Okay, so I decided I needed a proper bag for my yoga mat. The one it came with was flimsy, and honestly, just rolling it up with a strap felt messy sometimes. I had some sturdy canvas fabric lying around from another project, figured I’d put it to good use.
First thing, I unrolled my yoga mat. Laid it flat on the floor. Then I grabbed my canvas, spread it out next to the mat. I needed enough fabric to wrap around the mat with some extra room, plus length for the top and bottom. Didn’t get too scientific with measuring, just sort of eyeballed it. Added a few inches around the rolled-up mat’s circumference for seam allowance and ease, and maybe six or seven inches to the length for the bottom closure and the drawstring top.
Got my fabric scissors and cut out a big rectangle based on those rough measurements. You know, one large piece is usually easier than fiddling with multiple panels.
Next, I folded the rectangle in half lengthwise, with the good sides of the fabric facing each other. Pinned the long edge together. Took it over to my sewing machine. Used a pretty strong needle and some heavy-duty thread – canvas is tough stuff. I just sewed a straight stitch all the way down that long open side, making a tube. Backstitched at the beginning and end so it wouldn’t unravel.
Now for the bottom. Still inside out, I flattened the tube so the seam I just sewed was centered. Then I just sewed straight across the bottom edge. Trimmed the corner bits off, carefully, to reduce bulk. Some people make fancy round bottoms, but this way is quick and works just fine for me. It creates a sort of flat bottom when the mat’s inside.
For the top edge, where the opening is, I needed a channel for a drawstring. So, I folded the raw edge down about half an inch, pressed it with the iron. Then I folded it down again, maybe an inch and a half this time, to hide the raw edge and create a nice wide channel. Pinned that all the way around.
Back to the machine. I sewed close to the lower folded edge, all the way around the top opening, making sure to leave a small gap, maybe an inch wide, near the side seam. This little opening is where the drawstring goes in and out.
For the drawstring itself, I cut a long piece of thick cotton cord I had. Could use rope, or even make a strap from the same canvas fabric. Attached a safety pin to one end of the cord. Fed the safety pin into that small gap I left in the top channel and just pushed it all the way around through the channel until it came back out the same hole. Pulled both ends of the cord even, tied a simple knot in them.
Turned the whole bag right side out. Poked out the corners at the bottom. And that was pretty much it! Slipped my yoga mat inside, pulled the drawstring tight, slung it over my shoulder. Felt good, sturdy. Way better than wrestling with just a strap. Took maybe an hour? Simple project, very practical result.
