Yoga Mat Bag and Strap...All in One!

When my sister's birthday came around this summer, I knew exactly what I was going to make her! Like me, she practices yoga regularly. But unlike me, she has to take her yoga mat back and forth to every class. So I decided to make her a yoga mat bag.

I had seen a sling-like yoga bag at a yoga training I had been to awhile ago. What was really cool about it was that it doubled as a yoga strap! I scoured the internet in search of a similar bag since I only had a vague recollection of the one I had seen. Needless to say I couldn't find anything like it so I decided to come up with my own "design".

And here's what I came up with...


I had found this amazing silk fabric at an estate sale years ago and had never found the perfect project for it...until now!

Here's what I did...

- Cut a piece of fabric that is about 22.5" by 90". The tricky thing for this project, though, is that you'll need a fabric that is 1) not stretchy (since you'll be using it as a strap) 2) washable (since you'll be putting a sweaty mat in it) 3) pretty on the inside and out 4) not too thick (since you'll be using it as a strap) and 5) kind of silky (so the yoga mat will easily slide in and out). The silk worked perfectly, but can be costly since you need so much of it. But I have yet to find a fabric other than silk that would satisfy the above requirements. Maybe you'll get lucky and find some at an estate sale ;)

- Wash your fabric. I line dried mine since I wasn't sure how the silk would dry in a dryer. Then iron it. The beauty with silk is that it still looks good even with some wrinkles in it :)

- Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and sew a stitch all the way down. I simply used pinking sheers to prevent fraying, but you could also zig zag stitch or serge it (if you're lucky enough to own a serger!).

- Double fold each of the short ends down, pin and sew it. Disclaimer: If you're paying close attention to the picture below you'll notice I turned the fabric, then pinned it and took my picture. Don't do it this way! Don't turn your fabric yet. I just forgot to take a picture of the correct way!

- I stitched around each end twice, making sure the second stitch was as close to the edge as I could get it. Since my sister will be taking her yoga mat in and out frequently, I didn't want it to catch on the fabric.


- Now turn your fabric. You should now have one long tube of fabric with the pinked edge inside and the ends stitched closed.

- Fold your "tube" in half and mark the center point. Now stitch all the way across the width of your "tube" where you've marked the middle. I double stitched for added security. (This may seem confusing but you should now have one long tube that is stitched in the middle so that when you drop your yoga mat in one end it only drops down halfway, not out the other end.)


And that's it! You're done!


Drop your yoga mat in either end of your bag and tie the ends together on your shoulder...

...or use it as a strap during class! (Note to self: this is not an attractive angle.)


My sister has been using hers for a couple of months now (I'm a little behind on my tutorial!) and says it is working great! She's even had several people want to buy one...I may just have to add these to my Etsy shop :)

Let me know if you make one for yourself or the yoga-lover in your life! And as always, please only use my tutorial for fun, not resale.


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