Alright, so I decided to tackle this 16x16x8 bag project the other day. Wanted something sturdy, specific size, you know how it is. Here’s how I got it done, step-by-step from my little workshop corner.
Getting Started – Stuff and Cutting
First thing, I rummaged around for the right material. Found some decent heavy-ish canvas type stuff, thought that’d hold up well. Grabbed matching thread, my trusty scissors, measuring tape, and the sewing machine.
Then came the measuring part. Needed pieces for a 16 inch tall, 16 inch wide, 8 inch deep bag. Gotta remember seam allowances, right? Added about half an inch all around for sewing.
- Front and Back: Cut two pieces, made them 17 inches by 17 inches.
- Sides: Needed two for the depth. Cut those 9 inches wide (that’s 8 plus the seam bits) by 17 inches tall.
- Bottom: One piece needed here. Cut it 17 inches wide by 9 inches deep.
Spread the fabric out flat, marked these sizes up carefully with some chalk I had lying around, and cut ’em out. Ended up with five pieces total.
Putting it Together – Sewing Time
Okay, pieces cut. Time to sew. I started with the bottom and sides. Took one side piece (the 9×17) and the bottom piece (17×9). Lined up the long 17-inch edges, right sides of the fabric facing each other. Pinned them so they wouldn’t shift.
Stitched that seam. Then grabbed the other side piece and did the same thing on the opposite long edge of the bottom piece. Sewed that up too. So now I had like a long strip: Side-Bottom-Side all joined together.
Next up, attached the front panel (one of the 17×17 ones). Lined up the bottom edge of this panel with one of the free 17-inch edges of the bottom piece section I just made. Again, right sides together. Pinned it, then sewed straight across.
Then, the tricky part: folding it up and sewing the sides. Lined up the side edges of the front panel with the side panels I attached earlier. Pinned carefully, especially making sure the bottom corners matched up nicely. Sewed up both sides from bottom to top.
Repeated the whole process for the back panel (the other 17×17 piece). Attached its bottom edge to the last free edge of the bottom piece, then sewed up its sides to the remaining free edges of the side panels. Bit of wrestling involved here to keep everything lined up, not gonna lie.
At this point, I basically had a fabric box, but it was inside-out.
Handles and Finishing Touches
Needed handles, obviously. Cut two long strips of the same fabric, maybe 4 inches wide and about 2 feet long. Folded each strip lengthwise, ironed it flat, then folded the raw edges into the middle, ironed again, and finally folded it in half one last time to hide all raw edges. Stitched down both long sides of each strip to make them strong handles.
Figured out where I wanted the handles on the top edge of the bag (which was still inside-out). Positioned them evenly, pointing down towards the bottom of the bag for now, and pinned them securely to the inside of the top edge.
To finish the top edge neatly, I folded the raw edge down about half an inch all around and pressed it with the iron. Then folded it down again, maybe an inch or inch and a half this time, covering the raw edge and the ends of the handles I just pinned. Pinned this big hem all the way around.
Took it back to the machine and top-stitched close to the edge of the fold, all the way around the top opening. Made sure to backstitch or go over the spots where the handles were attached a few times, just for extra strength. Don’t want those ripping off!
The Final Result
Last step was the fun part! Turned the whole bag right side out. Poked out the corners to make them as sharp as possible. The handles flipped up into position perfectly.
Gave the whole thing a quick once-over, maybe press it a bit if needed. And there it was – my 16x16x8 bag. Turned out pretty sturdy. Getting those box corners neat always takes a bit of fiddling, but happy with how it came out. Ready to be used!
