Isn’t this Mama Mia Diaper Bag so CUTE!?
I got the pattern and fabric before Brady was born with full intentions of finishing it before his arrival.
Well, obviously that didn’t happen. 🙂
But it’s done now! And I think it’s perfect timing because he gets to help me model the cute bag!
Don’t you just love this fabric!? It had me at “Hello.”
It’s from Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda.
I am going to go through the pattern and tell you some tips and tricks to finishing the bag.
I’ve also included some changes you might want to make.
This pattern was a little more difficult for me to understand, considering this is the third pattern I’ve followed ever, so hopefully some of these suggestions can help beginning sewers.
– TIPS –
Fabric – I ran out of fabric for my outside and inside pockets. That is why you see two different fabrics for the inside pockets. You may want to get a little bit more.
Interlining (cotton fleece) – In the pattern it says to machine baste or use temporary adhesive spray. Interlining can come with a fusible backing (and we carry it! :)). All you have to do is iron it onto the back of your fabric; much easier than sewing or spraying!
Rings – These are impossible to find! I was able to find a seller online, but I would have had to buy a lot of them instead of just six. I ended up just using D-Rings and they work great! We also now carry Grommets, which would work great with this bag!
Template Plastic – It really exists. I searched and searched for it. If you’re not sure where it would be in a craft store, just ask. It is just plastic and it will go in the bottom of the bag to keep it sturdy.
Step 3 – You will need to use your Vanishing Fabric Marker for this part. You need to put the lines of where you need to sew on the back of the fabric. Stitch down in both lines (remember to backstitch! This is very important!) and press them open as per instructions. I got really confused in this part because I didn’t have the pattern piece in front of me.
Step 11 – Stitching tucks is really easy! There are two notches next to each other on each side of the pocket. You just have to put one notch on top of the other. Make sure the fold is turned away from the center.
Step 10 and 12 – In step 10, the pattern has you press a line for the stitching line. Step 12 has you stitch through that line. I found the pockets to be kind of small. It’s hard to stick a diaper in it. It is great for bottles and lots of other things, but if you want bigger pockets, then you can move this stitching line over so one pocket is bigger and the other will now be smaller. If you want to make this change, press the stitching line over in step 10.
Step 14 – This step seems really weird and threw me off. But it really is exactly like the picture is saying. You will sew the two lining bases onto another lining base that has the interlining attached to it. Sew them onto the right side of the fabric, not the interlining side.
Step 22 – This is the step where you attach your handles to your bag. I read through it many times and made sure to put the handles on correctly. Then I finished and went to put on my bag when I realized I really didn’t put them on correctly.
There is a front handle and a back handle.
Not a right and left handle.
I’m spelling it out just in case you need this like I needed it. 🙂
– Lastly, this bag does open quite a bit. Adding some Magnetic Snaps would definitely help keep things intact.
Changing Pad
Step 5 – I kind of skipped a step and sewed my velcro on before I stitched the two sides together. Now I wish I hadn’t done that. My reasoning is that I wish instead of following the pattern on where to put the fuzzy part, I folded up my changing pad how I liked and marked where I wanted to attach the velcro. The pattern has you sew the velcro on after you’ve sewn the two sides and turned it around, so seeing the stitching through the inside wouldn’t have been that big of a deal.
This bag was really intimidating to me when I got the pattern, but now after having gone through it, it really wasn’t that bad. And if you’d like to try it, but you’re a little nervous, don’t worry! I’ve done it, so you can ask me any questions you’d like.
This bag would also be really cute as a normal bag. It’s really big for everything you might need.
You don’t need a baby to make this bag. 🙂
13 Comments
I sent this link to my Mom. I sooooo… want this for my birthday!
What a cute diaper bag! I just love it! I don’t have a baby to make it for but my niece is having a baby in November. Hmm…..
Brittany – it is so easy to put together! And so cute and stylish! 🙂
I just got my pattern in. I bought it to make for a baby gift, but I think I’ll make it as a craft bag for myself as well!!
That’s a great idea Carla! It is so cute! Have fun! 🙂
These are nice diaper bags! They are really cute and I love their colorful designs. I so much love pink bags. I am also designing bags. Actually, I am more on homemade diaper bags.
ooo could I hire you to make me one of these? It’s so pretty, but Id want different fabric…
I made this bag over the weekend (not based on your review so don’t feel responsible!) and had some issues. I was wondering if you had had the same and could comment (or email me) on your experience using the bag.
