A Trend-worthy Color Block Bag
Color blocking is a one of my favorite trends right now. I love the striking combination of two contrasting colors! Whether it was making its way down the runway or gracing the red carpet; color blocking has been making a big statement in the fashion world.
Today I am making a really simple bag with a color block pattern. I chose two of our new linen colors for mine- Melon and Salmon. I am in loooooove with these shades, so I had to use them in a craft right away!
You can pick any two shades you like to make your color block bag. There are so many bright and beautiful new shades to choose from in IL020!
Materials:
- Two different colors of linen
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
First, you need to determine what color you want to be for the bottom portion of the bag and what color you want for the rest of the bag. I chose IL020 in Melon and Salmon (a couple of my favs!)
Pick the color that you would like to be for the majority of your bag. In my case, I chose Salmon.
Measure 12 inches for the top and bottom lengths.
Measure the other two sides to be 32 inches. After you have measured and marked each side, you can cut your linen.
Measure your other piece of linen (Melon for me) to be a 12"x12" square.
Cut that linen and we are all ready to get started sewing!
I spread my Salon linen out in front of me and placed the Melon linen directly in the center, so that all the edges lined up evenly.
Then, I sewed the two pieces together with two seams. The outside edges are still not sewn at this point. We will get to that in the next step!
Before you sew the edges up, fold the bag in half like so to create a crease. The crease cuts right down the center of my Melon linen.
Once you have a crease in the center, flip your linen to the reverse side and fold along the same crease. We want to sew the seam from the inside so everything looks good when we flip the bag right-side out again.
Sew up both edges of your bag (not the top opening though!).
Now, sew the two sides together
Flip your bag inside out so the clean seam is revealed!
Time for the straps. I wanted to have fun with colors with the straps too, so I cut decided to make them double-sided.The straps are really simple to make. Begin by cutting four pieces of linen- so two pieces of each color.
I measured mine at 21.5 inches by 2.5 inches, but you can make them longer, wider, shorter…..however you like!
Now just flip the straps right-side out and you have your double-sided straps all ready to go.
As you hem the top edge of the bag, insert the straps (one on each side) by tucking them under the hem before you make a seam.
This is what the attached strap and seam look like from the outside.
That’s the last step. Now you can sport your fashionable linen bag! Have fun picking out and trying out different color combinations!
I made another bag in Latte and Aurora. I couldn’t decide what colors I wanted to use before I started this project…..so I made both! It was an easy solution and the second bag took even less time to make.
I hope you have fun making some colorful bags with our new colors! I am in love with the new selection and have been brainstorming new crafts non-stop.
If you have any craft suggestions or want to let us know what you think of the new colors, leave a comment. I’d love to know what you all think!
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One Comment
AmyCat =^.^=
Three suggestions:
1) the Color Block design would work well with added patch pockets, which would also increase the functionality of the bag. With a properly-placed pocket, you can even turn it inside-out and fold the whole bag into its pocket, making it a handy extra tote for tucking into a purse and then deploying to carry your shopping home (save the environment: use fewer plastic bags!). If you do this, add a little loop and attach a mini-carabiner clip, and it can snap onto a keyring or purse-strap…
2) It’s better to use the darker/less vivid of your two colors on the bottom of the bag, so that any dirt or stains picked up from wherever you set it down are less noticeable. A stain on the yellow fabric of the second bag will show up much more than it would on the “latte” color. Of course, you can also add a decorative applique’ or another patch-pocket later to cover up stains…
3) If you make the straps long enough to go all the way to the bottom of the bag, or else make a shoulder-strap which covers the side-seams and runs all the way underneath, the straps are a lot less likely to pull out, AND they add extra strength if you use your bag for heavier things (books or groceries).