Sewing Patterns Free: When is a Quilt a Storage Bag?

Let’s continue our week with free sewing patterns: When is a quilt a storage bag? …When you make it a storage bag with a couple of simple folds and some hand sewing.
This quilted storage bag was inspired by the storage hammocks my kids once had for their stuffed animals.
If your kids are headed off to college, this is a cool bag to send them with. Dorm rooms are always short on storage space. It can be used to store winter gear or even the week’s worth of laundry.
This bag can be hung in a closet from a coat hanger or on the wall using a heavy duty temporary hanger.
It’s also a fun way to store rolls of crafting/quilting supplies, like HeatnBond adhesives.
This bag can be made in any size, but always starts as a square quilt.

Look, up on the door hook! It’s a bag. It’s a quilt! It’s quilted storage!

You will need
decorator weight cotton (main fabric)
quilting weight cotton (lining fabric/binding)

sewing machine with a quilting foot
quilt batting
505 temporary quilt basting spray
Gutermann’s rPET recycled thread

air erasable marker
quilting clips
Stitch and Steam  texturizing material
buttons

  1. Cut a piece of decorator fabric 36 inches square, cut quilting cotton and batting to match.
  2. Spray baste the layers of a quilt sandwich together.
  3. Change your sewing machine needle. Use a brand new quilting and patchwork needle.
  4. Install your machine’s quilting foot, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Also install the quilting guide.
  5. Use an air erasable marker to mark a center line on the quilt sandwich.
  6. Set the stitch width to 3.5 or 4, and machine quilt down the marked line.
  7. Continue to quilt in straight lines, one inch apart.
  8. Roll and clip the quilt edges to allow it to easy feed through the machine throat.
  9. The quilting foot will help prevent shifting of the layers, but go slowly to ensure the lines are straight and there are no puckers in the layers.

Install your machine’s quilting foot, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Draw a line with an erasble marker down the center side on the lining side of the quilt sandwich.

Once the quilting is finished, trim the quilt to even the edges.

Tomorrow we’ll finish this lovely quilted square into a storage bag for your favorite student’s dorm room.

Are you enjoying this week’s free sewing patterns? Wooo, there’s more…stay tuned.

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2 comments

Anita August 13, 2014 - 1:05 am
What a cool idea for anyone who's short on space!
Nancy Devine August 13, 2014 - 11:30 am
Thanks for stopping by, Anita! I like that this can be made in almost any size, along as you start with a quilted square. I am going to make a few 8 x 8 ones for holiday gift bags.
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