HALF YARD CROSSBODY BAG By Ally from Crooked Smile Creations This is a simple yet versatile bag that can be made with fabric remnants and a little imagination. It is a great casual and comfortable bag. Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014
Materials This is a great pattern to use remnants of fabric. A fat quarter is large enough for the entire interior including under the flap. Using a few different fat quarters is a great way to add character to your bag. The exterior main body should be constructed of heavier bottom weight fabric such as denim or khaki, duck cloth or home décor fabric. I recommend using a craft weight fusible interfacing such as Pellon 809 on each cut piece. Using heavier fabric may necessitate using a stronger needle on your machine. Refer to manufacturer s manual for advice on your individual machine. Fabric: Main Body ¼ yard (9 inches) Interior: Minimum of one fat quarter or ¼ yard if buying from the bolt. Notions: 1 ½ inch polypropylene webbing 46 inches (A woven belt can also be used if you are into repurposing) The longer the webbing, the more strap drop you will have. If you like the bag to rest on your hip, add a few inches to this. Craft Weight Fusible Interfacing: 1/2 yard Seam Allowance: 1/4 inch unless otherwise noted. Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 2
Fabric Cuts Refer to the fat quarter layout section of this pattern to see how to cut the interior. If fabric is from the bolt, the width of ¼ yard will be 9 inches. Line the pieces up along the width of the fabric instead of side by side as shown in fat quarter layout. Cut 11 x 8 flap first. All pieces should be reinforced with fusible interfacing. Some prefer to add the interfacing to the fabric before cutting the pieces, others prefer to cut all the pieces and then iron the interfacing to each piece after. In either case, the following cuts should have the same cuts from the fusible interfacing pressed to the fabric. Exterior Body: 2 9 x 8 inch squares for front and back 1 11x 8 inch for the flap 2 9 x 2 inch for the sides 1 8 x 2 inch for the bottom Interior Body (See fat quarter layout for reference): 2 9 x 8 inch squares for front and back 1 11 x 8 inch for the flap interior 2 9 x 2 inch for the sides 1 8 x 2 inch for the bottom 1 8 x 7 inch for the under flap pocket Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 3
Fat Quarter Layout 18&inches Under&Flap&Pocket 8"inches 8"inches Flap 7"inches 11"inches Back 8"inches 8"inches Front 22"inches 9"inches 9"inches Side 9"inches 2"inches 2"inches 9"inches Side 2"inches 8"inches Bottom The extra fabric, shown in white, can be used to add an accenting stripe to the outside of the flap. Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 4
Main Body For under flap pocket: Under Flap Pocket Fold 8 x 7 in half to make 8 x 3.5 inch pocket, wrong sides facing. Press and sew ¼ inch seam along fold. Position pocket piece 2 inches from bottom of front exterior panel with raw edge towards the top. Sew along raw edge. 8 inch 2 inches 9 inch Sew along raw edge of pocket Fold pocket up and press, hiding raw edge inside fold. Sew along bottom edge of pocket. Baste stitch edges to panel. Sew along bottom and side edges of pocket. Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 5
To construct the exterior gusset, sew 8- inch strip in between the two 9 inch strips, right sides facing. 2 x 9 2 x 8 2 x 9 Press seams flat With right sides facing, pin newly formed long piece to back panel piece. 8 inch Sew edges to back piece of main body 9 inch Sew and press seams flat to one side. Pin front panel to edges in same manner with right sides facing and sew along pinned edge. Turn right side out and press. To construct the flap, with right sides facing, sew along sides and bottom. Turn right side out and press. 8 inch 11 inch Sew along sides and bottom To position flap on the main body, position bottom of flap on front of bag, and fold flap over top of the body of the bag. Make sure that the main body is not compressed when the flap is to be closed. Note where the flap should comfortably secure to the back of the bag. Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 6
When positioning is determined, pin flap to back of bag and sew along the top. Stitch along top to secure to body of the bag Flap Front of bag Side view of bag Stitch along top of bag to secure flap to main body Flap Back view of bag Position the end of the straps on each side with the raw edges facing up. Baste stitch to each side Baste stitch strap to top of each side of bag Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 7
Interior Gusset Construct the interior pocket with scrap fabric. Using exterior fabric can tie the look together. A 5x5 piece of fabric will make a pocket similar to this: To add pocket, fold edges of fabric in ½ inch and press. Sew seam along the top to prevent fraying. Center and sew sides and bottom to one of the interior panels. To construct the interior gusset, sew 8- inch strip in between the two 9 inch strips, right sides facing. 2 x 9 2 x 8 2 x 9 Press seams flat With right sides facing, pin newly formed long piece to one of the panel pieces. 8 inch Sew edges to one of the panels 9 inch Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 8
Sew along pinned edge and press seams flat to one side. Pin other interior panel to edges in same manner with right sides facing. When sewing, leave an open gap at the bottom of 4-5 inches. 8 inch 9 inch Sew sides and part of the bottom only Leave open Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 9
Assemble the Bag Put the assembled exterior of the bag inside the interior with right sides facing. Ensure that the entire exterior is inside the interior gusset including the flap and the strap. Align exterior and interior gussets and pin together at the top. Stitch around the top of the entire bag. Stitch around the top of the entire bag Carefully pull the exterior body and strap through the opening left at the bottom of the interior gusset. Continue to pull the bag together, until fully unfolded. Stitch opening at bottom of interior gusset closed with either a whipstitch by hand or straight seam on your machine. Form interior gusset inside main body and press wrinkles out of the bag. An optional finishing seam along the top of the bag can be added. Make sure flap and strap are extended when you sew. Top stitch around entire bag Copyright Crooked Smile Creations 2014 10