Yoga mat vs. Jazzercize mat

Here's the third item from the pre-Christmas flurry. I made it for my Mom for Christmas. It is a carrying bag for her exercise mat (she goes to a class 3x/week). I was so excited to give it to her. Then the harsh reality of handmade holidays set in...silly me thought there was one kind of generic yoga/exercise/jazzercize mat. I had a one-size fits all theory. I was wrong. The bag, which I sized according to my own yoga mat, is too small for her larger-size jazzercize mat. Darn.

The inspriation came from the yoga mat pattern in Pretty Little Patchwork, however I deviated from the actual pattern quite a bit: there isn't any patchwork to be found on this bag and there isn't a zipper either. I decided to go with a tie on the top instead. It was fun to take the basic dimensions from the book, and then really puzzle through my own design and construction methods. I learned how to do botton holes, and sew in piping too, so the project was a bonus for the learning-to-sew factor alone. I will happily adopt this bag back.

Maybe when I start the re-make I'll give the zipper a try. I can't imagine that rolling and slipping a mat any larger then this one into a tube-shaped bag would be easy to do. It reminds me of being at overnight camp with my polyester sleeping bag - those really slippery ones that wouldn't stay rolled up in their elastic ties and would then spill onto the parking lot, or into a muddy puddle.