Here is the promised tutorial for the ort bag. It is written the way I actually made it but I have had some ideas since making the first one and would do some of it differently if I made another.
Ort bag tutorial
What you need
Materials
You need two pieces of fabric:
One 14.5″ x 3″
One 12.5″ x 5″
a length of ribbon (approx 20″)
Score .5" from the top edge
Method
Take your ruler and a pin and score a line .5″ from the narrow edges of all the strips of material.
Then repeat .25″ from the edges.
Fold .25" from the top edge
Fold along the .25″ score mark and then fold again.
While holding down the folded edge, pin a strip of ribbon slightly wider than the strip along the top edge. Then machine the along that top edge. Once you have done this, machine the bottom of the ribbon to secure it. Do this top and bottom of both strips. Then trim the ribbon to the edge of the strips.
Pin the ribbon
Sew down the bottom edge of the ribbon
Sew the ribbon to both edges of both strips of material
Sew along the folded over fabric
Fold over .25″ on the long edges of the strips and machine down.
Sewn strips
Fold the narrow strip lengthwise
Fold the thin strip lengthwise and finger press. The unfold and machine along the fold line. This will help the bag to fold like a supermarket brown paper bag once it is finished.
Stitch along the fold line
Then fold the thin strip in half the other way and finger press the fold so that when you open it out you have a cross at the centre. Then take the wider strip and first fold it lengthwise and finger press. Then open it out and fold it the other way and finger press. You should now have a cross of folds at the centre of both pieces of fabric.
Place the narrower strip over the wider strip at right angles. Take a pin and pierce the centre of the folded cross of both pieces. Then pin the strips in the form of a cross and machine stitch the borders of the cross.
Fold the wider piece
Place a pin through the centers
Pin the two strips together
Stitch around the borders of the cross
Once you have stitched around the rectangle at the centre then stitch diagonally then across the narrow side and diagonally again and then across the the other short side.
Stitch diagonally
Turn the bag right side out
Turn the bag right side out and pin around the sides of the bag.
Pin around the sides
Machine around the edge
Stitch around the edges a little less than .25″ from the edges. Do this on both ends of the bag.
Finished bag folded like a supermarket bag
Bag from the other side
Finished bag open
I hope you enjoy making this bag. If you use the contact form to let me know you have made one I’ll be happy to send you my email address so you can send me a photo and I’ll put it up on the blog.
Dear Munaiba,
What a simple way to make an ort bag. I made 3 different styles and 1 was a square and I had a devil of a job to work out how to sew it. You have made it so easy.
I went to the Craft and Sew Show at Caulfield on Saturday and found another Ort bag to make using 3 hexagon pieces. Today I cut out the hexagons and hope to sew it tomorrow.
Cheers
Kate
Hi Kate
Thanks for the comment. I’d love to see pics of your ort bags, do you have a link?
Cheers
Munaiba
Wonderful easy to follow instructions. I can’t wait to give this a try. I should get to sew all day since it’s Mother’s Day, don’t you think. I will post a picture when I have one made. Soon I hope.
Hi Munaiba,
Very clear tutorial. Makes me want to figure out where I put the sewing machine. What does ort mean?
I was thinking if I included a flap & a long ribbon shoulder strap it would make a darling little purse for my little DGD.
Thanks for all the work on the tutorial.
Doris
Hi Doris
Orts are the small bits of thread that stick to a quilter’s person lol. So it’s really an abandoned thread bag to put all those little bits you snip off while you’re sewing so you don’t end up decorated with them. :).
Cheers
Munaiba