Jelly Vinyl Bags: Creative Decisions and '90s Pool Floats

I thought I would share the decision-making process for creating vinyl boxy bags, how I choose materials, and why, when certain colors are paired together, I'm transported back to 1997.

I love the look of colored, transparent vinyl paired with semi-transparent jelly vinyl, especially when a pop of neon is involved. It reminds me of summer pool floats and outdoor toys from the '90s. If you had a '90s childhood, you likely know what I'm talking about, and can almost smell the vinyl rafts and taste the hose water right now. The birds are chirping, the sun is reflecting off your drenched skin, and your feet are likely covered in freshly cut grass clippings. Someone bring me a Super Soaker and a Capri Sun!

*Just for the record, I didn't have Capri Sun just chillin' in the fridge all summer--what was I, rich? I had inexpensive Fla-Vor-Ice popsicles, though, ready to cut the corners of my mouth with each bite, and they were just as delicious--artificial dyes and all! 

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. When creating one of these jelly bags, I pull out all the vinyl types: holographic stars on transparent backgrounds, patterned jellies, and solid color, semi-transparent jellies. (These also remind me of the jelly sandals I had when I was little--loved those things!) 

I start by choosing a vinyl for the bag's bottom, which in this case is a semi-transparent jelly vinyl, then begin swapping out transparent vinyls for the bag's top, auditioning them next to one another until I feel they're just right. I then bring in zipper tape, deciding whether I want the vibe to be matchy-matchy, contrasting, or have an unexpected pop of color.

The pink vinyl combination below could go three different ways: a super matchy pink-on-pink-on-pink with the striped zipper, or a pink lemonade vibe with the solid yellow, or a Lisa Frank situation with the rainbow zipper. The last option would also play off of the rainbows in the holographic stars, which is something to consider. 

The same thing goes for the green option below: matchy-matchy green zippers, or a pop of hot pink, which reminds me of watermelon.

I also love this blue and green together, but this time, the star vinyl wouldn't match the jelly vinyl or the zipper tape; it would match the actual zipper teeth.

And for this option, I could match the transparent zipper tape to the transparent vinyl, and go for a super see-through vibe, like an amazingly uncomfortable air chair. (Mine was see-through with colorful, funky flowers.)

I also have to decide on which zipper pulls (and how many) I'll be adding, and I audition them next to the vinyl as well. Zipper pulls are like the jewelry of the bag, and are just as important as every other element. Sometimes, a simple YKK pull in a contrasting color is all that's needed, but sometimes, you just need a giant star or a skull, you know? As Bob Ross would say, "This is your world.."

Another thing that adds a fun flair to any bag: labels and tags. Totally unnecessary. Completely charming. Always worth it. Essentially, another piece of "jewelry" for the bag. Accessories for your accessories, if you will. So, I pull out my stash and decide if the bag offers a good location for a tag.

These smiley faces remind me of a shirt I used to have when I was a tween. Back then, I was obsessed with smiley faces, peace signs and flower power. As well as frogs, yin-yangs, moons and stars.

I'm currently working on a batch of colorful jelly bags for my shop, but the one I made for myself is where I currently stow my labels and tags. I love seeing them through the top of the bag, like a little window into CUTE!

Zipper binding is needed for these bags, which provides yet another opportunity for a pop of color or a fun print. For my bag, I chose hot pink Starry in a cotton fabric (though vinyl strips could also be used here). I didn't use pink anywhere else on the bag, which made me love the Starry print even more. 

For my zipper tabs, I used neon green webbing, which provided another pop of color. And again, vinyl or cotton could be used to create these little helper handles, but I loved this neon webbing! Altogether, the blues, hot pink and neon green just screamed childhood summer to me. *Runs full speed, arms outstretched, diving head first onto a slip'n'slide* 

I finished off my bag with a little gummy bear zipper charm for some added pizazz. I also chose two zipper pulls for my bag, which allows me to push both pulls to either end, or keep them both centered at the top of the bag, and open outward. It does use an extra pull, which isn't necessary, but I do like the versatility of head-to-head zippers, so I use them a lot in my bag making, especially for cross-body bags that angle across your chest.

And that's basically it! For any project, I start with a mood or feeling when selecting colors and materials, and it is often found within my own memories, current moods, '90s nostalgia, etc. Any time I use neon materials or vibrant jelly vinyl, I'm immediately transported back to a more innocent time in life, when bologna sandwiches were best enjoyed outside while taking a break from a water gun fight. When you drank from the hose, of your own volition, and were told not to drip across the floor when it was time to come inside. When you changed into an oversized t-shirt and plopped down on the carpet in front of an oscillating fan to watch Nickelodeon. And you'd get up and do it all again tomorrow after a bowl of cereal and morning cartoons because it was summer, and the whole day was ripe for the playing. 

That nostalgia is what fuels my decision-making process when I make anything, whether it's a bag, banner, wallet, book sleeve, tiny coin pouch or large quilt. I need to connect to the colors and materials in some way, or I'm just not interested in making it. So in a weird way, sewing allows me to tap into the past and stir up memories, vividly remembered or nearly forgotten, like a creative time machine running on zipper tape and polyester thread. 

Also worth mentioning: This creative process is something that AI could never reproduce, which is why I detest it. It isn't human and it never will be. Humans create because they are driven to, because they can't NOT create. Those creations come from a place of lived experiences and emotions. A simple, blue vinyl bag can so accurately remind me of the rippling waves in my childhood friends' pools, triggering memories of warm concrete under wet feet, swaying cornfields lining rural properties, melty popsicles, and large beach towels wrapped tightly around little shoulders. ChatGPT didn't have a pool party in the summer of 1997. It doesn't know what warm concrete feels like. It doesn't have a surge of memories all stemming from a certain shade of blue.

It's so strange that the colors and materials in an inanimate object have the ability to awaken memories completely unrelated to that inanimate object. It's just a bag! I fully recognize this. But it's also a time machine, finely tuned to my very specific core memories. The colors and materials that trigger my memories, likely won't trigger yours. But that's what's amazing about color. Whether you're buying an accessory or making your own, the colors you choose are going to speak to you in some way that they won't speak to someone else. So, my little jelly bag is essentially an above-ground pool filled with childhood friends, sporting neon bathing suits, while perched atop smelly vinyl rafts under the '90s summer sunshine. 

I'll take that Capri Sun now..