The Car Bag

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One of my resolutions this year was to take better care of my car. I mean, I love my car, don't get me wrong. I really do but it is really over used and seriously abused. I haul lumber in it. I fill it up thrifting. We eat on the go in it. I run errands in it. Over time (like a few days) it's full or stuff. And if I ever get around to cleaning the 348 items I bought the day after Christmas, I'm going to keep it clean.

So to help keep the clutter under control I made this little catch-all for the things that stay in my car and seem to collect in my console like my pen, my Carmex (LOVE this stuff), loose change, a few dollars just in case and the misc receipts that seem to take over the cup holders.

I'm very much a novice sewer... not the city waste kind... the Singer kind, so this tutorial might be a little sketch, just bear with me.

First start by cutting 2 pieces (one liner and one outer) of fabric 18x9. Fold each piece in half right sides together (RST) and sew up the left and right sides leaving the top open. Be sure to leave a hole in the lining about 2"-3" for turning. Now you should have this.



Now cut a piece of your outside fabric about 3"x7".


Fold it in half on the long side and iron it. Then open it back up and fold those two halves in half and iron it down. Now, fold both of those back in and you should end up with a tiny little tube.


Stitch down the middle of this piece. It will become your loop to hang your bag from.



Now you need to put the outside into the liner, right sides together and then take the loop to hang it from, fold in it half and pin the ends in the center between the liner and the outside with the ends facing out.

Sew all the way around the top edge with a 1/4" seam allowance.



Once you have sewn it up, turn it right side out through the little hole in the lining that you left open. My mom was telling me how to do this as I went and she says to me "Now, go birth this." Uh, huh? Come again? Do what with it? She said she calls it birthing since you have to pull something big through a little hole. Ba-da-ch! Good thing the comedy around here is free!


After you have "birthed" it, iron it so it's looking good and then turn it back inside out and stitch up the hole in your lining that we left open.



You are almost done. Keep going! Now top stitch 1/2" from the edge all the way around.


Now in one of your side seams, clip 1 stitch. Then get one of these 5" rings from Hobby Lobby.




Break it where it is joined together. This will give you an open ring. Begin feeding the ring through the little hole you just snipped in the seam. Keep feeding it through until it is all in and then rotate it a bit more until the break in the ring is in the back.


Now get a binder clip and take the pincher thingys off of it and put one end of the loop in each side and put them back on the binder clip.



Then take it to your car, clip it to your air vent and stuff it full of change, pens, coupons, chapstick, whatever you have junkin' up your car!



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