The Strip Tease Bag

By Kat at “Ripping Out Seams”

Tips for Success

 Read this pattern all the way through before starting.

 Use ¼ seam allowances throughout.

 Remember, vinyl is not a forgiving material. Measure, cut and sew particularly carefully.
Mistakes can be very visible!

Terms of Use

 It’s simple…give credit where credit is due.

 For personal home use only. Please do not sell items made with this tutorial (exception
for charitable auctions, raffles, etc).
 HAVE FUN!!!

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Materials

 Scraps of varying widths (mine were between 1” & 3”) cut to 11” in length.
 1/3 yard of vinyl.
 1/6 yard of fabric for strap backing (you can also use two 2 ½” by 24” scraps).
 ½ yard of fabric for bag lining.
 1/3 yard of mid-weight interfacing (I used Pellon 40).
 Coordinating thread.
 Snap or other closure.

BN: If you want to make a non-scrappy version, substitute 1/3 yard of the fabric of your
choice for the miscellaneous scraps.

Making Your Pattern Piece

This bag has a round bottom. You will need to create the template for this. Find a large piece of
paper (old posters work great), a ruler and a pencil.

1. In the middle of your paper draw a 12” long line. Bisect it in the middle at a right angle
with a 6” long line.

2. Using those lines as a guide, sketch an oval. Try to make it as symmetrical as possible
with an even and consistent curve.

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 3. Cut it out, and you’re ready to get started!

Cutting

1. From your VINYL, cut one 2 ½ inch wide strip. From this, cut two 24” long strips and
set aside. These will be your straps.
2. Again, from the VINYL, cut one 5” wide strip. From this, cut two 16” long pieces.
3. From the remaining VINYL, cut one oval using your pattern piece. This will be the bag
bottom.
4. From your STRAP BACKING fabric, cut two 2 ½” by 24” strips.
5. From your LINING fabric, cut two 15” by 16” rectangles.
6. Using the remaining LINING fabric, cut one oval from your pattern piece. This will be
your lining bottom.
7. From your INTERFACING, cut two 10 ½” by 16” rectangles.

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Sewing

1. Sew your 11” strips together until you have a rectangle that is 16” long. Iron the fabric
flat and trim off the raw edges. Your finished rectangle should measure 10 ½” by 16”.
This is your front panel. Repeat to create the back panel.

2. Place one piece of the interfacing on the wrong side of your front panel. Using any
method that you like, topstitch the interfacing to secure it in place. (In this example, I
simple stitched along the edge of the black strips with black thread. This holds the
interfacing securely, without being visible. You may choose to baste around the edges or
stipple, or any other method instead.)
3. With right sides together, sew one of your 5” by 16” vinyl pieces to the top of the front
panel. With your iron on low heat, press the seam up against the back of the vinyl (away
from your panel piece). Top stitch along the edge of the vinyl, holding the seam
allowance in place. Repeat with the back panel as well.

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4. Place your two panels so that they are right sides together. Pin in place. Sew the two
sides together, remembering to backstitch at the ends.
5. Next, grab your vinyl bag bottom. Pin it to your bag panels. To ensure that this is done
evenly, begin pinning at each of the four compass points (the middle of the bag should be
pinned to the middle of the bag bottom, etc). Once those four compass points are pinned
in place, ease the rest of the area together, being careful to distribute any excess fabrics to
minimize tucks. Zig-zag stitch in place.

6. Using whatever scraps you have, make your pocket. You will need two finished pieces
of equal size (I used 7” by 5”). Place the two pieces right sides together and sew all the
way around retaining a small gap at the top of the pocket. Turn and press, tucking the
open edges in. Top-stitch along the top of the pocket to close the gap. Attach to your
lining, remembering to backstitch to secure the edges.

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7. Repeat steps four and five to sew your lining together with a two modifications. First,
take a slightly larger seam allowance (somewhere between ¼ and ½ inch) which will
result in a better fit. Second, leave an opening in the side of your bag, large enough for
your hand, with fingers slightly spread, to fit through. This will allow you to turn your
bag right side out.

8. Next, sew your straps. Take one of your vinyl straps and one of your strap backings and
pin right sides together. Sew, leaving a small gap for turning. Turn your strap right sides
out, and press. Fold the strap in half along its width, so that the vinyl side is turned out.
Topstitch along the open edge to hold the edges together. Repeat on the folded edge for
symmetry if desired. Repeat with your second strap.

BN: When bent in half this way, your strap lining will create a piping effect. A
matching color will be barely visible, but I love the way a contrasting color pops.
Experiment and decide which you prefer!

9. Your individual pieces are now complete and ready for final assembly! Pin the
completed handle strips to the bag exterior so that the ends of each strap are aligned with
the top of the bag as shown in the diagram. Make sure that the handles are not twisted.
Then, place the bag exterior inside the bag lining so right sides are together. Pin along
the top edge, making sure to line up the side seams. Sew, taking care to secure the
handles.

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10. Turn the bag so that both bag exterior and bag lining are extended outward. Carefully
aligning and tucking in the unfinished edges of the bag lining, stitch the gap closed.

BN: As always, hand stitching this opening closed will yield a neater, less noticeable
seam. Personally, I don’t find it worth the bother, so I just machine sew it. It is
completely up to you, however.

11. Continue turning the bag and tuck the lining inside the bag exterior. Top stitch along the
top of the bag.

Finishing
1. Using a needle and thread, attach the snap or closure of your choice to the bag.
2. Enjoy your beautiful, completed bag!