September Blog Hop Day 2: Quilt As You Go Drawstring Backpack

It's Day 2 of the September Blog Hop and the Benartex Blog Team is here, sharing a tutorial for a Quilt As You Go Drawstring Tote. We chose the All Stars collection from Kanvas--these black and pink sports-themed prints make a perfect bag for a girl on the go, and the the bag's style adds a fun, modern touch. What we love about the bag, besides the cool, quilted front: Just one drawstring strap serves as both the way to cinch the backpack and as the straps to wear it!

The fabrics we used:

You'll Need:

• 2/3 yard black with text and soccer balls
• 3/4 yard pink star print
• 1/2 yard stripe
• Fat quarters of 3 additional black/pink prints
• Two 21" squares of batting

Cutting:

Black with text and soccer balls:

(1) 20" square

Pink star:

(2) 18" squares

(1) 3" x 42" strip

Stripe:
(2) 5-1/2" x 42" strips

Reserve the remaining fabrics for making the quilt as you go bag front.

Batting:
(2) 21" squares

Let's make the bag!
The front of the bag is created through the quilt as you go method. No need to measure or cut pieces in advance! Start with a 21" batting square. Cut your first piece of fabric--on our bag it is about 4" x 6", but yours can be any size. Quilt it onto the center of the batting square using straight lines, approximately 1/2" apart. 

Continue adding pieces around the first piece, log cabin style. Measure the height of the first quilted piece and cut a piece from another fabric to roughly that same measurement. Lay it right sides together on the quilted piece and stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance. If it's a little too long, no problem. The edges will be covered up as you add more pieces.

Press open and quilt straight stitches down the new piece, 1/4" to 1/2" apart. Always quilt lines parallel to the seam you just sewed. 

Continue adding pieces in the same way, quilting as you go.

Add fabric until the quilted square measures more than 18". Square up to measure 18".

Baste the 20" fabric square to the second piece of batting and quilt it however you like for the backpack backing. We used straight lines 1/2" apart.

Square up to measure 18". Place the quilted front and back right sides together and stitch down the two sides only (creating a tube). 

To make the casing, fold and press the long edges of the 3" x 42" pink star strip in 1/4".

Fold one short edge of the casing in 1/2", press, and stitch. Measure 1-1/4" down from the top edge of the tote and pin the casing in place, all the way around. Trim the casing strip where it touches the starting point and press, fold, and stitch so there's a 1/2" opening between casing ends. 

Topstitch the top edge of the casing. Then topstitch the bottom edge. 

Sew the two 5-1/2" x 42" stripe strips short ends together to make a long strip. Fold and press the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Open the fold and press both raw edges in to the center fold. Fold on the center line and topstitch along both long sides to create the drawstring strap.

Using a safety pin, feed the drawstring strap through the casing. 

Pull the ends of the straps even and then cinch the bag shut. Decide on a length for the shoulder straps. (It's important to do this while the top of the bag is cinched shut because that's how the bag will be worn.) Trim the straps to the desired length and pin to the bottom edge of the bag back, about 3" in from each corner. 

Turn bag wrong side out and sew along the bottom edge, catching the straps as you stitch. To box the corners, turn the outer tote wrong side out and cut a 1-1/2" square out of each bottom corner. 

Match the seams and stitch across using a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat on the other corner. 

Use the two 18" pink star squares to make the lining. Stitch around three sides, leaving an opening along the bottom for turning. Box the corners just like for the outer bag. 

Turn the outer bag right side out. Leave the lining wrong side out. Slide the lining around the outer bag, matching raw edges. Pin in place. 

Stitch along the top edge using a 1/4" seam allowance. Turn bag right side out through the opening in the lining. Stitch the opening in the lining closed and tuck the lining inside the bag. Topstitch the top edge of the bag. And here's a hint: When you're sewing the lining and bag together or topstitching, start and end along one of the side seams. That way, if things don't line up perfectly, you can hide it along the seam.

The giveaway: For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the All Stars collection, sign up to follow the Benartex blog using either Bloglovin’ or the email feature (both in the right sidebar). Then leave a comment below this post telling us that you are a follower and letting us know if you've ever made a bag before (and if you have...how many?). This giveaway will be open through Wednesday, October 2 at 11:59 pm EST.

Don't miss the other tutorials featured in our September blog hop:
Day 1: Urban Oasis Table Runner from Kristen of KD-Quilts