by Leila | @leila.makes
If you have 1. a cat that loves to use anything as a scratching post and/or 2. a yoga mat that you bought when you had that groupon for classes a while back, but now you leave it around the house just in case one day you’re ready to get back into stretching – do I have the project for you!
In all seriousness, I’ve been meaning to make a yoga mat bag for a while now – so that I can keep it protected from my cat, who has an unhealthy obsession with sinking her claws into the foam and ripping out tiny bits, scratch by scratch. But, I also wanted a bag so that I can carry my mat around more easily when I do go out to a yoga class (should that day ever come :)).
Supplies Needed:
- Fabric – amount based on the size of your mat, see below to determine dimensions
- Drawstring cording
- Sewing machine + thread
Steps:
- Measure your yoga mat: length, circumference, radius
- These are loose measurements, you don’t need to roll your mat super tight to get perfect measurements, just roll it how you normally do and gather measurements from it, i.e., don’t overthink it!
- Calculate fabric dimensions (we’ll be using a ½” seam allowance)
- BODY HEIGHT = Mat Length (24”) + 1.5” ease/wiggle room + Seam Allowance (½” on either side = 1” total) = 26.5”
- DRAWSTRING FLAP =
- HEIGHT = Mat Radius (2.5”) + Seam Allowance (1” for foldover hem on top + ½” on bottom = 1.5” total) = 4”
- BASE = Determine circle base from your finishedBODY circumference → remove the Seam Allowance from the BODY circumference (18.5”-1” = 17.5”) and then divide this by pi = 5.6” → round up to the nearest ⅛” for convenience = 5 ⅝”, then add Seam Allowance (½” on either side = 1” total) = 6 ⅝” diameter circle
- STRAP =
- LENGTH = Mat Length (24”) + 5” ease/wiggle room + Seam Allowance (½” on either side = 1” total) = 30”
- WIDTH = I decided on a 1” finished strap width → 1” + Seam Allowance (½” on either side = 1” total) = 2”
- OUTER POCKET (OPTIONAL) → this piece is completely up to you! I’m going to add a little pocket to stash my phone and some chapstick. For these items, I decided on a finished pocket of 5” x 7”
- POCKET HEIGHT = 7” + Seam Allowance (1” for foldover hem on top + ½” on other side = 1.5” total) = 8.5”
- Cut out your pieces
- BODY x1
- DRAWSTRING FLAP x1 *I recommend using a lightweight fabric for this piece so that it can effectively cinch in when you close it. Thicker fabric may be difficult to cinch and close the flap fully
- BASE x1
- STRAP x2
- OUTER POCKET (OPTIONAL) x1
- Prep DRAWSTRING FLAP + STRAPS
- Press DRAWSTRING FLAP sides in by ¼” two times, toward the wrong side → then edgestitch
- Prep STRAP pieces
- Press long edges of STRAP in by ½”, then put wrong sides together → edgestitch on either side to make one strap piece
- OPTIONAL: Prep POCKET
- Press sides and bottom edge in toward the wrong side by ½”
- Press upper edge in toward the wrong side by ¼” then ¾” → then edgestitch the upper hem of pocket
- Sew POCKET to BODY (centered) along sides and bottom edge
- Sew BODY sides together
- Finish seam by preference (serger, zig zag, french, bias bound)
- Baste STRAP to BODY
- Baste STRAP ends to upper and lower edge of the right side of BODY, covering the seam you just made
- Sew DRAWSTRING FLAP to BODY
- Quarter the BODY bottom to match to the quartered DRAWSTRING FLAP, right sides together → then sew
- Finish seam by preference (serger, zig zag, french, bias bound)
- Sew BASE to BODY
- Quarter BODY circle to help match to the quartered BASE, right sides together → then sew
- Finish seam by preference (serger, zig zag, french, bias bound)
- Insert drawstring through DRAWSTRING FLAP channel
- I ended up adding a toggle to my drawstring, as I had one on hand
Insert your yoga MAT!