So it’s May and we finally have sunshine…hurraah! One of my favourite things about the arrival of nice weather is being able to hang my washing outside. Yes, agreed…I do need to get out more!

My tutorial today is to celebrate the glorious-ness that is hanging your washing on the line with this very cute peg bag.

For a simpler version, just make it with fabric too beautiful to cover up with the decoration details! Or, for the more confident sew-er, use subtler fabric and appliqué a little washing line like mine!

You need:

• Fabric for bag outer (here I’ve used Ditsy Blue Floral)
• Fabric for bag lining (here I’ve used Sky Blue and White Spot)
• Coordinating thread
• Two buttons
• Chalk, scissors, needle and iron.

Option extras (for washing line decoration)

• Bondaweb
• Scraps of co-ordinating fabric
• Embroidery thread (here I’ve used black and brown)

Step 1. Cut the fabric.

• Cut two rectangles of outer fabric 35cm x 25cm.

• From one of the rectangles, cut a piece 10cm wide, so you are left with two pieces: one 10cm x 25cm and another 25cm x 25cm.

• Cut the lining fabric: cut one rectangle 25cm x 35cm (same as the outer fabric), another 25cm x 27cm and, a small rectangle 25cm x 12cm.
• Cut two piece of lining fabric: 20cm x 5cm for the button loops.

Step 2. Make the button loops.

• Press the button loop fabric in half length-ways, right-side (patterned-sides) out.

• Open, and fold the sides towards the centre fold, press.

• Re-fold along the centre fold, pin and sew along the open side, a few mm from the edge. Repeat for both button loops, and leave aside until later.

If you are not decorating the front of your bag with the little washing line, please skip to Step 4: Making up the bag.

Step 3. Decorating the front of the bag.

• Using a pencil, lightly draw the line for where you want to hand-sew the washing line on the front piece of outer fabric (the one that measures 25cm x 25cm).

• Using the black embroidery thread, hand sew a running stitch along your pencil line.

• Draw shapes of little clothes on the paper side of the Bondaweb – I’ve done some little trousers, a t-shirt, a long-sleeve top, a towel, and some pants!

• Cut out around the shapes and place on the reverse of your fabric scraps. Press for a few seconds until the glue of the Bondaweb fuses and then cut out the shapes.

• When they have cooled, peel off the paper backing of the Bondaweb, leaving the glue layer attached to the fabric.
• Place your clothes pieces along the embroidered washing line. Press so they stick to the bag fabric.

• Set your sewing machine to a small straight stitch. Carefully, close to the edge, sew around the clothes using your choice or contrasting or matching thread.

• Finally, add the finishing touches to your decoration by hand-sewing the pegs (it wouldn’t be a peg bag without the pegs!) – I  back-stitched a couple of stitches per peg using a brown embroidery thread.

Step 4. Putting the bag together.

• Place the front bag pieces (outer and lining), those measuring 25cm x 25cm and 25cm x 27cm respectively (the outer piece you have just decorated if applicable), together, right-sides, facing. 

• Pin and, using a 1cm seam allowance, sew across the top. Press the seams open.

• Fold the lining back over the outer (reverse-sides facing), and line up across the bottom. Press. Because the lining piece was 2cm longer, you will have a edging of lining fabric showing across the top of the front outer piece (see picture below to make this step clearer).

• Top stitch across this piece to neaten.

• Find your button loops you made earlier, fold and pin to the right-side of the bag back outer fabric (measuring 25cm x 35cm), at equal distance across the top. The loop should be facing in with the open ends poking out of the top – sew in place.

• Get your small rectangle of outer fabric (measuring 25cm x 10cm) and place, right-sides together, on top of the back outer fabric and button loops. Pin across the top.

• Repeat the above for the lining fabric (minus the button loops) and sew, using a 1cm seam allowance, across the top. Press open the seams.

• Place these two pieces, right-sides, together. Pin across the top (the top of the small rectangle) and sew using a 1cm seam allowance. Press open the seams.

• As with the front bag piece, fold the lining of this piece back over the outer, reverse-sides together. Line up across the bottom and press. Again, as the lining (of the small rectangle piece) was 2cm longer, this should create a nice band of contrasting lining across the top of the outer piece.

• Top stitch as before.

• Fold the small rectangle over so right sides are together. Pin along the sides.

• Place the front bag piece, right sides together on the other half of the bag back, with a slight over-lap of the small rectangle. Pin around the edge.

• Using a 1cm seam allowance, sew down the sides and across the bottom of the bag.

• Turn right way out through the opening. Press.

Step 5. Attach the buttons.

• Fold the button loops over to the top of the bag to work out where you need to put the buttons. Make a small chalk mark to help position the buttons.

• Sew on the buttons.

Fill with pegs and proudly hang on your washing line!