Circular Brie Bag!

This project has been on my mind ever since I received a really cool handmade baguette bag (or BAGuette)! I thought it would be a fun way to get back into sewing, since it's been sew long (forgive me) since I broke out the sewing machine. I was right! This was a relatively simple bag to make that will nicely fit a wheel of brie inside of it and can clip onto my baguette bag or my backpack, or whatever I want it to! The design was inspired by kaymcleod in their instructable here!

This bag took a couple of hours to complete, and was very easy to make! It would make an amazing gift to give to a cheese loving friend or even for yourself. Plus you get to make it all on your own! I even added a clip to hang from the Baguette bag (or BAGuette if you will) that my friend noveldork made here!

To make this bag, you'll need the following:

• Sewing Machine/Thread and Needle
  • A sewing machine will REALLY speed things up for you
• Fabric
  • I used a dishcloth that measured roughly 20" x 28" and had plenty of scrap leftover.
• Measuring Tape
• Good Scissors/straight edge
• Fabric Pen
• 9" zipper
• pins
• These Fabric sheets (optional)
• inkjet printer
• Iron/ironing board

The main feature of this bag for me was the design on the front! I wanted it to look a bit like a wheel of brie, so I made a simple design in Word (because I'm not a graphic designer). I've attached the file, and show a picture above. Just make sure the design will fill up a 6" circle!

Now you're going to print you design onto your fabric paper. These fabric sheets are just fabric backed with paper. They're very easy to print designs onto because you can just put them right through your injet printer!

Once you've made your design, make a test print on regular printer paper, noting how to load your fabric paper in so that the design prints onto the fabric. In most cases, this means that you'll need to load your fabric paper fabric side down.

If you're satisfied with how your design printer, you're going to want to set the ink by ironing it without steam for 1-2 minutes on high. Let it cool and make a mark a 6.5" circle outside your design (so there is 1/4" seam allowance on all sides of the circle), then cut it out.

Start out by ironing the fabric you want to use.

I then started tracing out the pattern I wanted. I added a 1/4" seam allowance to all of the parts, tracing out the following:

• 3x 6.5" diameter circles
• 2x 10"x2" strips
• 1x 10"x2.5" strip
• 1x 4"x5" strip

Then I cut all of these pieces out and got ready to start sewing.

Note: When tracing out your circles it can help to first plot a center point and then mark a bunch of points 3.25" from the center point until you have enough to trace your circle out. I also marked a 6" circle concentric to the first so that I knew where to keep my stitching between (this helped a lot in the long run!).

Take your 3 strips of fabric and your zipper. Lay the zipper right side up (make sure it is flat, and iron it if necessary) and lay one of the thin strips so that the edge matches up with the edge of the fabric connected to the zipper (see the photo). Pin these two pieces together and using your sewing machine, add a straight stitch fairly close to the zipper. Fold the fabric flap over, iron it flat (see second photo), and add your other small strip using the same steps. Once both pieces have been added, iron the whole piece flat. This new strip will be wider than your remaining one, so line the zipper piece (centered with the other) and trim it carefully so they are the same width.

Lay the remaining strip on top of the zipper piece so that they line up and stitch across the top of them (see the fourth picture)

Now go ahead and iron the flaps flat so that your zipper looks super professional. Nicely done.

This blog does a nice job of explaining how to insert a zipper and how to modify a longer one so that it fits your purpose!

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/10/sewing-tips-i...

Alright now that you've got your zipper strips sewn, trim them to be the same size (so that the zipper is centered) as your final strip. Now lay that one on top of your zipper piece and stitch across it to connect the two pieces. Try to stitch as close to the zipper as possible, and as straight across as possible. Open the flap up and iron the piece flat.

This long strip is going to end up working as your middle piece between the circles you cut out.

Pair up 2 of your (blank) circles and stitch them together. I did this to make my bag a little bit thicker because the tablecloth i used was decently thin. When you do this make sure that the prettiest sides are facing outward!

Now stitch the other two circles, including the one you printed out back to back making sure that the design is facing out.

Now take the circle that is blank on both sides and very lightly divide the circle into 1/8ths. I made teeny marks with a light colored pencil just along the outside. Now take your zipper strip and mark it into 1/8ths along the outside edges. Do you see where i'm going? This is how you're going to be able to make sure your zipper piece is evenly distributed all around the circle. Gently and carefully pin the strip along the outside and leave a little room at the beginning and end of the strip so that you'll be able to sew the edges together later.

This was a tedious process and I used a regular straight stitch to sew the pieces together. Be sure to go slowly and make sure that your 1/8th marks line up as you continue. You don't want the piece to be twisty at all when you add the other side to it next!

When you have the bottom sewn in place, do the same to the other side! divide it into 1/8ths and then pin the circle to the rest of the bag so that the design is facing down and is in the general orientation that you want it to be. I wanted the zipper to be on the top of the bag so I rotated the design so that the zipper would be on the top of it. Once again be sure to leave room before and after the zipper. You'll be able to close this gap later, but it will make your life easier for now!

Hey! Now that your bag is starting to look more and more like a bag things are getting exciting! I did a quick zig zag stitch all around the edges to make sure that my bag would be super sturdy and withstand all of the cheese i plan on transporting in it!

Then go ahead and pin your zipper ends together. Carefully stitch them together and maybe go over them one more time (for sturdiness).

Now if you want to be able to strap this to something (a strap perhaps?) you can add a strip of fabric folded over on itself (I first slipped on a ring I wanted to use with the bag). Add this strap to the open end of the zipper (it'll zip shut onto this strap) and reinforce the heck out of it. This is going to be a strong bag.

Now flip your bag inside out! Or more accurately, outside out! Ta da! Your bag is now complete! trip any excess threads and marvel in your sewing prowess! You can also attach it to a bag that carries your brie! The possibilities are endless.

Thank you so much for reading this and let me know what you think! be sure to vote for me in the bag competition as well as the remix (of this bag) and homemade gifts contests! Enjoy!