Reversible Bag

I recently switched to a queen size bed and felt bad about throwing out the old sheets, so on a whim I decided to buy a $10 sewing kit and learn to hand sew. After reading some tutorials and watching YouTube videos, I found this simple pattern for a reversible bag with a pocket.

I did it all with backstitch, and used used contrasting black thread to more easily see how good (or bad) it was. I found it pretty hard to sew in a straight line with even stitch length and tension, while at the same time holding the fabric pieces together. I got good at tying knots by rolling the thread between my fingers, but had trouble getting multiple knots in the same spot. I tried to use pieces of thread long enough so that I wasn’t constantly starting a new thread, but short enough so that it wouldn’t kink. In some parts I sewed with doubled thread, which is stronger and prevents the needle from slipping off, but it seemed to cause a lot more kinks, and I often had to pull both threads individually or else loops of thread would get stuck.

It took a long time but overall I’m happy with the the bag. I don’t use it for groceries because I’m worried it wouldn’t be strong enough, but it’s useful for other things, and it was a good as a learning project. If I made another, I’d probably make it bigger, especially the handles.