Messenger bag tutorial

[lilnekochan.livejournal.com]

If the instructions sound condecending at all, please don't take them as such. I work with barely computer literate people and have to write things out as if I were talking to a 5 year old (type 3, press the enter key...) so this is just the mind set I get into when trying to explain something in writing.



1 ¼ yds fabric
1 ½ yds lining (I used black twill)
2 yds heavy fusible interfacing
2 18” zippers
2 small buckles
2 yds nylon webbing
½ yd netting (or a cheap pair of fishnets ^_~)
1 pkg double fold bias tape
Thread (duh)

All seams are 5/8” unless noted
All hems are ¼”

<img src=" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">
_________________________________________


_________________________________________



*Cut out all pieces, pockets/pouches are out of whatever is left.
*Iron the front, back, sides/bottom, & strap pieces of fabric smooth. Iron interfacing to the back of these pieces.

Strap & Shoulder Padding
1. Fold strap piece in half lengthwise, right sides together. Backstitch at beginning & end. Pull tube through, iron flat with seam on one edge. Topstitch ¼” from each edge.
2. Hem the 3 ½ “ ends of the 3 ½” x 4 ½ “ piece of the shoulder padding. Cut a piece of batting to fit between the 2 larger pieces, place the smaller piece on top of the other 3 so that the long edges match up.

3. Sew edges, through all layers, with ¼” seam. Sew bias tape around edges to finish.



Flap
1. Sew fabric & lining pieces for bottom of flap to zipper, right sides together, zipper between, facing fabric. Use a zipper foot to guide the needle along zipper teeth.

2. Fold right side out & topstitch.
3. Follow step 1 for the top half of the flap. Fold right side out but fold 1” of fabric down over zipper to cover it, then topstitch.

4. Seal one end of the webbing (run the end through a lighter flame a few times till it melts a bit, but don’t burn it). Fold over the end and zig-zag over it a few times. This forms a stop so the buckle won’t come off the end.

5. Cut the webbing 8” from the stop, seal end, weave through slots in male end of buckle.

6. Make another one.
7. Sew completed flap front to flap lining, placing the webbing between the 2 layers 5” from the edges.

Leave the top open. Clip curves.

Sew webbing securely into seam allowance.



8. Turn right side out, press edges, sew top closed with a ¼” seam. Set aside.

Front Panel
Net Pocket
1. Sew netting to zipper right sides together, flip netting down and topstitch. Sew zipper to bag front 6” up from the bottom, right sides together, bottom of pouch towards top of bag front. Flip netting down and topstitch zipper.

2. Sew sides & bottom in place with a ¼” seam.

Pencil Pouches
1. Hem (1/4”) all 4 sides of rectangle. Measure in from side of bag 1 5/8”, bottom of rectangle meeting the top of the zipper pouch. Sew one side of pouch fabric into place.

2. On bag front, measure every ¾” and mark with pins at top and bottom, mark pouch fabric with pins every 1 ½”. Line up each set of pins and sew a straight line from top of pouch to bottom, back stitching at each end.
3. Pinch each pencil pouch together at the bottom then flatten the peak. Sew along the bottom edge.
Pencil pouch is done. You can add more pouches if you want (the current measurements will make 5). The ratio is ¾” to 1 ½” so 7 pouches would be 11” (including hems) and take up 5 1/4" on the bag front.

Planner/PDA Pouch
1. Cut out 2” squares out of bottom of pouch fabric.

2. Fold fabric so that the 2 sides of each square you just cut out are even with each other and sew cut edges right sides together. Do this on both corners.

3. Hem under ¼” all the way around pouch.
4. Measure in 1 5/8” in from other side of bag front, bottom of rectangle meeting the top of the zipper pouch. Sew one side of pouch fabric into place, backstitching at the top.

Sew bottom of pouch along the top of the zipper pouch. Measure 4” over from the top of the pouch, line up remaining side of pouch with this measurement and sew, backstitching at the top.

Flat Pockets
In the space remaining between the 2 pouches put in flat pockets.
1. Start with a 3” tall piece and make 2-3 more pockets, each 1” taller than the last. Hem (¼”) the top edges of all pocket pieces. Lay them on top of each other, matching up bottoms & sides.

Hem the sides & bottom. Sew to bag between pouches, botton meeting top of zipper pouch.

The front of the bag is finished! It should look like this:


Side Pouches
1. Make netting pouches the same way you did the PDA pouch but don’t hem the edges. Sew bias tape to the top edge of pouch and run 7” of elastic through bias tape, zig-zag elastic in place through bias tape at the ends to hold in place.

2. Measure 12 inches from each end of the bottom/sides piece. Right sides together with elastic end of pouch pointing toward the middle, sew bottom of pouch to the side of the bag. Flip the pocket right side up, topstitch bottom, sew sides to edges of strip (1/4”) seam.



Making the Bag
Ok, this is actually the easy part!
1. Pin the bottom/sides piece of the bag to the back piece, right sides together. Make sure the tops line up, then sew.

2. Repeat with front, but at the bottom, put other half of buckle onto seam.

Use 3 ½” of webbing to secure buckle to bottom of bag. Remember to seal the ends. Sew into the seam allowance again.
3. Turn bag right side out, push out corners, and press seams.
4. Sew the flap to the back of the bag, right sides together, ¼” seam. Sew the strap to the sides of the bag on the outside, ¼” seam.

Lining
1. Sew the lining together just like the main bag but instead of the buckles, leave most of the bottom of one side open.


Putting It All Together
1. Leave lining wrong side out and stuff the main bag (right side out) into the lining.
2. Match up seams. Make sure to pin and adjust, THEN sew the lining to the bag.
3. Secure the strap into the seam allowance
4. Pull bag through opening in lining, sew up lining and push into bag and adjust.
5. Press top edge of bag, then topstitch very close to the edge.
6. If you want you can secure the strap again by sewing through all layers in the rectangle-X pattern again.

There! Done!
These are the measurements I used for my bag, but you can make it any size you want. Also, if you don’t want the buckles, you can use ties or Velcro (you’ll need to loose a bit at the bottom of the netted pocket so you can attach the other half to the bag though)