Little Cosmetic Bag Pattern & Tutorial ~ DIY Tutorial Ideas!

A first for me, I made up this little cosmetic bag and decided to try my hand at drafting a pattern for you. The cosmetics bag is made from linen and lined in cotton.

The linen I used actually came from IKEA. They carry it in 3 colors I think and it worked great for this project. Although it is a little lively. Kind of like cutting yellow but as long as it is ironed well before you do any cutting and use lots of pins it works good even for theses small detailed projects.

So here is the how to. The pattern pieces are in a PDF just click and download.

Download Cosmetic Bag PDF Pattern

You will need 2 shades of fabric plus a contrasting color for the lining. About 15-20cm of the main color and the lining should do. For the piping detail a ribbon or a few centimeters of a leftover fabric will do. A 10cm (4") zipper (some bias-tape optional)

Start by cutting out all the pattern pieces and pressing them, Then sew a zig zag around all edges. The piping is folded in half and sewn together with a zig zag.

Now you are ready for assembling the pieces. Start by making the pleats on the main piece by lining up the marks and laying the fold towards the outside edge of the piece. Baste in place before continuing.

Now pin the top of the bag to the main piece, right sides together, lay the piping between the two layers and sew together.

Trim away any extra piping and press the seem towards the top of the bag.

Now fold down and press about 0,5cm (1/4") of the top towards the back. Do the same to the lining. You may have to adjust the fold to ensure that this piece is the same or just a few mm shorter then the front of the bag.

Then pin the zipper between the two layers and sew in place. Do one side at a time. When you do the second side open the zipper and turn the bag inside out as you get close to the end where the zipper is closed.

Now turn the bag inside out and sew down the sides. If you want this is also a good time to ad a piece of bias-tape to cover this seem since it will be unfinished inside the bag.

Fold the two bottom corners so you create two triangles and sew straight across to create a 4,4cm (1,5") flat bottom for the bag. Trim away the two corner "ears" finish by covering with bias-tape or a zig zag.