Tutorial - Fabric Travel Pouch / Bag for Masks

 I was thinking through how the masks that I'd made were going to be used.  Some will be used on public transport, taken off (for example, schooling) and then what?  What do you do with your 'grubby' mask?

Obviously you could buy or make a fabric bag to put it in (FabWraps is still open on Etsy and selling bags!) but I wanted something that I could keep clean masks in too - ready for a journey home, say.

So this drawstring bag with pocket was born.  You keep clean masks in the outer pocket, and drop your used masks into the drawstring bag.  When you get home you can drop the whole package into the washing machine.

Genius, if I do say so myself!  So here's a tutorial.  Measurements are for my style of masks (finishing approximately 8.5" x 4")  but I'm sure that you can adjust it for your mask size / shape.

 You need three pieces of fabric and a length of cotton tape.  Two pieces 7" x 14", one piece 7" x 10" (for each bag I cut a 7" across the width of my fabric and added a piece into my scrap bag from the end of it.

Turn a hem on the top of the shorter piece.

Put a button hole in the centre of one of the tall pieces, 2" down from the top.

 Layer up the three pieces as follows with their bottom edges aligned.

• Right side up, button hole piece with button hole at the top.
• Right side up, shorter pocket piece.
• Wrong side up, plain tall piece.

Then sew around three sides - the long sides and the bottom.  I like to reinforce the start, stop and where the top of the pocket it with a 'forwards and backwards'.

 Now turn over 1/4" at the top (and press if liked).

 Next turn over approximately 1.5" to make a neat edge.

This is going to form the channel for your drawstring.

 Sew the channel, less than 1/4" from the folded edge of the fabric, using the free arm on your machine.

Now turn the bag out.  If the pocket looks inside out don't worry - you just need to pull it from inside the bottom corners to make it go the right way round!

 Thread the tape through the channel and knot the ends together.  I used 23" of cotton twill tape, so that I know it it is washable.

Ta-da!  Finished item.

You are ready to load it up with your clean masks in the front pocket, ready for your trip out.

 So, how did I spend my weekend?  Well, this was the batch that I made on Sunday, having done something similar on Saturday (and a few more masks for good luck!).


I hope that the idea is a good one and that it might have some use for you.

And stitching just for me?

More mini homes.  I'm still managing to complete one a day as part of the #100dayproject.

Loving these little bits of silliness!