Dopp Bag

I've got my eye on a couple of big bags (a weekender and project bag) but I'm waiting on some special fabric for them. In the meantime I'm knocking off some of the smaller bags on my mental list. Next up was a Toiletry (or Dopp, which just sounds much more fun) bag. Because if I remember anything from my hospital stay when Goose was born it was that my toiletry bag was an embarrassment (please note heavy sarcasm).

I found this fantastic and easy to follow tutorial for a box bag by Truly Myrtle. Though of course I had to make a couple of additions!

First off I used a heavy interfacing, fused to the fabric with double sided webbing, for a more structural design. Next I used some iron-on vinyl I found at Joann's to make the inside waterproof. If I didn't do it, I know there were would bottles of shampoo popping everywhere. Now that I have done it, I'm sure nothing will ever spill.

Lastly, I included two very shallow (2.5" deep) zippered pockets on either side of the interior for jewelry. My original plan was to put them on the outside and then for some reason I brushed that off and went on the inside. Now I'm remembering that the outside plan was so that I could access the jewelry without having to empty the bag. Doh.

 

All in all I love this little bag. It's not all that small either at 12" long by 4" high by 6" wide. I found it a little tough to get all those heavy and stick layers turned right side out at the end and had rip out more of the stitching than was called for, which then had to be resewn by hand and doesn't look as clean as I would like. Next time I think I'll also put a pull tab for the zipper on the other side as well. But the instructions were clear and for my first bag I think it turned out just fine!

 

Can I also say that I ADORE the exterior fabric? Love in a ridiculous way. I nearly couldn't bring myself to cut it... but hopefully I'll see it more frequently this way than sitting in a fabric pile somewhere!