Water Bottle Carrier - A Tutorial

A few years ago as I prepared for a Community Farmers Market I had asked for ideas and suggestions of items to sell.  I have received some really good ones over the years and have great success with several of them.  items like my therapeutic rice bags and the microwave potato baker/tortilla warmer bags, as well as the wine bottle bags. 

A Sister-in-law had suggested a water bottle carrier so that both of her hands could be free as she walked.  

I did a quick search on etsy and craftsy for an idea of what others have done before me... I am not too proud to buy another's pattern... But what I found were lots and lots of crocheted carriers, but only a few sewn or quilted carriers.  And most of those were not very adjustable or adaptable to the varied sizes of bottles out there.

The crocheted carrier makes total sense as it could easily stretch to accommodate multiple sizes of bottles - standard purchased sizes as well as other eco-friendly type of bottles.

Since I didn't find anything close to what I was looking fore, I took a few ideas and started with my basic wine bottle bag as the foundation for my carrier... 

it easily adjusts to various sizes of bottles, both in height and in circumference because of the box corners and the open front.  

I decided that it would need more than just one tie at the top, so I added one mid-way as well, preventing a shorter bottle from slipping out easily.

Most of the carriers that I saw had a strap that was made adjustable - "The strap can be knotted to fit as loose or as snug to your body as you want."

Really???  I went on the hunt throughout our house for an adjustable strap "thingy". And found exactly what I wanted on an old purse.  

It was pretty successful!  But not perfect...  This prototype had batting in it... I was thinking it might offer a little insulation, but it made it a little too stiff and decided that it wasn't really necessary.

Based on the larger size of bottle I was trying to fit, the bottom of the bag needed to be just a bit bigger.

So... Here you go - A Tutorial for an Adaptable/Adjustable Water Bottle Carrier







Cut two pieces of fabric 11" high by 12" wide.

Mark the top 1/2" from each side - trim.  










Press in the side seams 1/4".  Place right sides together and sew along the top seam.  

Turn.

Mark for the drawstring pockets.
1/2" from top, 1" from top, 5-1/2" from top and 6" from top.  






Sew as indicated in photo, leaving the openings for the drawstrings.

Mark bottom center, fold sides in so that they overlap in the center.  Sew bottom seam.

Make box corners.

Insert drawstrings.

Make handle/strap - cut 2-1/2" strips width of fabric (60" to 80" long). 

Fold and press as indicated in the photo...

Fold over so that the raw edges align on the inside... Sew along edge to secure.

Cut a 3" section from the strap and sew the rectangular loop to the carrier.

Attach one end of the strap to the other side of the carrier.  Slip on the Tri-glide (adjustable slide-y thing), loop strap through the rectangular loop and then back through the tri-glide.  Fold under the raw edge and sew.

And there you have it... An adjustable strap water carrier that accommodates multiple sizes of water bottles!

One customer asked about the possibility of adding a small pocket for some tissue or a key...  

The pocket was cut to 4" x 6" with the edges pressed in and the top sewn down. Center on the bag between the drawstrings and sew  the sides and bottom of the pocket into place.  

The pocket will easily fit an id, credit card, hotel room key or small regular key.

I will be trying out my carrier while we vacation in The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in a few weeks.  As my sister-in-law stated, "there is no better way of knowing how well something works than by using it yourself."

If you make one, please let me know what you think and/or any changes you would make... 

Simply leave a comment below - 

kind critiques and suggestions are always welcome!

Happy Sewing!

Melva