Swim Bag and Matching Towel Tutorial

Are you tired of packing EVERYONE'S stuff to the pool or beach? Want to make someone special their very own sling swim bag to carry their essentials (matching swim towel, sunscreen, and goggles) to the pool or beach this summer? Now you can. These cute swim bag and towel combos can run a pretty penny in the stores, but I am providing you with a tutorial to make one for half the price and more. Can't beat that!

All you need are two matching beach towels. I found mine at Target(of course) and they were only $5.99 each. I have also seen some beach towels in some dollar stores as well and at Wal-Mart for about $3.

You can make 2 swim bags out of 1 beach towel. So buy three matching towels if you have a sibling that needs one too, or give the other away to a birthday girl. (Or make a pillow to match your towel out of the left-over material). The beach towels I used were 30 in. x 60 in. If your towels measure differently you will have to adjust your measurements accordingly.



One towel you will leave alone because this is the actual matching towel you will carry in the bag. The other towel we will be cutting out two large "U" shaped patterns.



I do not know how to link you to an actual pattern you can print so I posted a picture with the shape and measurments you will need.



Cut out two pattern peices. Use one end of the towel to cut out both peices side by side so that the other half of the towel can be used for another swim bag.



Pin your two peices of cut material together with the right sides facing each other. (Sometimes with terry cloth it may be hard to tell. I chose to have the softer side as my right side so that it was on the outside of the finished bag).



Sew together starting on the outside top edge all the way around the outside of the bag to the other side. (Do not sew the inside or the tops of the U shape yet). I used a 1/4 inch seam allowance.



Turn bag right side out. The top of the inside of the bag should still be unsewn. Now turn the seams that are unsewn into the bag so that you are making a hem line all the way around the top portion of the bag. I turned mine in about 1/2 inch so that your sewn portion will be inside the bag. Make sense?

Your bag is now all sewn except for the shoulder strap. Pin the shoulder straps right side together and sew.



Now cut two peices of velcro (I do not recommend sewing on sticky back velcro. It really messes up your needle). Sew around each peice onto one side of the middle of the bag where you would like them to attach to one another. I did mine just below my seam for my hem.



After my bag was all sewn, I went back and sewed a heavy duty zig-zag stitch close, but not on, my straight stitch. If you haven't noticed, terry cloth unravels easy and is messy. Because I do not have a surger, I wanted to ensure my bag stayed together and doesn't unravel, the zig-zag held it all into place.



And there you have it! Super easy and cute!

I know most of the things I have sewn have been girl related, sorry about that, I just have three of them. But since my son wanted something that he could carry his towel in, I decided to make him a drawstring backpack. So if you have boys, that tutorial can be found here.