Sewing a Diaper Bag with Poppie Cotton Primrose & Parsley

by Amanda Whisman September 17, 2026

When I first saw Primrose & Parsley by Michal Marko for Poppie Cotton, I immediately pictured a diaper bag.

Between the sweet little farm animals, apples, delicate flowers, and soft sage, beige, blush, and rose colors, the collection has such a sweet country feel. And since I happened to be working on a new roomy zip-top tote pattern with six interior pockets, I knew exactly what I wanted to make for the Primrose & Parsley Fabric Tour.

So meet my Primrose & Parsley diaper bag, made using my upcoming Mae Zipper Tote pattern.

Choosing Fabrics for My Diaper Bag

One of my favorite parts of making bags is deciding which fabrics should go where, and a diaper bag gives you plenty of opportunities to mix prints.

For the upper exterior, I chose Apples in Dark Sage. The darker sage gives the top of the bag some contrast and grounds all of the softer colors in the collection.

For the lower exterior, I used Barnyard Babies in White. This was the print that really made me think diaper bag. Those little farm animals were far too cute to hide inside, so I wanted them across the larger lower section where you could really see them.

I love these two prints together. There's enough contrast to show off the shape and construction of the bag, but the colors still flow beautifully from one section to the next.

If you're choosing fabrics for a two-fabric bag, that's something I always look for. Your fabrics don't have to match perfectly. A little contrast helps each section stand out instead of having the whole bag blend together.

Six Pockets? Yes, Please.

For the lining and interior slip pockets, I used Nesting in Beige.

And this is where Mae really starts earning her keep as a diaper bag.

There are six interior slip pockets, with binding along the top and different divisions to help organize everything you're carrying.

Diapers in one. Wipes in another. Bottles, snacks, extra clothes, pacifiers, your own stuff... because somehow one tiny person requires approximately 47 things just to leave the house.

The lighter Nesting print also makes it easier to see what's inside your bag instead of digging through a dark hole with one hand while you're trying to do six other things with the other.

Meet Mae, My Upcoming Zipper Tote Pattern

This project also gives you a first look at Mae, my newest Be Mandy Things sewing pattern.

I made this particular Mae with a diaper bag in mind, but Mae isn't limited to being a diaper bag.

She's a roomy, structured tote with a full zipper closure and six interior pockets, which means there's plenty of room to decide how you want to use her.

For a diaper bag, though, that zipper was especially important to me.

Diaper bags get tossed into the car, set on the floor, hung from chairs, knocked over, and occasionally investigated by very curious little hands. Being able to zip the entire top closed helps keep everything contained.

It's also one of those features that lets the bag grow beyond the baby years. When you no longer need to carry diapers and wipes, you've still got a big zippered tote that can work for travel, everyday carrying, work, or a weekend away.

A Little Extra Help with the Zipper

Mae will be a complete PDF sewing pattern with step-by-step instructions and photographs from start to finish.

I'm also including links to video tutorial snippets for some of the construction steps where I think it helps to see exactly what I'm doing.

If zippers have made you nervous about trying a bag like this, that's exactly why I want that extra video help there. Sometimes you can read a step three times and still think, Okay... but SHOW me.

So I will.

Primrose & Parsley Made This One Extra Sweet

I really love how this version of Mae came together.

Apples in Dark Sage gave me the deeper contrast I wanted at the top. Barnyard Babies in White became the fun focal print across the bottom. And Nesting in Beige gave me a softer lining that worked beautifully with both.

Using fabrics from the same collection also takes some of the guesswork out of choosing coordinating prints. You can mix a darker print, a lighter print, and a quieter lining while knowing the colors were designed to work together.

You can see the entire Primrose & Parsley collection from Poppie Cotton and find even more inspiration for quilts, bags, and other sewing projects.

Thank you to Poppie Cotton for including me in the Primrose & Parsley Fabric Tour. These sweet little farm-inspired prints made such a fun diaper bag, and I loved getting the chance to use them for one of my very first Mae samples.

