In a couple of weeks, my local high school will be putting on yet another amazing drama production (not that I’m biased or anything!). My daughter didn’t audition for this play, but is instead helping the costuming director with measuring students, making costume adjustments, and doing any needed repairs as the production goes on.

In order to be as productive as possible, I knew it would be helpful for her to have her own sewing kit backstage. That way, she wouldn’t be hunting down the costume director for thread or trying to find an extra pair of scissors while on a time crunch. And, of course, it gave me a good excuse to make something cute! I mean, why use a boring, store-bought bag when you can have a fun, custom one?

My first task was to find a bag pattern that would work for her needs. For that, I turned to my Instagram followers. They did not disappoint- there were a few really great suggestions. Ultimately, I decided the Sew Together Bag would be the best one for the job.  This thing really is so roomy! And I loved that there were lots of different compartments to keep all the little notions that she’ll be carrying.

Next step- fabrics! She chose this gorgeous Bari J Millie Fleur print for the exterior and several different gray solids for the interior pouches. Then she kicked it up a notch by choosing Cotton + Steel Sparkle Canvas for the binding. Because its canvas, it adds a lot of sturdiness to the bag, and because it’s glittery, it makes my heart happy.

The bag pattern was fun and fairly easy to assemble. There were a few times that I had to re-read instructions, but that is to be expected the first time making anything! Now that I’ve done it once, this will be a cinch next time I make it. (And I WILL make it again because I LOVE this pattern)

My final step, of course, was filling the kit with everything I thought she might need as a costuming assistant. I will admit, that I may have gone a little overboard here- I know the costumer will probably already have buttons- but I wanted her to have a complete kit for any future work she does too. Plus, it was fun!

Here’s what I put in the kit:

Snips

Needles

Pins in a pincushion

Masking Tape (for quick hems)

Seam ripper

Small ruler

Tailors Chalk

Bobbins (I did six with various colors of thread)

Safety Pins

Wonderclips

Measuring Tape

Woven Elastic

Snaps

Buttons

Hook and eye closures

Interfacing scraps

Velcro

Patches

In the future, I will probably also add a thimble and pinking shears. Oh, and maybe my Clover mini iron… yes, it actually fits in there!

Anything I missed? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Sewing! ~L