January 4-6: Yoga mat bag turned shoe carrier

I can think of hundreds of reasons to make a bag.  I can think of hundreds of things that I could put into a bag.  A yoga mat, for me at least, is not one of those things.  But of course, the project for January 4-6 was from Bored and Crafty and was originally designed to carry a yoga mat.

I wanted to follow the directions pretty closely and have my end result be similar to the original project.  I looked around the house for something roundish and longish and didn't find much.  What I did find was a sweet pair of heels that I scored on an 80% off (I know, right?) sale this weekend, and opted for a shoe bag.  Given that I live in Michigan and the ground is covered in ice and snow (and not even the pretty white kind, the kind that's sloppy and brownish from tire tracks and car exhaust) so actually wearing said heels outside is out of the question, especially if I want to keep my legs out of plaster casts, so a bag to carry them to and from the office seems in good order.

I followed the original directions to measure the length and circumference of my carry-able object then cut and sewed my pieces just as described.  My bag was obviously shorter than the original, taking up only a fat quarter for the outer bag and another for the inner bag.  I also omitted the strap used to carry it over my shoulder which saved some additional fabric.  I fused some lightweight interfacing to the lining fabric and double interfaced the bottom for stability, but ended up with a bag that almost stands up by itself, so looking back I didn't really need to add that step.  I also folded, stitched and pressed the opening of my drawstring casing as an added precaution against frays. 

With more snow in the forecast tonight, this baby will be making it's maiden voyage to the office tomorrow.