Wet Bag Tutorial

I love funky gifts for Mums of newborns.  Especially ones that add a little class to the otherwise distasteful events they can often face.

I have two wet bags in my arsenal and I use them constantly.  Nappies, bibs, wipes and even towels and togs (when kids get older) can be thrown in them and then carried in your bag without any worry of seepage or odours.  Sure, you can carry plastic bags with you just in case, but aside from the environmental issues, where is the style and fun in that?  And do you really want people seeing the nappy explosion through the plastic?!

I’ve made a number of these as gifts for people and I love throwing little goodies in the bag for them too, such as bibs, a little book, a soft toy or cute little outfits.

Level: Intermediate (the zip is the trickiest bit)

Cost: Under $10 each

Time: Approx 1/2 hr – 1 hr

Note:

• I like to place my zip a few centimeters down the front of the bag as opposed to right at the top.  This way if the bag is upside down with lots of moisture inside, it won’t leak out of the zip teeth.
• If you are having waterproof issues with PUL, run it in the dryer for about 10-15 minutes so the PUL softens and this will help seal up any holes left by the sewing machine needle or pins.
• Use Polyester thread to sew with because it won’t transfer moisture through the layers like cotton will.

What you need:

• Fabric for outside of bag  (70cm x 27cm)
• PUL (also 70cm x 27cm) – available in NZ from Green Beans
• Zip (27cm or longer – it can be cut down to size if need be)

How to:

Make a zip sandwich on the short ends of the fabric and PUL, so the zip should be between the outer layer fabric and the shiny side of the PUL.  Topstitch to avoid the fabrics catching in the zip teeth.  It’s important to make sure the shiny side of the PUL is going to be lining the inside of the bag.  So now it should look something like this:

Turn the bag inside out like shown below and sew down one edge (I’ve lifted the top layer of fabric so you can see what’s going on underneath):

Clip the corners so it sits nicely when you turn back the right way.

If you want a handle on the bag (so you can hang it up rather than putting it on the floor), place it at the top between the 2 layers of outer fabric before sewing down the next side.

Sew down the other side of the bag but stop just past the zip.

Stitch only the outer fabric down the remainder of the side.

Now stitch the PUL down the side but stop about 8cm from the end.

Turn the entire bag inside out through the gap left in the PUL so it is now the right way out.

Pull out the PUL layer so you can topstitch the opening closed.  Because PUL will stick to the foot of your machine, use a piece of baking paper between the foot and the PUL so it runs through smoothly.  Tear off the baking paper when done.

All done!