Crafting Shapes

At the end of step 10 in part one, your main fabric and your liner look like this. You should also have your two pieces of bias tape for the strap and button closure, with zigzag stitching along their lengths.

Step 11 : Sew the ends of the bias tape strap to the right side of the felt liner, as shown. The strap ends should be attached at the center of the side panels, and the stitching should be 1/8″ from the edge. Before you sew, make sure the strap is not twisted!

Step 12: Sew the ends of the button-closure bias tape to the center of the top panel, on the right side of the fabric, as shown. The ends should not overlap but should be right next to each other. As with the strap in step 11, sew 1/8″ from the edge.

Step 13: Pin the top edge of the main fabric and the liner with right sides together, as shown. Be sure to match up any seams or corners as closely as possible.

Important: Pull the bias tape strap and button closure between the two fabric layers and away from the edge. Keep them positioned flat and fully perpendicular to the edge you’re about to sew. You don’t want a wonky button loop!

Sew along the entire top edge, as shown with red arrows in this photo. (I have marked start and end points, but it doesn’t really matter which side you start on.) When you reach the midpoint where you have to turn a 90-degree corner, leave your needle in your fabric, then raise your presser foot, turn the fabric, lower the foot again, and continue stitching.

Step 14: Clip the edges of the curved fabric, as shown. Clip close to the stitch line, but be careful not to cut the stitching itself!

This will help the curved seam lie flat when you turn the bag right side out.

Step 15: Separate the liner from the main fabric. Pull the top curved flap upward, and pull the bottom panels away from each other, as shown. Do not turn the bag right side out! The bias tape should be inside the fabric layers, as you can see in the photo.

Step 16: With the main fabric and liner still pulled apart from step 15, sew closed the remaining side seam of the main fabric. The stitching must stop when it reaches the seam at the base of the curved flat. I’ve marked this stopping point with an arrow in the photo.

Step 17: Repeat step 16 on the liner, but leave a 3 inch gap in the middle. (It’s hard to see in the photo, but the main fabric is still separated from the liner and pulled away to the right.)

Note: I recommend the gap be centered like this instead of down at one of the corners. By machine stitching on both sides of the gap, you ensure a neat, tightly closed corner. You don’t want a hole opening up later at the bottom of your bag’s liner!

Step 18: Now for an exciting step! Turn your bag right side out, using the gap you left in the liner. Keep the main fabric and liner separate for now, as shown in the picture. Using a tool such as a chopstick, gently push out the corners and curves as much as possible.

Sew the liner gap closed now by folding the edges in 1/4″ and pinning them. (I like to use a safety pin so I don’t stab myself, but a straight pin is also fine.) Now when I do this, I don’t pin the two sides together; I find the felt to be too bulky for that. Instead, I fold one edge under 1/4″ and pin that fold. Then I fold the other edge in 1/4″ and use a second pin on that.

With the two sides folded under, I then hold the two sides together with one hand and sew the gap closed with the other. I like to use a slip stitch for this step, but a whip stitch is also perfectly fine.

Step 19: You’re on the home stretch! Push your liner inside the main fabric. Make sure the top seam where the liner meets the main fabric is pulled taut as much as possible. You can tug gently on the bias tape straps and the button loop to help shape the seam edge. Then pin the seam into place, as shown, all the way around the bag’s opening.

Step 20: Sew a line of topstitching all the way around the opening of the bag, 1/8 inch from the outer edge. You can two different thread colors in your main spool and bobbin to match your main fabric and liner fabric, respectively. Or you can do what I did, and use your liner color on both sides to add some contrast color to the top of your bag.

Step 21: The only step left now is to add your button. Close your top panel over the bag. Put your fabric chalk through the button loop and make a mark where you want the loop positioned when the bag is closed.

Open the bag again and, with the button loop moved out of the way, sew your button to the front of your bag. The button center should be directly over the chalk mark you made.

And that’s all she wrote!

If you’re like me and want your bag to hang at different lengths depending on your activity of the moment, you can put a simple knot near the top of the strap to shorten it. Then untie the knot when you want the strap longer again.

If you gave this pattern a try, let me know in the comments how your cell phone bag came out. I love pictures, too!