Yoga mat bag - project and pattern

I made a bag for my yoga mat today! I didn't need a bag for my yoga mat. I just wanted to play with some sewing stuff during my break from school and I thought the yoga mat bag would be a fun, easy project. When I was looking on the Internet for patterns I couldn't believe how much these bags sold for - $25 - $75!! My bag took less than an hour from the initial cutting to completion and cost less than $8. If any fabric stores were open yesterday I am sure I could have found some really bargain fabric and supplies. I am happy with the way it came out.

I based my pattern off another site that I found and made some minor adjustments to the dimensions. The original site said to make the body of the bag 29" x 17" but I added 4" to both the height and width. I've worn out the stickiness on one side of the mat and am now using the (still sticky) back side. Once the stickiness on the back goes I am going to look at a mats that are made of something else that stays sticky no matter how much I use it or sweat on it, so I wanted the bag to be able to accommodate mats that are a little thicker when rolled. I'm 5'11" and I often find myself hanging off my mat while my fellow yogis are firmly still on their mats. I knew that I wanted the bag to accommodate a longer mat (if there is such a thing), thus the added inches. Sorry for all the pictures - I wanted to experiment with my camera too.

All I needed was a yard of fabric, a strap and a cord for the draw-string. I inherited a ton of thread from my grandmother so I probably won't need to buy any thread for any sewing project for the rest of my life. The fabric was on the remnant table but I really liked it. I have quite a bit left over so it might be part of the next quilt I make.
My yoga mat is pink. I didn't buy the fabric to match (because I am so not a matchy-matchy person) but it kind of does match anyway.
Step one was cutting the fabric. The rectangle on the left is the body of the bag and the circular piece is for the bottom of the bag. I have trouble cutting in a straight line and I really have trouble cutting a circle!
I ended up scrapping the hand-cut circle and using a serving plate instead.
I first sewed the seam the long-way. The original pattern said to leave an inch at the bottom and the top. I ended up not leaving any room at either the bottom or the top. The bottom worked out fine but if I make another bag I am going to leave 1 1/2" - 2" at the top for the drawstring.
I sheared the edges so the fabric won't fray.
It turned out that the dinner plate site circle I cut was way too big. Note to self: IKEA cereal bowl size circles are just the right size for the bottom of a yoga mat bag.
The second step was sewing the circle to the tube. It was tricky but not terribly challenging. Slow and steady is a good mantra for sewing. I triple-checked before sewing that I had the wrong side of the fabric facing outward so when I turned the bag inside out the fabric would all be the correct side, facing outward.
Lastly I sewed a 1/2" pocket around the top of the tube for the drawstring. I was on a roll (haha) so I neglected to take pictures of either the sewing or the insertion of the drawstring.

The finished bag! My yoga mat is inside. It's a little long and the strap is really long but I am pleased with it. (pardon the background mess - my sewing machine is set up in my "office" where I've also stored some boxes that I have yet to unpack)
In this shot you can see the drawstring at the top. If I make another bag, I'll get a slightly longer drawstring and slightly shorter strap.
I had to really contort myself into a yoga twist to get his shot. You are actually looking at my backside. Thanks to yoga I can almost completely spin my torso around so it faces my back.
I am really pleased with the way this bag came out! It's not perfect by any means but it was a really quick and easy project and I learned more about sewing in the process.