The project is a (nominal) 5' x 5' x 1' bag-within-a-bag. I used 5 yards of pro-tuf silver for the inner bag, and 5 yards of zebra black velvet for the outer bag, using the max available width (~ 56") for 2 sides of the bags. I cut the zippered end, the two large surfaces and the opposing end from the full length of fabric to minimize seams, and used approximately 2/3 yard of each fabric to fill the sides of the boxes. Because the pro-tuf is a pvc-sealed fabric, I placed large eyelets about 8" apart on the non-zippered sides to allow air movement. The inner bag is filled with about 50 pounds of foam scraps purchased from a local mattress supplier. I used an upholstery-grade thread for both bags, and seams were double stitched. I was able to find zebra-print webbing to make carry handles for the outside bag, 3 spaced along each 'long' side. The zippers for each bag ran the full length of one 'short' side. This bag was constructed to entertain my two autistic (and hyper) grandchildren. I wanted to be able to clean up 'accidents' or spills; the inner bag can be wiped off without disturbing the foam, and the outer bag can be fully cleaned. It was a massive project and takes up a lot of space, but it's super-tough and has been a huge hit with the whole family. One can buy these bags, but the specialty stores cost more, and they dont have ones made with love like mine!

Customer Information

Posted 08/04/2014 by GRANDMAMA