Babushka Sewing Bag

This post was originally published on 18 April 2012.

Here's another project I did in the last few months: a sewing bag made from adorable babushka fabric.

I found the gorgeous babushka fabric at the craft fair and knew I needed some.  It's actually printed cotton drill, so it's a good weight for a bag.  Then I came across this pattern and went looking for some matching fabrics.  I love the turquoise, I wasn't super happy with the spots but I like them now. They look like smarties : )

After I'd bought the fabric I looked at the finished dimensions: 8 x 10 x 4 inches.  That seemed a bit small, so I decided to multiply all the measurements by 1.5 so it would be a bit bigger.  Then, of course, I didn't have quite enough fabric so I lined the bag with calico, which actually turned out well because now the interior is bright and unfussy, so it's easy to find things.  Then I spent the whole process worried that it would turn out absurdly huge, but once I did the mitred corners (is that the word I'm looking for?) I decided it was exactly the right size.  I put in a pocket in the side which fits A4 paper perfectly.

I also added a small pocket on the other side for small bits and pieces, like a needlebook, thread scissors, unpicker and tape measure.

I'm really happy with this bag! I use it to keep current projects in, so they're easy to transport if I'm moving around to sew. There are lots of different pockets for all my tools and if I'm organised and remember to put them back when I'm finished I can always find them! I also made a little matching case for my scissors, so the sharp point is protected and won't damage the bag.

'Babushka' is a funny word, isn't it? I find Australians usually say 'Babushka' but other people say 'Matryoshka'. I've heard that 'Babushka' is inappropriate, but wikipedia doesn't think that's true.  It's just... different to everyone else.  Anyway, I usually stick with 'Babushka' because, well, it's what I've always said.