self-sewn bag for toys

beautiful DIY sewing project for more order

I love tidiness! I don't love tidying up.... unfortunately - but I do like things to be tidy - everything in its place, a visual space with nothing lying around. Yes, but this is often very difficult or impossible to achieve in everyday life. I often have to consciously remind myself several times a day that Albert Camus claimed that Sisyphus was a happy man, because with two small children, nothing stays where it was put for long (or even just a quarter of an hour after tidying up). Sometimes I put the Duplo bricks to one side several times a day so that I can walk around the room safely, only to find them back in the middle of the room a short time later. When the children are in bed at night, it's a great relief for me to have a wonderful toy bag available in which I can store everything quickly and effectively and it looks tidy again in no time at all.... until the game starts all over again the next morning :-) (Don't get me wrong - I love playing Duplo myself and yet Duplos under your feet can sometimes be a painful disaster...)

Of course, the storage bag is not only ideal for Duplos or other toys, but is also very practical for all sorts of other bits and bobs. However, we mainly use it for the children's things because it also invites the children themselves to tidy up at an early age because it is so easy to simply throw everything into the bag. If you have several of these bags (perhaps in different sizes), they can also learn to sort things wonderfully.

This simple sewing project is a quick success for sewing beginners. You will need:

• Outer fabric, e.g. canvas or sturdy cotton fabric: rectangular piece of fabric (approx. 40cm x 110cm) and round base (diameter 35 cm)

• Lining fabric, e.g. plain cotton fabric: rectangular piece of fabric (approx. 45cm x 110cm) and round base (diameter 35 cm)

• fusible web to iron on for reinforcement if necessary

• yarn in a matching color

• two round eyelets

• cord

• two wooden beads

To calculate the desired size of your storage bag: Both lengths of fabric are calculated from the height x circumference of the round base. This way, you can adjust the dimensions to suit your needs.

Step-by-step instructions

• Cut your fabric: you will need two large rectangles (height of the bag x circumference) and two round base pieces, one from each of the two fabrics. Leave the fabric for the lining a little longer in height so that an envelope forms at the top later on, which looks pretty.

• Now, depending on the strength of your fabrics, iron on fusible webbing from the back to give the bag more stability. In any case, it is a good idea to iron on some fusible web in the middle of the top end of the lining fabric where the eyelets will sit so that they do not tear out later.

• Attach two eyelets to the center of the lining fabric, about 2-3 cm from the top edge. How to attach them is usually described on the packaging.

• Now sew the two lengths of fabric together, right sides together, on the upper long side, neatening the hem if necessary.

• Now place the two shorter sides of the fabric panels right sides together and sew them together here too (with overlocking if necessary), leaving a turning opening on the side of the lining fabric. If you like, you can add a small label to the outer fabric.

• All that's left to do now are the two round bottom pieces: pin them right sides together to the opening created and sew them in place all around. You can also neaten here if necessary.

• Before you turn the sack inside out, it is a good idea to thread the cord through it, so you don't have to thread it through afterwards. Thread the cord through the two eyelets so that the loop is once around the bag on the wrong side of the fabric.

• Now turn your toy bag over and put the lining bag inside the outer one, just as it should look later. Make sure that the cord is already at the top end and clip it in place. This also creates the upper fold of the lining fabric - the distance between the seam of the two fabrics and the upper edge should be the same all around.

• Now topstitch the top of the drawstring once all the way around with a straight stitch just next to the seam.

• If you like, you can knot wooden beads to the ends of the drawstring or simply tie a simple knot at the end of the drawstring to prevent it from slipping back through the eyelets.

Done! You see - it's easy and quick to sew such a practical and decorative storage bag: for toys, dolls, cuddly toys, rolls of wrapping paper, cushions or whatever.... it will certainly help you to tidy up quickly by cleverly making things lying around disappear in it :-)

Perhaps a quick return to Sisyphus: do you know his story? The gods have imposed a punishment for his arrogance: eternal repetition without success. Sisyphus has to keep repeating the task of rolling a heavy stone up a mountain - and every time he reaches the top, the stone rolls down again and he has to start all over again. I find the idea coined by Albert Camus that Sisyphus was a happy man very beautiful - and I also find it easy to understand and want to remind myself of it in moments when the alternatives might be resignation or despair. Ultimately, it's about mindfulness: Sisyphus has a clear task. He sees meaning in the activity itself and seems to ignore the pointlessness of repetition. It's not about the result or getting a reward for it, it's about the journey itself. Moreover, the course of events is predictable and calculable for Sisyphus, because he knows that when he reaches the top, he will start all over again. He knows what awaits him. His destiny is his own, "his rock is his business." And he always has the sense of achievement of having reached the top - of having made the climb, including the heavy rock, under his own steam. In any case, he doesn't have to worry about what awaits him the next day or the next task, but knows that he will be able to cope with what comes next. They can go about their work effectively and at their own pace, while feeling their thoughts and feelings. Albert Camus is particularly concerned with Sisyphus' return journey, which represents a pause in his activities before he begins his arduous ascent again. This moment of pause is a respite for him that returns just as reliably as the task itself. Albert Camus calls this moment the "hour of consciousness".

Don't we often feel like Sisyphus? Don't we often have to deal with the same tasks and work steps over and over again in our everyday lives? Not only in our jobs - I dare say that we often feel the same way at home and with children: I tidy up, do the laundry, load and unload the dishwasher, put clothes together and in the cupboards ... and the result is always short-lived. The next day or after a few hours, I start all over again. So it's nice to remember the happy Sisyphus and take inspiration from him.

I hope the storage bag sewing project has also inspired you. Soon you will also find instructions for smaller fabric bags on my blog. You might also be interested in the wrap blanket and pennant chain for the baby car seat, beautiful self-made pennant chains for your home or a self-made grasping toy for babies. You can find all the sewing projects here. If you're looking for more ideas for keeping things tidy, you'll find them here.

If you liked this post, please write me a comment and share it. I hope you have lots of fun sewing and enjoy your tidy home... A hug and see you soon!