It’s finally here! In case you missed it, I have been toting this bag around with me everywhere I go for the past 2 years. It’s been popping up on the Helen's Closet instagram for quite some time and people have been encouraging me to release it as a pattern. Well, that day has finally come and I am so excited to introduce you to the Orbit Bag!
The Orbit Bag is on sale right now for 20% off! No code required.
About Orbit
Orbit is the perfect everyday grab-and-go bag. This circular marvel holds more than you think! Wallet, phone, keys, snacks—everything you need. The Orbit Bag can be made fancy with a star on the front and stripes on the back (view A), or you can keep it classic and make it one solid fabric (view B). Both views are quilted to add structure and texture. If you have an existing quilt or quilted fabric, you can use that too! Never quilted before? We’ve got you covered! Orbit is a great project to try some quilting on a small scale and build up your skills.
All views of Orbit include an exterior pocket, an interior pocket, a zipper closure, and a long fabric strap. Strap hardware can be optionally added to make the Orbit strap more customizable.
Fabric and Notions Requirements
The Orbit Bag is designed with fabric scraps in mind! This project requires only a small amount of fabric, and if you are making view A (with the star), you can piece the bag together from leftover fabric scraps you probably already have on hand. We even have a coloring sheet included in the pattern that you can play around with!
In addition to fabric, you will also need batting and a 12” zipper (or longer). We like to use a heavy duty metal zipper for our samples, but a plastic zipper will work, too. For the batting, you can use leftover quilt batting from a previous project if you have some. If not, we recommend a batting like Warm and Natural. The crib size is enough for the Orbit Bag
We recommend medium weight fusible interfacing <4” x 50” (10 cm x 127 cm)> for the strap. If you would prefer to use webbing for the strap, you totally can! You’ll need 1.5 yards or meters of 1” wide webbing.
You can optionally add bag slider hardware to make your Orbit strap customizable. To do this you will need 1” wide strap hardware (1 bag slider and 2 D-rings). We got ours from Wawak. The hardware is easy to install and we provide instructions in the Orbit Booklet.
Fabric Recommendations
Stable woven fabrics like cotton (quilting cotton, lawn, poplin, chambray) or linen work well. Lightweight fabrics work best for piecing and quilting. Choose fabrics that are a similar weight. Midweight fabrics are also an option but they are more challenging to work with because they create bulkier seams. You can also use already pieced or quilted projects!
Our samples are primarily made from leftover linen and cotton scraps.
In addition to the exterior fabrics, you also get to choose a fun lining fabric. You can even bind the interior seams of Orbit for an extra pop of color. We provide instructions for how to do this in the pattern booklet.
Learning How to Quilt
Never quilted before? No problem! Orbit is the perfect introduction to the wonderful world of patchwork and quilting. This small project will teach you the basics of quilting and you will have no trouble completing it even if you have no quilting experience. As with all of Helen’s Closet patterns, Orbit has a robust instruction booklet full of helpful tips to guide you.
The pieces of the Orbit Bag are constructed and quilted separately before assembling. A pattern is provided so you can trim your quilted pieces to the correct size when they are complete.
Why I Love Orbit
As I mentioned at the top of this post, I’ve been toting this bag around with me everywhere I go for about 2 years and I have to say, it is the PERFECT bag! I know that looks different for every person, so let me tell you what I personally love about it:
It’s unique and eye catching. I get so many compliments on this bag and people really seem to respond well to it. Quilters will clock it immediately so you can always find somebody to talk to. Not to mention that it makes any outfit you wear look 50% cooler, guaranteed.
It’s a great medium size. Some bags are too big, some bags are too small. This one is perfect! It fits all the essentials with room to spare! In addition to my phone/wallet/keys I like to carry tissues, snacks, sunglasses, gloves, mints, hair clips, cough drops, and more! I’m not a light packer and this bag can truly hold it all. It even fits a mini water bottle!
It feels comfortable and sits in the right spot. You get to customize the strap length, so this is totally personal, but I love how Orbit sits at my hip and I can swing it around to the front when needed. It doesn’t feel too heavy or cumbersome, and I love a cross body strap.
It is secure. Bags that hang open are just not as good as ones that close up. The Orbit zipper feels secure so all your belongings are safe. The outside pocket is a convenient place for your phone if you like to get it out often; it still feels secure against your body on the back side of the bag.
I can’t wait to see your Orbits! I am really looking forward to running into Orbit bags out there in the wild, too. Imagine seeing an Orbit on the street? Immediate friends.
The Orbit Bag is on sale right now for 20% off! No code required.
