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Zipped Shoulder Bag | Video Tutorial | Intermediate Sewing Project
Moderate |
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Create a relaxed, easy-to-wear shoulder bag that’s as practical as it is stylish. Its soft, slouchy shape makes it perfect for everyday use, whether you’re shopping, heading to the beach, or carrying your latest sewing project.
Every month on the 15th, we will bring you a brand new bag project. Did you make our Bow Handbag in August? And our Shopper Bag from September? This time we're bringing you a slouchy, zipped shoulder bag that is sure to become your new daily essential.
This bag features a long shoulder strap that can be tied to adjust the length to suit you. A handy front pocket with magnetic snap fastening keeps your phone or keys within easy reach, while the spacious main compartment offers plenty of room for all your daily essentials. A zip closure helps keep everything secure without spoiling the bag’s relaxed look.Materials
I’ve made my bag from cotton Panama, which is both strong and durable. Medium-weight linen fabric would also work well, as would denim, corduroy, canvas, cotton or any other sturdy fabric that isn’t too stiff. For the interfacing, I’ve used Vlieseline H640, a soft polyester fusible fleece, in order to maintain the bag’s slouchy look; a medium-weight fusible interfacing would also work well.Make it your own!
- I played with the stripes in my outer fabric so that they run vertically on the front and back pieces and horizontally on the front pocket. You could do something similar but using corduroy fabric.
- The lining of the front pocket forms a border along its top edge. Use this as an opportunity to introduce a pop of colour by cutting the front pocket lining from a bold or contrasting fabric.
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See if you have any old jeans or jackets you were going to throw out and then reuse the fabric to make the bag. You can join pieces together as needed to get the right size.
By the end of this project, you’ll have:
- Made a bag!
- Learned how to add a border to a pocket using a larger lining.
- Discovered how to make a simple tied bag strap.
- Added a magnetic snap closure.
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- Sewing machine with a standard foot and a zip foot
- Fabric scissors
- Pins and/or clips
- Optional: strong wet fabric glue such as Gutermann HT2
- 44 x 30in (112 x 76cm) of outer fabric – I used a striped Panama fabric
- 44 x 27in (112 x 69cm) of lining fabric – I chose a blue coordinating fabric
- 20 x 8in (51 x 20cm) of fabric for the inside patch pocket – I used a third fabric, but you could use more of either your lining or outer fabric if you wish
- 34 x 18in (86.5 x 46cm) of fusible fleece (Vlieseline H640)
- Magnetic snap
- 18in (46cm) zip
- Two outer and two lining pieces each measuring 17in (43cm) square for the front and back
- One 17 x 9in (43 x 23cm) outer fabric piece for the front pocket – I cut my pocket piece sideways so that the stripes would run horizontally
- One 17 x 9½in (43 x 24cm) lining piece for the front pocket lining
- Two outer and two lining pieces each measuring 2in (5cm) square for the zip end tabs
- Two 10 x 8in (25.5 x 20cm) inside pocket pieces (from your patch-pocket fabric)
- 12 x 3in (30.5 x 7.5cm) strip of outer fabric for the short strap
- 44 x 3in (112 x 7.5cm) strip of outer fabric for the long strap
Finished size: 15 x 14 x 3in (38 x 35.5 x 7.5cm).MEMBERS ONLY: To gain full access to the Half Yard Club projects please login or sign up
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Project steps:
Step 1
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Step 2
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