Wet Bags

One of my favorite, most used items in the diaper bag is my wet bag.  I use it all the time, not just for dirty diapers or potty training accidents, but for those times they spill juice ALL OVER themselves, for muddy/wet clothes after a playdate, for swimsuits - pretty much any mess they can make while we're out somewhere!
In my opinion, everyone should have a wet bag.


What is a wet bag, you ask?  Well, the original idea is for a water-proof bag for those cloth diapering mommies to have something to put the dirty diapers in while you're out and about.  But like I said, it has SO many more uses!  And it's way cuter than a plastic walmart bag.

Fortunately, they're pretty quick and simple to make!  Actually, it's my "go to" gift for baby showers; since I always have the supplies I need on hand, I can whip one out the night before (no, we never procrastinate around here...)

Want to try one?  Follow along!

 Supplies list:

13 1/2" x 32" piece of PUL (polyurethene laminate material - you can find it just about anywhere now, often along with other cloth diaper making supplies.  You can also get some really cute designs now, so could even skip the cloth cover)

13 1/2" x 32" piece of lightweight cloth
 1 12" zipper
12" -14" ribbon
1 1/2" x 5" piece of fleece
thread




First, pin the decorative fabric over the PUL, with waterproof side of the PUL facing down, and the right side of the outer fabric facing up

Now, run a line of stitching 1/2" from the edge along the shorter ends of the rectangle, and then overcast the edge.

Fold it to the inside along the line of stitching sew that down (PUL tends to shift a lot, so it really helps to get the zipper in nicely if you first sew it down)

Attach one side of the zipper with the teeth along the fold.  Line up the top of the zipper tape with one corner.  The bottom should come a little short of the other corner - that's good.

 Zip the zipper closed, line up the other side so the folded edges are just touching, and sew the other side of the zipper.

Now, open up the zipper and turn the bag right sides together.  Pin along both long edges.  Fold your little piece of fleece in half and put it along one side so the open edges will be caught in the seam.  This little tab will be for scenting with your favorite essential oil to keep things smelling nice.

The next step is to sew the side seams at 1/2".  Hint - to keep PUL from clinging to your presser foot and bunching up as you go, try sprinkling a little bit of baby powder right along the seam line.  This keeps everything gliding along smoothly. 

Just about done!  Now you'll want to trim the fabric (not the PUL) along the seam, so it is completely covered by the PUL, and overcast the edge.  This keeps the outer fabric from coming in contact with anything wet and wicking moisture to the outside of your bag.  (If you are using a patterned PUL and not an outer cover, just skip this step!  PUL doesn't fray.)

To finish, we just need to add the ribbon loop handle.  Turn the bag to the right side.  There should be a little gap between the end of your zipper and the side seam.  Stick the ends of your ribbon in there and sew that gap shut.  Reinforce that stitching several times to make the handle nice and sturdy.
(Sorry, forgot the photo for this!)

This weekend I made another one, using an idea from Make It and Love It.  My brother and his wife are expecting a little boy this fall, and I thought this would make an adorable wet bag for a little man.  What do you think?

pink and white

Here's the last set for my last sister...

 This pink knit scarf has three rows of ruffles along each end.  It's a tube shape, so it's a little heavier.

 The purse is white duck cloth, with a pink flocked muslin lining.  The suede flowers and strap are actually from a ladies jacket I got at Goodwill!

blue and white

 Here's the scarf and purse that I made for my sister.  I think this scarf was my favorite - I love the blue.  Actually, I want one for myself! 

The lightweight scarf is a blue cotton knit, with a ruffle all the way around the edge.  I overcasted the edge in white, to add little contrast, although being knit, it didn't really need anything.

My sister is a vet tech, and I wanted something for her that was a little more casual, but still pretty and feminine.  The purse I made out of  more of Steve's old blue jeans!  The lining is a white flocked muslin from my scrap drawer, and the flowers on the outside are white duck cloth.  I attached them with bar pins so they could be removed for washing.  I love the ribbon gathered edges at the top.

book bag

Here's what I made for Steve's mom.  If it looks familiar, it's because I used all scraps and leftover cut-outs from Joy's quilt!  It was fun to put them to use.  Although, if she were to use it for all the books Ailidh would like Grandma to read to her, I should have made it a lot bigger! 

brown and pink

 As promised, here is another set--
Very different from the other!

The scarf was made with 3 strips of cotton interlock knit, each one a little narrower than the one before, and 5 lines of shirring down the center to ruffle it a little.

The purse was made from a chocolate broadcloth, with a white satin lining, and magnetic snap close.  For accent, I used this fun pink ruffled ribbon that I had.