Your boyfriends Yoga bag - DIY

Axel started Yoga class.  Surprise...it's right up his alley!  Not only is the kid the most flexible human on the planet, but he loves nothing more than a good stretch with resting at the end.  The kid knows how to find his heart-center and is entirely too comfortable barefoot.

I started taking him to Blooma last week.  They are a Minneapolis/St. Paul Yoga studio focusing on Yoga for women and their growing families.  Three times a week they offer kids yoga which is age appropriate, focuses on body control and promotes the principles of heath living.  Axel instantly LOVED it!

A kid pass to Blooma costs $40/month for unlimited classes.  They have mats onsite but Axel likes to bring his own.  This morning I made him an ultra-masculine bag.  See instructions below.

Materials:
1 yard fabric (any will work...I used Robert Kaufman Fox)
2 yards drawstring (I used organic white twill tape...could use ribbon)
1.5 yards narrow webbing (I used cotton) - bag reinforcement
1 yard wide webbing (I used nylon/poly) - bag shoulder strap

Instructions:
Roll up yoga mat.  Measure fabric so you have enough to go around (plus a few extra inches because kids can't roll mats that tight).  Allow 5 inches on each end for drawstring closure.

You should have a rectangle of fabric.  Cut two pieces of narrow webbing to be the width of the fabric (these will wrap around the yoga mat).  See pic below.

Stitch both sides of the narrow webbing to the fabric – incorporating the wide webbing 3 inches in from the left edge.  The wide webbing will be stitched into the seam on BOTTOM of the narrow webbing (top side of bag) and into the TOP seam of the narrow webbing (bottom of bag).  The wide 

Now make a drawstring casing on each end of the bag.  I folded over once and then again to give a finished edge (total casing width 1").  While stitching across the casing leave a 1" space in the middle unstitched to pull out your ties.   I inserted my drawstrings before stitching it into a cylinder.  I wanted my drawstrings to be stitched into the side seam so Axel couldn't pull the whole string out.

To do this I threaded the string all the way through the casing, pulling about a 1.5 foot look through the unstitched hole I left.

Now you should have a rectangle with two narrow stripes, a strap and two drawstrings.  Fold the entire thing right-sides-together, making sure the side seam matches up.  The narrow webbing should match on each side and the ends of your drawstrings should be sticking out slightly (so they get included in the seam).

Stitch down the entire side seam so your bag is a cylinder.  Flip right-side-out.

Close bottom drawstring, insert yoga mat, close top drawstring.

**  This entire project should take about 15 minutes.  If it takes longer – you are over-thinking it.  Keep life simple.  **

Namaste,
Jen