My case has some old elastic bands that hold on the close-up pad. The elastic and the pad have seen better days. But instead of just replacing them, which would make sense, I decided to make a big DIY magic craft project out of it.
I decided to make a nice big dump bag – I have wanted one for a long time. I also added some pockets because I love being well organized. While I was at it, I made a cover for my case. What is missing, when it was all done… is the close-up pad. Which is what started this whole mess ha ha. I did not really care for the case cover and will most likely not use it. I will add new elastic and a new close-up pad. Both of which I already had. It was just kind of what sparked the inspiration to finally make the dump bag.
Case Cover
The case cover was very easy, and I did it more to get back into sewing, than the want of a case cover. I just kind of figured while I was at it, I may as well.
A very simple design, meant for a Lowes/Harbor Freight aluminum case. Those are a fairly standard sized, and are pretty cheap. I have 4 or 5 cases used for various things. The cover is a basic rectangle with flaps for the side covers. The angled chalk line is where I folded it, then sewed the two edges together. That may make more sense when you have the fabric in hand. The original idea was to cut the angle (white mark on cloth). After cutting it, I would fold the edges together to make the corner of the case. When I started working on it I decided to fold on the white angle, and then sew the flaps to make the corner. It seemed to work better that way.
The case cover turned out well enough, but I doubt I will really use it very much. I still prefer the elastic bands and close up pad. I have not sewed anything in a while, so it was a good way to start, though. This is an early picture of the dump bag and pockets. I added wire to the pocket to help it hold its shape, and to make it adjustable.
The Pocket
The pocket was what I was most excited about. Also, what I was most concerned about. The cover and the main dump bag are very easy… the pockets are a complicated mess – but I really want to have them. So here we go. (All the cutting measurements are at the bottom of this page.)
There is going to be a large pocket, with sewn is smaller pockets. I am starting with the smaller pocket design. The main bag is 12x8x18. The 18 is the depth and not applicable to the pocket design. The pocket needs to be about 12 inches long, and just deep enough to useful, but not interfere with the 8-inch dump bag width.
To have a 1-inch depth on the pockets the pocket strip needs to be 20 inches long. I made the pocket strip 6×20. I folded over the top & bottom to hem the edges and made it 4×20 – the pocket strip will be 4 inches tall. Then I pinned the pockets into the general shape I wanted.
I was unsure exactly how or where the pocket strip would go until I could pin it into place. I made the main pocket 12×14. The 14 inch side is the pocket width (12 inches after hemming. I folded the 12-inch porting to form the main pocket. There were also two triangle pieces that are the sides of the bag. After the main pocket was done, I could start figuring out how to attach the pocket strip.
After test pinning the pocket strip, I was able to see where it needed to be stitched. Stitching the pocket strip into the main pocket was fairly difficult. There is not a lot of room to maneuver. None of this could really be done with a machine, and my best hand sewing days are behind me. After I got the pocket strip sewn in, I saw that the pocket fold made smaller, unwanted, “pockets”. So, I stitched those shut. The pockets stick out 1″, and there are 5 pockets: two 1″, one 2″, and two 4″ pockets. The 1″ is good for paddles or markers, the 4″ will easily hold a deck of cards. The 2″ pocket will hold something, but nothing comes to mind at the moment.
I added Velcro to the back and sides of the pocket to attach and remove it from the main dump bag.
Main Bag
The main bag was the easiest part of this whole affair. It is one long piece that is sewn on one side. It was 42 inches long and sewn together into a sort of tube. Adding the bottom piece will sort of give it corners. Adding the frame on top will finish it. If you refer to the diagrams below you will see it is just one large piece. Sewing the ends together and attaching the bottom was very easy and surprisingly fast.
I pinned to together to test fit it, and see how the pocket fits. It all looked good, so I stitched it together.
There is a 3″ portion along the top of the bag that will be used to wrap around the metal frame.
The Frame
While I was working on the bag and pockets, I went downtown to a stainless-steel shop to get a frame made. I kept telling the guy I wanted thinner metal but he was adamant in what he wanted to use. It was only $20 so I did not argue too much. When I picked it up, he said… maybe it could have been a thinner piece of metal ha ha. Oh well, it is sturdy.
I was looking for aluminum so it would be lighter, but could not find a shop that did custom work. It was such a small piece of work, and they have probably had shop minimums, so the price may not have been much cheaper.
This is some of the best stainless-steel welding I have ever seen. The circled part above is the seam where he folded the flat stock together. That is a clean joint.
To attach the bag, I needed to get around the hooks on the frame. I knew this was coming, but had no idea how I was going to do it. Once I saw it, the only sensible option was button holes. I measured where I wanted the frame to go and put in large button holes to slide the material onto the frame. Then I took the top 3 inches of material, wrapped it around the frame, and stitched it together. After the button holes were done, it was very easy and quick.
The last thing I did was add a strip of Velcro along the top of the bag, for the pocket to attach. That completed the project. It would have been a lot faster with a sewing machine, but the whole pocket section would still have to be done by hand. I had a lot of fun – and did not keep track of how much time it took. It may have been cheaper to buy one, if my time was counted.
The Inspiration & The Cost
I have seen this pad with pockets for many years and always thought they were a neat idea. I did not like the thought of it being attached to the pad, though. If the pad wears out you need to replace the whole thing? But it was always in the back of my mind. The large pocket is also very handy looking, but I wanted the large pocket with the small pockets. I never saw one commercially available.
The dump bag attached to the attaché case is pretty common, and does seem to be a very handy thing for performing. You need a quick place to dump your props after many effects. I ended up combining all 3 ideas into one project. The case cover was just a whim, and as I said I will probably not use it much.
The pad with pockets is around $35, the table pocket is $15, and the dump bag is $50 (average prices). That brings the total up to $100. My bag was a bit cheaper. The frame was $20 (I should have shopped around more), the cloth was $3 (and is enough material to make 3). So for under $25 I have a much sturdier bag, better hardware, better material, and a custom set of pockets. This bag will certainly outlive me.
My setup was 1/4 of the price… as long as we do not figure my time at any reasonable hourly rate. I am retired so I guess my time is free? It would have made more sense just to order it online, but I had a lot of fun. And have a custom designed setup.
Design Notes & Cutting Diagram
The design notes are not to scale but it was an ever-changing Photoshop file while I figured out what I wanted. The original design had the bottom of the bag attached on one side, and then only stitched on 3 sides. When I went to cut it out, it seemed like that would complicate things. So, I cut the bottom piece separately to allow more freedom of placement. The design notes are not to scale, and not quite what I ended up doing. They were just notes.
The cutting diagram is to scale and is exactly what I cut. The Photoshop file was to actual life size scale – it was a HUGE file. I made it actual size so I could use the Photoshop ruler and grid to lay out the cutting. The diagram makes sense to me, but not all of it is explained well in the notes.
The headings of the notes are color coded the same color as the material. Dump bag is black, case cover is blue, pockets are red. The case cover was as easy as it looks. One piece folded and stitched. The dump bag was almost as easy. The main bag was a tube, with a rectangle bottom attached. Attaching the frame was not very difficult. The pockets were by far the most complex part of the project.
The pockets also got changed during the design phase and during the production phase. They were the hardest part, but also my favorite part. The cost in parts was minimal, the cost in time was astronomical, and I had tons of fun. Overall, it is my favorite Magic DIY craft project to date.
To see the finished bag, check out the YouTube video at @FreeMagicFun https://youtu.be/l7PSmSu-0t8
