Baby Boy's Cuffed Striped Bag! (I could never get everything in my Diaper Bag!)

Sturdy and roomy enough for toys or anything else extra that might be needed,

This is the last of my current baby gifts and this is for a little boy.  The bibs are ready to tuck inside.  I just need to get to it!  I enjoy thinking up the "look" and the "feel" of each bag and for this one I am thinking "Rail Road Engineer"  for the theme and for the color combination.  Truth be told I have made this one already in my head!

My fabric selection is washed, dried, and pressed, including the cotton strapping material.

I have maybe 3 yards of navy blue and white canvas ticking stripe which is sloshing away in the washing machine as I write!  I went to Hobby Lobby (My new "go to" store for notions, love their coupons!) and purchased red cotton strapping.  I spied a red bandanna print for 30% off and liked it better than anything I already had so it and the strapping has already made it through my laundry and I stand ready to cut and sew in the morning.  Friday,  8/30/13,  5:20 PM.

I want to highlight the lining because I love the contrast of the red pattern against the navy ticking stripe so I am going to make the bag with a border across the top a couple of inches deep with the red bandanna material as well as use it for the lining.  The body of the bag will be the navy ticking stripe with the contrasting straps of the red cotton.

Do you remember how the engineer on the trains dressed in years gone by?  I can still see in my minds eye the engineer dressed in blue striped cap with a red bandanna around his neck and bib overalls!  We lived out in the country and a rail road bordered the side pasture.  In the summer if we were out in that field cutting thistle or getting the cows we would see them close up waving to us as the freight trains chugged by....And of course we waved wildly back thinking it all a thrilling adventure.

Straps sewn on and seams stitched!

I started the bag using the same steps as is outlined in the link      thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2013/08/just-finished-2nd-baby-gift-after.html      and you can click here to go to those instructions.  I did make a few changes.

I really like the boxed corners on the bottom of this bag.

After pressing the newly laundered fabric and strapping I tore the body of the bag and the lining to the exact same dimensions.  Next I attached the straps 6" from the outside raw edges and 4" BELOW the top of the outside of the bag  edge stitching both sides of the strap and reinforcing with a crossed box at the top as shown in the link above.  Next I stitched the side seams and boxed the bottom.

It is much easier to be sure this is exact before the final stitching.

I repeat the same process with the lining but I ALWAYS stop before I close the second side seam and hold up the lining to the bag to see where EXACTLY the seam should end to fit PERFECTLY.  This saves a whole lot of grief later on!

Basting holds the fabric in place and keeps them from stretching out of shape or slipping.

Then I slip the lining down inside the bag wrong sides facing each other and pin the two raw edges of the bag and lining together.  Today I moved the sewing machine to it's largest basting stitch and sewed the bag and lining together 1/4" from the raw edge.

The bag could have stopped here but I want it to have more of a cuff and have left 4" instead of the 2" I usually leave above where I stop the straps to have more to fold down at the top..

After pressing under and then again edge stitch closed.  I like finding and attaching a little label that says I cared enough to make this just for you.

Sew some love.

That is just what I did next!

To form the "cuff"  fold down and machine tack just above the straps and on the side seams.
It is 2:00 PM Saturday and this is all done!

Just a quick double check to be sure all of the strings are clipped and it is good to go!