all the measuring and folding to create the bottom.

Clear window pocket so I can slip in a printed label telling me what is inside. 

The back sides show the fabric used even better.

The back sides of these 2.

I got to use 4 pretty exterior fabrics that I had, along with 4 interior fabrics.

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Perfectly Clear Bag

The Perfectly Clear Bag by ChrisW Designs is available now for purchase! There is a full video tutorial too (video link in pdf pattern). 

Introductory Offer – 20% Off - NO CODE NEEDED - One Week only (Sale Ends Midnight Monday 6th November Australia Eastern Standard Time)

The links are:

International website here: https://www.chriswdesigns.com/.../perfectly-clear-bag-pdf...

Aussie website here: https://chriswdesigns.com.au/.../perfectly-clear-bag-pdf.../

YouTube Trailer: https://youtu.be/gKbYvLQZ7W0

Blog Post: https://www.chriswdesigns.com/.../introducing-the...

Here is my Perfectly Clear Bag that I tested for Christine. It can be made with clear vinyl or a patterned clear vinyl or a combination, or all solid vinyl too. This was my first time using a patterned clear vinyl. I like how many patterns are out there now. Some prints of see-through vinyl are a bit busy and I wanted just a hint of a pattern to make this bag, so I chose this vinyl with a colorful hatch markings on it. Plenty see-through enough.

Bag measures 9 ½” Wide x 7 ½” High x 3” Deep.

Made with clear printed vinyl for the pockets and a solid vinyl for the bottom of the bag.

I used webbing for the handle and added a decorative stitch in a variegated soft pink thread. I like how it looks. There are D-rings I added in case I wanted to add the optional cross body strap later on. But I think I will use this bag for small knitting or sewing projects.

These yarn skeins fit into the front zipper pocket. There is another zip pocket on the back side, so 2 zipper pockets to hold plenty of stuff for a relatively small bag.

Close up of the pattern on the vinyl.

Back of the bag is the same as the front.

This was the first all vinyl bag I have ever made. I have used a clear vinyl window with cotton fabrics for making project bags before, but all vinyl was a first for me and while it wasn't too difficult to sew, I could use with some more practice! The other testers made some absolutely incredible bags with their vinyl choices! They have all sewn with vinyl much more than I have.

This bag can be made with all solid vinyl or cork or leather and not clear vinyl if you want to also. On Christine's blog you can see her solid vinyl bag too. Plus, check out all of the testers bags too. They are really gorgeous!!! 

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Clear Project Bags & Portable Pockets Too!

Here are some project bags that I made a few months ago. One was for myself and one for a friend. I enlarged the size of the project bag by Rosie & David patterns (Rosie's Art Studio) because I wanted a larger bag for myself and wanted to make sure it worked before making another one for my friend. It turned out great! So here they are.

This was my project bag that I enlarged a bit.

I love this bottom of this project bag as it stand up like a tote bag, but when you pull the bottom sides it flattens the bottom, making it easier to store when not in use.

Here is the folded flattened bottom.

This is the enlarged project bag that I made for my friend.

I filled it with yarn I had to show how much it can hold.

The back side of her bag.

I had some leftover fabric, so I made all 3 sizes of Portable Pockets (Around the Bobbin pattern) to match the project bag. Portable pockets are great to have to carry those little items in that could get lost in a large bag or when you just need extra pockets for your bag.

The 3 sizes of Portable Pockets showing the front sides with them unzipped to see the linings.

Zipped closed here.

Backside of the Portable Pockets have divided mesh pockets, but for the smallest size I added a Kam snap because I felt the pocket was too small to sew and divide the pocket in half. The snap makes it easier to get your hand inside to retrieve your small item. I added a small rivet at the top of the larger PP where the pockets are divided in 2.

The large project bag I first made is on the left and then I enlarged the large size to create an extra large size that is on the right for comparison.

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Project Bag with a Clear Window for a Friend

A friend of mine had her birthday last month, so I made her a project bag with a clear window. I followed the tutorial from Rosie's Art Studio to make this one. I like that this bag will fold flat when not in use and filled with a project. 

I didn't like the way that the wrist carry strap was hooked to the zipper pull as Rosie made hers. All I could think about was if something was heavy in the bag, all the stress would be put on the zipper, so I made a small fabric tab that I sewed into the top back of the bag instead and clipped the wrist strap to that.

The clear window is nice to be able to see what project is inside of the bag.  

The lining fabric is hard to see, but it is a gray-blue print of cross hatching.

The bottom of the bag is shown expanded here. If you pull on the 2 sides where the openings are, the bag then flattens out for storage. 

View from the top front of the bag.

Here you get a better look at the fabric. I love this print. I had just enough of this fabric to make this bag. (I made a waist bag out of this fabric a couple years ago that I sold). You can also see the fabric tab I made here and hooked the wrist strap to.

View from the top bag of the bag.

Happy Sewing! Here is the tutorial I used to make this bag. Thanks Rosie!