Want to Know When Mae Is Ready?

The Mae Zipper Tote pattern is coming soon!

If this bag caught your eye, you can join the list and I'll let you know when Mae is ready to sew.

TELL ME WHEN IT'S READY➡️

And while you're waiting, you can browse all of my current tote bag sewing patterns or grab my Sew Better Bags eBook for more help getting cleaner, more professional-looking results from the bags you already make.

Happy sewing!

Amanda
Be Mandy Things

If you’ve ever had a tote tip over in the car and dump half its contents onto the floor, you already know the appeal of a zipper closure.

It’s also one of the things I’ve been asked for over and over again: When are you going to make a tote bag with a zipper?

Apparently, now.

I’m working on a brand-new zip-top tote sewing pattern with the roomy size and organization I love in a big tote, but this time everything gets zipped safely inside.

And yes, there will be video help, too.

Join the waitlist, and you'll be among the first to know when this pattern is released.

A Roomy Tote That Zips Closed

I love a big tote. There’s room for everything, especially when I’m carrying it for the day, packing for a trip, or using it as a catch-all for all the things that somehow end up being my responsibility.

But an open tote isn't always what you need.

A zipper keeps everything contained if your bag falls over in the car or gets tossed onto a chair. It makes a roomy tote much more useful as a travel or weekender bag. If you’re using it as a diaper bag, little hands have one more obstacle between them and everything inside. And when you’re out in a busy place, being able to completely close your bag adds another layer of security.

My Kathy Tote sewing pattern has been one of my favorite big, structured totes for exactly that kind of everyday hauling. And for a long time, customers have been asking me to give them a zipper option.

So I am.

A Complete Zip-Top Tote Sewing Pattern

This won't be an add-on that requires you to own another pattern.

The new zip-top tote will be a complete, standalone PDF sewing pattern, with instructions taking you from cutting your fabric all the way through turning your finished bag right side out.

You’ll get the detailed instructions and photographs you’re used to seeing in my patterns, including the full zipper construction.

I'm also keeping one of my favorite features from Kathy: six interior slip pockets.

Because if I'm going to carry a bag this big, I don't want everything I own swimming around together at the bottom.

The result is a roomy, structured zippered tote that can work as an everyday bag, diaper bag, travel tote, or weekender.

If you prefer an open-top tote, Kathy isn't going anywhere. If you've been waiting for me to make a big tote that zips completely closed, this is the one you'll want to watch for.

And There Will Be Video Help

I know zippers make a lot of sewists nervous.

I also know there are some sewing techniques that are much easier to understand when you can watch someone's hands do them instead of staring at another photograph wondering exactly what happened between Step 3 and Step 4.

So while this will be a complete written pattern that you can follow from start to finish, I'm also including video tutorial snippets for some of the steps where seeing the construction in action can help.

The videos won't replace the pattern. They'll be there when you want that extra bit of help.

You can also get a head start on some of the zipper skills I use in my bag patterns with my free zipper tutorials.

And if zippers are one of those things that have made you avoid bagmaking altogether, you're in good company. I started out very zipper-challenged myself. There is a reason I've spent so much time figuring out ways to make zipper construction easier to understand and teach.

You can find my current zipper pouch sewing patterns here if you'd like to practice on something smaller first.

Already Have the Kathy Tote?

I've thought about you, too.

Since many of the people who have been asking me for a zipper version already own the Kathy Tote pattern, current Kathy customers will receive a special limited-time offer when the new zip-top tote pattern launches.

You'll want to be on my email list so you don't miss it.

KEEP ME POSTED

The New Zip-Top Tote Is Coming Soon

I'm finishing up the new pattern now, including all those step-by-step photographs and the video help to go along with it.

If you've been waiting for a roomy tote with lots of pockets that you can ZIP CLOSED, make sure you're on the list.

I'll let you know when the pattern is ready, and email subscribers will be among the first to hear about the launch.

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