Kids Craft Series: DIY Fish Laundry Bag

Do your kids avoid laundry? Maybe the only contribution they make is to Mt. Dirty Clothing in the corner of their room. Sometimes what kids need is a fun way to get onto the good habits we want them to cultivate. 

You can have them start helping with the laundry by creating a unique and exciting laundry bag. 

Materials:

• Giant fish template (you can make your own)
• 3/4- yard of fabric (don’t shy away from fun patterns!)
• Pencil or washable fabric marker
• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Ribbon or cord ( a little over 2 yards)
• White and black felt
• Cotton thread (complementing or contrasting, your choice!)
• Safety pin

Making a Template

Take a piece, or two of wax paper, butchers paper, or baking paper depending on how large you want your bag and sketch out a giant fish shape. Then where the head would start to angle down, make a straight line. It should look like your poor fish swam into a wall. 

Cut out that template!

Create A Fish Bag 

It's kind of perfect… laundry doesn't smell great; fish don't smell great. This bag was meant to be, and there's plenty of room for jokes as you help your kids put together these dashing little laundry bags! 

To start, fold your fabric in half and press. Use your best judgment on folding, given the restraints of your fish template. Put the template down and draw around it with a washable fabric marker or white pencil. Cut out both pieces; you'll get the two pieces from the fold. 

Create your seams 

Working with the top-edge, opening, or mouth, measure about 2-inches from the top and then cut one-inch into the fabric to create a slit. Fold the fabric over twice to encase the raw edges and sew to keep that seam in place.

Do this with both fish pieces. 

Assembling your fish 

Pin your fishy pieces together with the right sides facing. Sew a 1/4-inch seam all around (except the opening) and then turn the fabric. 

Press the fish flat. 

Note: this is a great opportunity to teach your kids how to use a sewing machine properly!

Cut out two big white felt circles and two smaller black felt circles. You can stitch these together to make eyes, or glue them on with a hot glue gun. 

This is the perfect time for kids to practice their hand-sewing by stitching the white circle in place, and then the black with a blanket stitch. 

Thread your drawstring 

Take your ribbon or cord and attach your safety pin to it. The cord or ribbon should easily slip into the slit on the side and go into the casing you made across the top of the fish. 

A great trick for this is to hook a crochet needle into the safety pin as well and pull the crochet needle instead of getting frustrated with the tiny safety pin!

Weave the cord or ribbon through the casing twice and tie off the loose ends with a secure knot. Now you can pull the bag open and close easily! 

We love seeing projects you and your family have created and we hope that you share them with us. Simply post your project on Instagram and be sure to tag us in it!