How to Make a Yoga Mat Carrier
According to a 2008 study by Yoga Journal, more than 15.8 million people practice yoga, spending upwards of $5.7 billion a year on yoga-related products collectively. Despite these facts, practicing yoga does not have to be costly, and there are many essential items that you can make yourself. A yoga mat carrier can be made in less than an hour if you have sewing experience, and it can be more cost-effective and fun than simply buying one at the store. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Yoga mat
- String
- Tape measure
- Chalk
- Fabric scissors
- Mathematical compass
- Iron
- Sewing machine
- Material
- Coordinating thread
- Coordinating ribbon
- Pins
Instructions
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1
Roll up your yoga mat and secure with string. Measure the circumference and length of the rolled up mat and make a note of your measurements. Add 3 inches onto the measurements for fabric allowances.
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2
Mark out a rectangle on the unpatterned side of your material, using the tape measure and chalk according to the measurements you have taken. For example, if your mat was 25 inches long and had a circumference of 20 inches when rolled, you would measure out a rectangle of 28 by 23 inches. Cut out your rectangle carefully using fabric scissors after double-checking your measurements. This is piece A.
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3
Mark a rectangle 9 inches by the length of your main rectangle (i.e., 28 inches in the example) and carefully cut it out with the fabric scissors. This is piece B.
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4
Stand your rolled up yoga mat on a piece of material and draw around the end of it with chalk. Remove the yoga mat, then fix the chalk into a mathematical compass, roughly locate the center of the rough circle for the compass point. Use the chalk to draw a circle to neaten the original shape. Cut out the circle with the fabric scissors. This is piece C.
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5
Fold piece A in half lengthwise so that the edges meet exactly and the unpatterned side is on the outside. Press the material firmly with the iron, then pin it in place. Mark a 1/2-inch seam along the long open edge of the material with the chalk. Sew along the seam line using a close running stitch, and backstitch at the start and finish to secure the seam.
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6
Repeat step 5 with piece B. Turn the piece the right way out and sew along the top and bottom edges to complete the strap.
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7
Sew a straight line 1/2 inch from the bottom edge of piece A all the way around. This line is the bottom seam line, and the 1/2-inch strip of material below the line is the seam allowance.
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8
Cut small incisions into the seam allowance at 1/2-inch intervals all the way around. Ensure that you do not cut into the seam line when doing this.
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9
Pin piece C onto piece A. Insert piece C patterned side up into the bottom of piece A to create a tube shape. Pin piece C all the way around its circumference, level with the bottom seam line on piece A. The seam allowance should hang down outside piece C when the material is held up in its new tube shape, and the unpatterned side of piece C should be visible on the outside.
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10
Fold the pieces of seam allowance in onto the unpatterned side of piece C and pin in place. Sew a 1/4-inch seam all the way around the seam allowance on piece C to secure it as the base of the mat carrier.
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11
Sew a straight line 4 1/4 inches from the top of piece A all the way around to create a top seam line and seam allowance.
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12
Cut a 4-inch straight line down in the top seam allowance opposite where the seam is on piece A (there should be a crease in the right place from when you pressed the material in step 5).
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13
Fold the top edge of piece A down to the top seam line and pin in place all the way around. Sew a 1/4-inch seam above the top seam line to create a tube around the top of piece A that will act as a drawstring.
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14
Turn the entire project the right way out so that all of the patterned sides of the material are visible on the outside of the carrier.
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15
Pin the top and bottom ends of piece B to the top and bottom of the seam line on piece A. Ensure piece B is centered over the seam line exactly then sew it to piece A 1/4 inch from the top and bottom, and backstitch both lines. Mark 2 more lines 1 inch in from the stitch lines on piece B and sew the piece onto piece A along these lines as well, backstitching the whole line each time.
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16
Thread a length of ribbon through the drawstring tube at the top of the carrier, then place your rolled up yoga mat into the bag and tie the ribbon firmly to complete the project.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose a material that you're drawn to rather than following current trends to make your yoga mat carrier a firm favorite for years to come.
Follow the manufacturer's guidelines for your sewing machine to avoid injury.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit sewing image by Yury Shirokov from Fotolia.com