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Project Bag with Clear Vinyl Window (Extra Large)

I made an extra large Project Bag with a clear vinyl window for a friend. She makes a lot of Project Linus Quilts to donate and I thought she could use an extra large bag to carry her latest project in and be able to see what's inside by having a clear window on the front. I also used 3 UFO blocks that I made a very long time ago. The 2 blocks on the back of the bag were from a Mystery BOM & Swap from Dream Worthy Quilts, called Quilter's Garden. It was a sewing garden theme. We swapped one block each month w someone assigned to us. So I have those blocks to use as well (just might make myself an extra large bag like this too). The bag measures approximately 20" W x 22" H.

I combined ideas from other project bags I have made in the past to create this one. I had to add a couple of strips at the top as I guess I didn't calculate the height exactly, but I had to sew strips and blocks anyhow to create the back quilted piece.

I added her name on the bottom using Crafter's Edge Alphabet die cuts. I also added a couple of butterflies using Crafter's Edge Butterfly die cuts too. The quilt block on the inside is something I painted years and years ago. I had made small quilts to give as gifts as I painted several of those. The image was from a copyright-free book I had.

On the back of the bag, I used a Rotaries in Bloom block , which is a Dresden Flower with a rotary cutter "stem" and an iron block. These blocks were so fun to make and I have used them in making a sewing machine cover too. As you can see, I quilted the back in a grid.

Rotary in Bloom Dresden Flower block.

I used Crafter's Edge Alphabet die cuts for create the name and the butterflies too.

The iron block.

A zipper pull I made.

Julie said she loved the bag, so that made me happy. I am sure she will load it up with her Project Linus quilts when she comes to our PL group to sew.

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Gnome Bee Project Bag with Clear Front Window

One of my friend's and I both have birthdays in November, so we like to get together and celebrate sometime during the month of November. This year we each worked on our our projects together. Tara cut fabric for new projects, while I was sewing. It was a nice peaceful way to enjoy our birthdays together and do something sewing related too.

Afterwards, we had lunch together and exchanged gifts. I made Tara a project bag with a clear window to see inside and added an appliqué on the back. Tara and I both love gnomes and since she is a beekeeper now, I found a gnome bee somewhere online and created an appliqué that I stitched on the back of the bag. I also "made" a couple of scarf pins (I say made, but I only glued the little stick-pin part on it) and I also "made" a key fob wristlet, using poly webbing. 

Here is the Project Bag with the clear vinyl window I made for Tara. One of my favorite color combinations is blue & yellow. I think because when I was young I had a bedspread of daisies with yellow centers and blue background. My sister had the same bedspread in a different colorway of pink and green or was it just pink and the green were the leaves? Hmm...it was something like that. My sister has always loved pink and green together. Anyhow, on with the photos, lol!

Project bag with clear vinyl window. The yellow fabric is seen through the clear window.

I fused a butterfly from a piece of fabric I had (I didn't have a bee fabric

 to fuse and the gnome is a bee already). The end tip of his hat is a felt wool ball I hand stitched in place much like you would stitch a pincushion (in an asterisk shape) and added a few French knots in the center.

You can see the wool ball better here with the stitching.

Key fob made with blue webbing.

I made" these 2 shawl/scarf pins out of glass and glued the metal stick part of the pin on the back. I also added a silicone back closure thingee (so technical I am!) to keep the pin in place. I prefer the silicone closure thing to the metal ones, as they grip better and I don't like pinching the metal parts to put the pin on. I bought heart shaped closures with glitter in them. I thought it best to get clear so the color wouldn't show from the front side (if it could show through). (Scroll to end to see photos).

I was having issues with various other shawl/scarf pins falling out of my knit shawls and scarves, so that is what got me thinking about making some of my own. I made 5 different glass ones and I had to buy them in packs of 10, so I have extras made. Only one is a tad larger than the others. These work best in finer knitting (lace, fingering, sport weight yarns). I will use those other stick type shawl pins (made from wood or metal) for heavier weight yarns that the stick won't slip out so easily. Plus those other stick pins if they are too thick, they won't fit through the knitting without damaging the knitting or creating a hole that might not close back up after the stick is removed. I guess I am opinionated about such things, lol!

After nearly losing a shawl pin in the past (I retraced my steps and found it lying on the ground), I knew I needed to make my own pins as no one was that I could find. And not many were making practical shawl pins out of other materials either. I guess those people aren't knitters or do crochet? Perhaps there isn't a market for shawl pins and that is why I couldn't find any practical ones? But I solved my problem by making these myself and they can also be used in other materials like on a coat, blouse, etc. However, they could make a hole in a blouse that is made with fine material. Okay I blabbed on enough!

I received some nice gifts from Tara too. Tara gave me some lovely soft Merino wool yarn and a sock yarn in a variegated color, which she put into a basket and gave me the basket too. Plus, she loves paper crafting and upcycling paper stuff (like cards, calendars, etc.), so there were a lot of little cards and such that were placed into a larger cone shaped open envelope-like thing (sorry, I don't know what to call that, but it was so cute) and that created a really nice presentation.

The basket of yarn Tara gave to me.

Basket of soft Merino yarn.

This is the envelope thingee that Tara placed all the cards that she made to give to me. It looks so pretty and festive!

The upcycled cards and envelope that Tara made and gave to me.

Here are the 5 different shawl/scarf pins that I made.

This is the clear silicone heart-shaped pin back with glitter.

Can you believe December starts tomorrow? Geesh, the world is spinning by so fast!

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