
It’s time to unearth some of those old New Year’s resolutions about getting healthy! You’ve been meaning to make it to yoga one of these evenings, but still haven’t made it happen. Well, we can’t promise this bag will actually get you to your class, but we can guarantee it’ll make you the most stylish budding yogi around!
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– VELCRO® Brand Sew On White Tape
– 1 yard of patterned fabric (at least 30×20 inches)
– 1 yard of sturdy canvas fabric (at least 30×20 inches)
– piping
– rope
– Heat Bond
Tools:
– sewing machine
– fabric scissors
– measuring tape
– safety pin
– sewing pins
This project is all about planning. You’ll be creating each component of the bag, and then putting it all together. There are a lot of steps, but we promise this is totally doable and will only take you an hour or two if you follow along! :)
All yoga mats are different in terms of size. Roll yours up and then roll fabric around it and cut fabric to size. Cut your canvas, patterned fabric and Heat Bond all to size.
Use Heat Bond to bond your canvas to the patterned fabric.
Iron the top edge of the fabric (where the bag will stay open).
Hem it! Make sure to leave enough room to wiggle a piece of rope through this hole to act as a drawstring.
Now it’s time to prep that pesky bottom piece. Again, measure your yoga mat and cut the fabric to size. Layer it up as you did last time, using Heat Bond.
Next up, we’ll create a pocket for the outside. We cut ours to 5×5 inches. Fold and pin the piping along the edges and sew on the inside. Then cut canvas fabric that will go along the inside of your pocket.
Cut a piece of VELCRO® Brand Sew On White Tape and attach to the top inside of the pocket.
Attach the other side of the VELCRO® Brand Sew On White Tape to the center of the fabric that is about to become your yoga bag.
Sew the VELCRO® Brand Sew On White Tape onto the fabric, and then sew the pocket right on there too!
Now you’ve got this piece of fabric, and it’s time to make magic happen.
Pin all the edges of the circle to the fabric.
SEW! Don’t press that pedal too hard — it’s good to keep a slow pace when attaching the bottom circle of the bag.
Turn it inside out, you’re almost done.
Use a safety pin to snake a piece of rope through the top seam.
Hand-stitch on the VELCRO® Brand VELSTRAP®.
And you’re done!
P.S. How awesome is this shirt? Our awesome editorial intern Kelly Bryden made it a few days ago! ;)
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.