{keyword}

Yoga Mat Bag

Yoga Mat Bag - Feature Article

contact \| other yoga mat bag websites \| main page Yoga Mat Bag - How to Make Your Own 'Tubular Design' Yoga Mat Bag Author: Sundeep Sitara Types of yoga mat bag You tend to see two types of yoga mat bag. One type of yoga mat bag resembles a sack with a draw string at one end and looks quite baggy with the yoga mat inside. This is not the sort of bag I favour making since the end finish is less crisp and clean. Such bags always seem to look overly homemade. The other type of yoga mat bag is basically a tube of material with a circular end piece which forms a base. This design of yoga mat bag is an all together more compact construction. The tips on making a yoga mat bag mentioned in this article relate to construction of this second type of yoga mat bag: the tubular yoga mat bag design design. Basic sewing skills This article assumes that since you are going to make your own yoga mat bag, you have basic sewing skills, you know how to join garments with a seam, and that you know how to use a home sewing machine. Making your yoga mat bag This article is a not meant to be a detailed step by step instruction on sewing your yoga mat bag together, but rather it explains the main principles of construction of the yoga mat bag and gives pointers on how to put the yoga mat bag together. 1. How big you make the tube of your yoga mat bag depends on the size of your yoga mat. Roll up the yoga mat and then wrap the fabric around it to get an idea of the amount of material you will need to make the tube. Don't make the tube too tight around the bag or you will have real trouble getting the yoga mat in and out of the yoga mat bag.		'baggy' design A 'tubular' design shoulder strap Similar design (below) with 'band' reinforcement of should strap
	2. If you are using a lining for the yoga mat bag remember to wrap the lining around the yoga mat first, and then wrap the yoga mat bag fabric around the mat now wrapped in the lining. In this way, you will make allowance for the space taken up by the yoga mat bag lining. The finished bag yoga mat bag to the left shows the amount of space you need to allow for inside the bag.
3. I like to squeeze a small bottle of water into my yoga mat bag, pushing it into the middle of the rolled up yoga mat while it is in the bag. I have seen many other people do this too. At the construction stage, I make allowance for the water bottle by wrapping the yoga mat around it, then wrapping the mat with the lining, then the yoga mat bag fabric. In this way, I am sure to allow enough space to get the yoga mat in and out of the yoga mat bag with ease, and the water bottle will then squeeze snugly into the space in the middle of the rolled up mat in the bag (see above photo - a water bottle will fit snugly into the middle of the yoga mat).
4. The size of the circular tube end of the yoga mat bag is determined by the diameter of the tube of fabric, which is determined by the size of your rolled up yoga mat. 5. For the sake of completeness I am going to state the obvious: when working out how much material you need for your yoga mat bag, remember to allow enough material for the seams! It's better to allow for more than you need - just to be sure.
6. When tackling a new design, I like to make a rough mock up of the yoga mat bag tube and the end piece out of spare loose fabric - just to test sizing and seam width. You can use any material or for this. Once you are sure of your sizing for the yoga mat bag tube and end piece you need to stop and consider your yoga mat bag strap and handle - and other finishings. These will need to be attached to the yoga mat bag fabric before it is sewn up. The sewing of tube part to the end piece is the last thing you will do. 7. The shoulder strap is ideally made out of strong webbing and should be adjustable, so you will need to incorporate an adjusting buckle and fastener system. Ideally this system should be made of metal or very strong plastic. One end of the shoulder strap attaches to the bag near the bag opening. For the avoidance of doubt, attach this end before you sew up the tube. A good idea is to run a band of webbing across the tube fabric (it will look like a collar on the finished tube) where the strap will attach to the bag, so that the strap is sewn in between this band and the bag fabric. This makes for a much stronger join (at this crucial stress point) than if you just attach the strap end to the bag fabric. It also makes for a nice design feature. The other end of the strap will be sewn into the seam where the circular end piece of the bag attaches to the bottom of the tube. This will be a stress point so make sure you when you get to it that you reinforce the stitching here.
8. A good design feature (but an optional one) is to incorporate a pocket just inside the bag opening of the yoga mat bag, You'll need somewhere to put your phone and keys while you practice yoga. You can fit a zip to this pocket, or you can put elastic around the pocket opening. If you are going to add a pocket, make sure you do this before you sew the tube with the end piece
9. The bag handle is strictly optional as well, but I think the bags can look more finished and professionally made with the handle than without one. The handle is best made out of webbing. Pinch the middle part of the handle piece together to make it form a handle and then sew in place on to the tube piece. Again, the handle should be attached to the bag before you sew the tube up. 10. For closing the bag I have tried elastic but I have found that this does not close the opening properly. A far more effective solution is to make holes for hollow rivets, through which you then run a draw string (shown below). 11. Incorporating eyelets in the bag design lets it breath so there is less chance of it getting smelly. 12. Having attached all the finishings to the tube section: the pocket, the strap, the handle, draw string and rivets tie system you can then sew up the tube section seam and add the end piece, fixing in the bottom end of the strap as you go. Yoga Mat Bag - How to make a yoga mat bag: 10 tips on materials Yoga Mat Bag - Looking After Your Bag