A while back, my brother bought a new shofar. When he ordered it, he forgot to buy a shofar bag. Seeing that he carried it around with him everywhere, he really needed one. Instead of him waiting on one to be sent, I decided to give a shot at sewing one up. I searched for a tutorial and found absolutely nothing to go off of. So I figured I would take some pics and share how to sew a shofar bag.
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How To Sew A Shofar Bag
Supplies:
- sewing machine
- thread
- small and large pin
- scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- 1/2 yard of anti-pill fleece
- 1/2 yard other material for outside(I used a tablecloth)
Directions:
Lay your shofar out and trace a rectangle around both fabrics to get the bag pieces. Add at least 2 inches seam allowance for the length and 1 inch for the width.
Lay outer fabric right side down and the fleece right side up. Fold the long sides over 1/4 inch and sew down the lengths. Note: When you fold, the fleece will come in further, about 1/2 inch, so just make the outer fabric folded in the 1/4 inch. The same goes for the straps farther down.
Do the same with the end that will be the bottom of the shofar bag.
Now fold the top end over 1 1/2 inches, tucking the raw edge under by 1/4 inch. Pin and sew down where the raw edge is tucked.
Drawstring:
Measure the width and cut your drawstring piece about 3 inches longer than that. So mine was about 22 x 1 1/2 inches. Fold the piece in half wrong side facing out. Sew down length close to the edge. Leave ends open.
Attach a small pin through only one layer of either end.
Turn pin into the hole and inch it and the fabric through until it comes out the other side.
Keep going until it’s right side out.
Padded Strap:
Cut a 6 1/2 x 33 inch rectangle out of both materials. My brother is 19 with a slim to average build. If you’re bulkier or smaller, you may want to adjust the length. This is made to be worn across the chest or over one shoulder.
Lay the outer fabric right side down with fleece on top. Fold one end and both lengths over 1/4 inch and sew.
Sew one end of the drawstring 1/2 inch onto center of folded end of strap.
Fold both sides to center and overlap by 1/4 inch. Pin and sew.
Fold corners like above and sew down.
Lay out your bag with outer fabric facing up and your strap at an angle on top like above.
Fold over on top of the strap and pin. Sew 1/2 inch around the bottom and the length, going over the strap, stopping right before you reach the opening for the drawstring.
Turn right side out and attach a large pin to the end of your drawstring and thread through either side of the opening.
Sew down right on top of the other end of the drawstring. You can tuck it under to look nicer. I was in a hurry.
And there you have it! I hope I save some people the trouble of trying to figure out how to make a shofar bag by themselves. It took me all day! I would have much rather followed someone else’s tutorial!
I plan on posting a simpler version of this in the future because this has so many steps. It won’t have a drawstring, but it will be a lot easier!