My best friend got married last weekend and I wanted to make her a personalized Emergency Wedding Kit. So, I decided to create a makeup bag that I could fill with all sorts of wedding day goodies. I filled it with floss, a toothbrush, toothpaste, tweezers, lotion, mouthwash, various pain relievers and antacids, and other things she might need on her special day. It ended up looking great and becoming something that she could later use as a makeup bag! I decided that I needed one also, and I created this tutorial as I made mine. I hope you will find this useful and easy to follow!
You will need:
· 2 coordinating scraps of fabric (one for the exterior of the bag, one for the lining), at least 22” x 10”
· Fusible interfacing, at least 22” x 10”
· One zipper, at least 10”
1. Create a Pattern:
· To create a pattern, cut the following pieces from butcher paper (or whatever you use to create patterns).
· Cut one rectangle measuring 9.5” x 15”
· Cut a small rectangle measuring 4” x 4.5”
· Fold the small rectangle in half twice, and round the open edge to create soft corners (second picture above)
· These are your two pattern pieces
2. Cut:
· From each fabric, cut the large rectangle piece measuring 9.5” x 15”
· From each fabric, cut two small rectangle piece measuring 4” x 4.5”
· From the fusible interfacing, one 9” x 14.5” piece and two 3.5” x 4” piece (cut slightly smaller than the actual fabric piece to ease bunching).
3. Fuse:
· Fuse the interfacing to the fabric that you would like to be the lining of the bag, following the manufacturer’s instructions. If you cannot find fusible interfacing, you can baste the interfacing to the lining using a scant ¼” seam allowance.
4. Prepare the Zipper:
· Cut it to length, if necessary
· Close off the cut edge by hand sewing around the teeth until secure. Knot to secure.
5. Sew the Exterior:
· Iron the two 9.5″ sides of the exterior rectangle 1/2″ in. This will prepare the two ends that the zipper will get topstitched onto. On one of the small rectangles (exterior fabric), find the center of the long (4.5″ side) and line it up parallel with the large rectangle, right sides together, as pictured above. Begin pinning the pieces together, rotating the small rectangle as you go. Repeat with the other side.
· Sew both sides using a ½” seam allowance.
· Using pinking shears, cut away excess fabric (or, cut notches and slits in the seam allowance to ease turning).
6. Sew on the Zipper:
· Open the zipper up as far as it will go. Turn the bag to inside out. Line up the right side of the bag (the 1/2 seam allowance that you ironed over in step 5, do not catch the rest of the bag) with the right side of the zipper and sew the zipper down (close to the teeth of the zipper – see purple marks in photo above) to the ironed edge of the bag.
7. Sew the Lining:
· Iron down the two 9.5” sizes to make a clean hem.
· Sew the lining exactly as you did the exterior fabric.
8. Assemble the Makeup Bag:
· Fit the lining inside the exterior bag, lining up the zipper seam with the lining ironed over edge. Pin together and hand sew the lining to the exterior along the zippered edge. If desired, topstitch around zipper.
9. Customize!
· I added a handle and attached it with buttons for interest. Be creative!
comeandseetheseitz.com 
Very cute and well explained!
Love, Mom
Cute bag!
cuteness!
Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing!!
[…] Make-up Bag – keep your make-up organized […]
Dude and dudette, cmon sept 7th? Thats the last post?! I know more is going on than that I see you guys every day!!!! I wanna know how to make more things dang it!!!!
I love this tutorial! thanks! i can’t wait to try it!
Awesome tutorial. nice job!
[…] Come and see the seitz: Makeup Bag Tutorial […]
I’ve been eying this tutorial for a couple of weeks – found via Google – I think I’m going to give it a shot. Thanks for posting it!
[…] Makeup Bag Tutorial […]
Hi sweetie, great site! I really like this post.. I was curious about this for a long time now. This cleared a lot up for me! Do you have a rss feed that I can add?
Hi i really like this makeup bag and i dont know if you want to do this, but can you make a video of this makeup bag please?
thank you
What is the finished size of this bag. Sorry if it’s posted and I missed it.
Hi Heather! Sorry for the delay. The finished dimensions are about 8.5″ long, 3.5″ tall and 4″ wide. Thanks!
I like the style of this make up bag and was thinking of making it as a pencil case. What would the measurements be for a slightly smaller bag?
(About 7″ long, 2.5″ tall and 3″ wide)
[…] Makeup Bag Tutorial: Sewing project. Zip top closure, more traditional style of bag. Nice and roomy, perfect for traveling. […]
I loved this little bag! Took me a couple tries to get it right but once I did it came out perfect! I made them in a set. I used your pattern as the smallest then made one 9″ by 10″ and another 12″ by 13″ so its like a little set. Also a couple things I added were i a liner layer. This consisted of a complimentary pattern fabric and a layer of clear vinal. I sewed them all together at the same time and followed you instructions exactly. thanks for the help!
Just made this bag as a Christmas present for my best friend and it turned out great. Thanks for sharing your genius!
great blog! i learn few things in this post, thanks for the share.
i cant understand the pining og the small rectangle to the big one
i got it..i figured out how to pin it..took some tries to figure it out.
i am not sure how to sew on the zipper after the bag is made. I am only familiar with attaching a zipper before the bag is made. how do u do that?
[…] syning igår, kom der dette penalhus/kosmetik taske udaf. Jeg har fulgt denne vejledning. Jeg synes dog den var lidt kringlet nogen steder, og jeg ville have gjort ting […]
[…] Makeup bag by Come and See the Seitz (I don’t know if I’m brave enough to tackle the zipper yet though) […]