I've made a foldable shoe bag that can be used to stash runners for the gym or can even be folded into a little shopping bag for emergencies. I've lined the bag with oilcloth so I can wipe out any dirt that might accumulate on the bottom of my shoes and flake off into the bag.
The great thing about this foldable shoe bag is how simple it is.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
2 x outer main fabric 29cm (l) x 30cm (w) - comic strip fabric
2 x contrast fabric 7cm (l) x 30cm (w) - pink/white dots
2 x inner fabric - oilcloth/vinyl/ laminated cotton 32cm (l) x 30cm (w)
1 x big loop fabric - 12cm (l) x 10cm (w)
1 x small loop fabric - 5cm (l) x 8cm (w) - I changed my fabric to match the contrast one after I took this photo so please photoshop the picture below in your mind accordingly
WHAT TO DO
So first things first, measure your shoes. I'm an Australian size 6 which is smallish, so best if you measure your shoes to see if they will fit in the dimensions for my bag and if not increase accordingly, otherwise you'll have a midget bag - which is ok if you have small feet or a child who you can pretend you made the bag specially for, but if not measure as below.
Roughly my shoes side my side measure 25cm (l) x 23cm(w) x 7cm (h). Referring to the picture below, what you'll need to do is some math...argg I know but it's pretty simple:
Width of fabric = width of shoes + height of shoes (in my case 23 + 7 = 30)
Length of fabric = length of shoes + height (i.e. 25 + 7 = 32)
But with my bag since I chose to use contrasting fabric I added a 1cm seam allowance to the length of my fabrics and calculated for 5cm in contrast fabric.
So I needed a 32cm length outer fabric and I wanted 5cm in contrast fabric, so 32 - 5 = 27cm
But when I sew the fabric together I had to added ~1cm seam allowance meaning I had to add 2cm to each of my fabrics.
27cm + 2cm = 29cm for the main fabric
5cm + 2cm = 7cm for the contrast fabric
anyone feel like they just solved an epic maths problem, because I kind of feel like I did, whewwww anyways...
Grab the fabric for your big loop and fold in half and iron.
Fold out the fabric again to its full size and fold the two outer edges into the centre. (so it is in half)
Now fold it over again so it is a quarter of its original size.
Topstitch both edges of the big loop fabric and put aside.
Grab the fabric for your small loop and fold it the same way as before, so it is a quarter of its original size.
Fold the small loop into thirds as shown in the picture below and iron flat, you'll probably need some pins to keep it in shape.
Grab the 2 pieces of fabric for the outer part of the bag.
Place the contrast fabric and the main fabric with good sides facing each other and sew across the top, as shown in the picture on the right.
Once sewn and ironed flat it will look like the picture on the left.
Place the right sides of the outer fabric together and sew around all three sides.
Place the right sides of the inner fabric together and sew around all three sides, remembering to leave a gap in the side to turn through later.
Grab the bottom corners of the outer fabric and pinch into a triangle shape as below and pinpoint.
Now gather the other corner piece on the other side of the fabric and pinch into a triangle. To make sure you have an even looking bag, line up the second triangle your pinching with the one you've just pinned. Have a look at the second picture - there is actually two corners there and 2 pins, there is a green one on the left and a white one on the right - bad colour choice i know, but squint and you'll get what I mean.
Turn it out to check that the side are equal.
Turn it back around and clip the corners to reduce bulk.
Do this for both the outer and inner fabrics. Line up the outer fabric corners with the inner fabric to get the same size.
Grab the small loop fabric from before and pin it to the right side of the inner lining.
Grab the big loop fabric and pin it opposite the small loop of fabric, to the inner lining.
Place the inner fabric with the wrong sides facing each other (i.e. the right sides facing outwards) inside the outer fabric, with the outer fabric right sides facing each other. Basically something like like below.
So the trick with oilcloth or vinyl fabric is to use bulldog clips or pegs to hold the fabric together as pins tend to make marks and its tough to get through.
Sew across the top of the bag.
Now pull the bag through the hole you left in the lining and it will look weird and screwed up but keep pulling and you'll get there.
Align the two sides of the inner fabric where the hole is and sew it flat.
With all the sides sewn up, push the inner lining into the outer part of bag and push out the corners.
Once you've pushed the lining through it should look like the picture below - tah dah.
This is how to fold your foldable shoe bag - sorry for the blurry photos
Fold the outer thirds into the middle and roll the bag up, open the big fabric loop and put it around the bag. Handy no?
With your shoes in - yours should look less squished since I upped the measurements.
Happy crafting..
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