Yoga mat bag

It has been a little over two years since the day Shannon and I hopped on a treadmill to test our ability to run a mile under 14 minutes, two weeks later we signed up and ran our first 5K, and so the journey into running began. I have since run three half marathons and am loving this new habit of mine.

Running then took me to yoga. I had tried yoga a few years ago and found it to be too challenging, I now think I went to a really advanced class back then, this time I fell in love with it. With everything I was learning at work and as a new runner I became conscious of the importance of stretching and breathing and yoga fulfilled that.

We recently moved to a new area and a yoga studio is just down the street. I decided to make a yoga mat sling, all I need is my mat, I am one block away. The problem is that yoga studio is not as affordable as my old gym, so I cannot go as often. I might have to travel farther and a bag would be more appropriate. I was so pleased with the way my sling turned out, I decided to finally make the yoga mat bag I had been planning for months.

I followed a free pattern from Amy Butler, you can find it here. I also followed Jane's Girl Designs tutorial and made a few little changes along the way. I used a stiffer interfacing on the exterior fabric, I do not like the look of flimsy bags. I also do not like slip pockets, so I made an elastic pleated one instead.

Fabrics: 

• Namaste Yoga Poses Oatmeal 1/2 yrd
• Namaste Geo Light 1/2 yrd
• Kaufman Essex Yarn Dyed Linen Blend Black 1 yrd

A HUGE thank you to my good friend Diana, aka LadyDi, for taking these awesome pictures, and for her patience and her time.