The big problem I had is that the outside of the bag doesn’t have any interfacing. I used quilting cotton so it would drape nicely from the tucks and, while the tucks do look nice, the rest of the bag looks like a wrinkled shirt. I made the bag as a gift for a mom-to-be and seems kind of wrong to give her something that needs to be ironed (and starched). Not like she’ll have anything to do, right?
The other problem was the interlining. I used batting (like the pattern mentions) instead of fusible, mostly because I wanted to pre-shrink it so she can wash the bag without it wrinkling up like a quilt. The batting had to extend into the seams – I didn’t think those four pockets would be enough to secure it – making the connecting seams for the lining pieces are really bulky. So … have you washed your bag? And if so, how did the fusible look afterward? Still secure? Still reasonably flat?
Last thing, I didn’t trust the instruction not to put any interfacing in the handles. Did you find that your handles held up well or did they wear out?
Thanks for your thoughts on this. I really appreciate hearing your experience. And your bag is totally cute. I think the varying the fabric for the pockets looks great – I did that, too – and I used your d-ring suggestion because those 0-rings are still impossible to find. Thanks again.
Hi Sara! I’m so sorry you are having problems! It has been a really long time since I made the bag, so I will have to get out my pattern and bag to remember what I did and answer your questions. I use mine now as a laptop bag, hehe. I’ll try to get back to you tomorrow! – Shirley 🙂
Hey, thanks for responding so quickly.
I showed it to my sewing friends over the weekend and they were in agreement. If it had been just for me, I’d have said, “Rats” and lived with it. But for a gift, it isn’t quite up to snuff. So I took it apart – loved that battery-operated seam ripper for that – and I plan to put a very, very light fusible interfacing on the outer fabric and switch to flannel instead of batting for interfacing the bag lining. I already used that light interfacing in the handles and was satisfied with how it looked so I’m hopeful it will work with the tucks.
I’m also going to skip the double layer of batting, quadruple layers of fabric and removable template plastic in the bottom in favor of fusible Floriani or Peltex. After that, I’ll reassess. I know that sounds like a lot of trouble, but really, once I had the bag apart, it didn’t seem like that much to me. The part I find tedious, laying out & cutting, is already done. It’s just sewing from here and that’s the part I like.
Hi Oakley! I am so sorry about our blog running slow. We have been having some major technical difficulties and are currently working on getting it up and going again. I apologize again and appreciate your patience!
Thank you for your comment! Michelle 🙂
I adore this diaper bag and love your choice of fabrics. I made one of these for myself and then for friends at baby showers and then their friends…etc. Needless to say I have made about 15 of these diaper bags and have earned huge HUGS from all my friends for them. I continue to get emails from someone who was at a baby shower and saw the gift and now they want to order for another friends shower etc.
I will share the tips that I have made for myself to make it easier and more cost effective.
I have altered my pattern to increase the seam allowance by 1/4 inch. I just find that sewing a bag with the seam allowance that is on the directions is a disaster waiting to happen. My first two or so bags eventually pulled out at a seam around the bottom and I had to repair them. Since then I always enlarge the seam allowance, I sew it, then zig zag stitch around that, than I trim excess (only around the bottom and sides). This has helped tremendously.
For the Interlining I actually just use fleece. I buy a large quantity of it with a 40% off coupon at Joanns Fabric. I have had my bag for 3 years (I actually just retired it) and I have washed it a Zillion times and it washed great, My Sis in Law has had hers for two years and she also washes it about once a month and it did hold up well. I did prewash and iron my fabric and then I basted the fleece to the pieces as outlined in the directions. *You have to take the plastic out before washing!
For the template on the bottom, I use a extra strength quilting template from Joann’s in the quilting section. These are a bit pricey at about $4 a template and I can only use one per bag. It is flexible enough to get into the pockets without breaking. I tried to find something else similar at the craft stores and hardware stores but I haven’t found anything so I am up for anyone who has a good cost effective alternative.
My biggest find for this bag was using Curtain Rings from Lowes for the rings. I could not find 2 inch 0 rings anywhere without paying $3.00-$6.00 per ring and you need a whopping six for this bag. I get 1 1/2 bags out of each package of curtain rings and they run around $12.00 for the set.
I hope that this helps some of you who are trying out this bag in the future. I absolutely adore mine and I debating on making another or a different style now that I have a Toddler and a bigger kid and don’t need all of the little pockets anymore. Happy Sewing 🙂
Hi Stephanie! Oh my goodness…thank you so so much for your incredible tips and tricks. That was so kind of you to share these with all of us here at the Ribbon Retreat. Have a wonderful day and thank you again! Happy Sewing to you too!!! Michelle 🙂