Made from Lycra – This Stretchy Shoe Bag will Accommodate Women’s or Men’s Shoes
Shoe Bag Materials
Rectangular piece of lycra 76 x 11 inches
2 32-inch pieces of black stretchy cord
2 toggles with a center hole large enough for the cords, e.g. large-hole beads. (I used button backs from two-piece buttons.)
If you hate snaking cords through cord channels as much as I do, these directions include a method that can eliminate the chore entirely for all but the narrowest channels.
How to Make the Shoe Bag
Fold and hem 3-inch top hems. Since lycra doesn’t unravel, you can sew very close to the edge and not have to trim.
The diagram shows how the cords will be positioned. This arrangement makes a bag that’s very easy to open and close. Grab the toggles and pull in opposite directions to close.
Put your hands inside the bag and pull in opposite directions to open.
Fold the fabric in half with right sides facing as shown below. Slide one cord into both hems from the right; and do the same with the other cord from the left. Pull the ends of each cord through a toggle or bead and knot.
Push the two cords tightly against the stitched hem and pin them out of the way. Sew the second stitch line of the channel 5/8 inch above the first using your sewing machine’s zipper foot as shown below.
Remove the zipper foot and put on your regular sewing machine foot.
Tuck the cord toggles in (to what will be the outside of the bag); sew the bag’s side seams in four steps. On each side, there will be a side seam extending from the top to the cord channel and the from below the cord channel to the bottom of the bag.
Again, make a very narrow seam. This will avoid having to finish off the cord openings.
First sew from the top (making sure the two sides are well-lined up) down to the cord channel of one side; then from below the cord channel to the bag’s bottom.
Because of the thickness of the cords, you may not be able to start right up against the channel. Don’t worry. After sewing the lower side seam, you can turn the bag over and finish off that little gap going in the opposite direction.
Repeat to sew the other side’s upper and lower seams.
Sew a 2 ½-inch triangle to square off the bag’s bottom a bit. Here are detailed directions for squaring bag bottoms.
Turn bag right side out and you’re done. Wasn’t that easy without the cord snaking chore?!
Recommended Reading
These books are excellent resources for sewers of all skill levels.
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