How to Make the Divide & Conquer Organizer Bag: Tips for Tidy Travel and Sewing Storage
Every quilter knows the feeling: notions scattered in a tote, rulers sliding to the bottom of a suitcase, and small supplies turning up everywhere except where you need them. The Divide & Conquer pattern answers that problem with a structured organizer bag that opens like a suitcase, so everything inside is visible, sorted, and easy to reach.
What Is Divide & Conquer?
Divide & Conquer is a bag-making pattern for versatile organizer bags in two sizes. The pattern includes instructions for a small bag measuring 9.5 inches high by 13.5 inches wide by 6.5 inches deep, and a large bag measuring 11 inches high by 16 inches wide by 8.5 inches deep.
Both sizes feature adjustable handles and full-width exterior pockets. An optional strap on the back slips over the handles on rolling luggage, making the bag handy for travel, retreats, and classes. Inside, the bags open like suitcases to reveal handy see-through zippered compartments on each side, plus attached pocket pages that store and organize a multitude of smaller items.
Why Quilters and Sewists Use It
First, visibility. The see-through zippered compartments let you find thread, scissors, markers, or chargers at a glance instead of digging through a dark, single-compartment bag.
Second, separation. The attached pocket pages work like pages in a binder, dividing smaller items into their own spaces — ideal for keeping notions, hand-sewing supplies, or travel essentials from tangling together.
Third, flexibility. With two sizes in one pattern, you can make the small version as a project organizer and the large version when you need to carry more, for a retreat or a weekend trip.
How to Make It, Step by Step
- Choose your size. Measure what you plan to carry — rulers, supplies, or travel items — and let that guide whether you make the small or large bag.
- Read the pattern through first. Exterior pockets, handles, and the luggage strap all go on at specific stages, so a full read-through prevents unpicking later.
- Cut and prepare all pieces. Label pieces as you cut, especially the components for the zippered compartments and pocket pages, and keep each section grouped together.
- Build the exterior. Add the full-width exterior pockets, the adjustable handles, and — if you travel with rolling luggage — the optional strap on the back.
- Add the interior compartments. Install the see-through zippered compartments on each side so the bag opens like a suitcase with storage on both halves.
- Attach the pocket pages and finish. Add the interior pocket pages for extra divided storage, close all zippers, and test the bag loaded with the items you made it for.
Practical Tips
Plan your packing system before your first trip: keep like with like — one compartment for tools, one for personal items, and the pocket pages for the smallest pieces. Because the compartments are see-through, a consistent system means you can spot a missing item in seconds.
If you make the bag for sewing travel, load it for a class day at home first and note what you reach for most. Move those items to the exterior pockets, where the full-width design gives quick access without opening the whole bag.
Care and Storage
Empty the bag after trips and leave the zippers open briefly so the interior airs out. Wipe the see-through compartments with a soft, damp cloth if they collect lint or thread snippets. Store the bag unzipped and lightly filled — a spare project or some fabric — so it holds its structured shape instead of being crushed flat.
Project Ideas
Make the small size as a hand-sewing kit for English paper piecing or appliqué on the go. Use the large size as a retreat organizer that carries a full project plus notions. Or sew a matching pair — one for sewing supplies and one for travel — or make one as a gift for a quilting friend, with a few favorite notions tucked into the pocket pages.
Shop the Divide & Conquer at Linda's Electric Quilters.
