Fabric & supplies

YOU WILL NEED:

  • Outer (exterior) fabric, woven fabric in medium to heavy weight such as canvas, denim, twill, faux leather, softshell, teddy, corduroy, oilskin, faux fur.
  • Lining fabric, woven light-weight fabric. For example cotton and light canvas. Preferably a light but durable fabric.
  • Do you want to use a knit fabric for your outer or lining? For example jersey or college?  It’s not ideal for variant B or C, but okay for variant A. I recommend to interface it (for example with H250 or G700) to remove the stretch.
  • Interlining, for more stability and/or volume. Tips and suggestions in the sewing instructions.

    • For variant A it’s not necessary to use interlining, it depends on how thin/heavy fabrics you use and what you want the finish bag to look like. With interlining on your outer fabric (and/or lining), the bag will be more stable and stand up.
    • For variant B and C I would definitely recommend interlining even though you can sew without it. But avoid the most heavy interlinings if you’re sewing variant B (or A). Considering the drawstring, we want the bag to be soft and flexible.

  • Fabric for handles (variant B/C): Use woven fabric in light, medium or heavy weight. Or purchase ready to use bag handles (2 handles, 72 cm long).

  • String, for variant A & B, to create the drawstring. The chart shows the length for each string.

  • Zippers, only for variant B & C if you’re sewing zipper pockets and/or divider pockets. See length in the chart above. You can use plastic or metal zippers, and it’s not an issue if your zipper is longer than the needed length. It’s easy to shorten. It can be a closed or open-ended zipper. You can also use a continuous zipper, see my guide on how to use them on the blog.

Here’s the fabric requirements, as well as length of zippers and string for each variant and size. The fabric requirements are calculated for 140 cm wide fabrics. In “outer fabric”, I’ve included handles. In “lining fabric” I’ve included pockets.

How much interlining is needed? As much as the fabric if you want to interface all pieces. Keep in mind you may want to use different interlinings, for the different pattern pieces.  Also, interlinings may have less width than 140 cm.