A Simple Book Bag Tutorial

How to Make a Simple Book Bag in 15 Minutes

Copyright Angeluci Couture 2010 - please don’t reproduce or publish this tutorial – if you would like to make reference to it then please link back to my website www.angeluci.com  Also, please don’t try and sell it or pass it off as your own. Small independent crafters/schools can make and sell these bags to their hearts content but where possible, please link back to my website. Ta very much xx

I made a batch of these recently for a school fayre – I was looking for ways to use up the huge amount of mismatched/redundant supplies I’ve managed to build up because, as my old Nan says, my eyes are bigger than my belly.

This is a brilliant first sewing project or one to get older kids involved with – not complicated in the slightest J

You will need:

• Fabric
• Webbing
• Pins
• Iron/Ironing board
• This bag can be made by hand but I would recommend using a sewing machine.

STEP 1 – Choose some funky material and iron it flat – if you have time I would also recommend washing it first too.

STEP 2 -  Fold the material in half (right sides together) and then measure along the fold line the width you want your finished bag to be and then add seam allowances (mine was 13” including seam allowances of 0.5”).

STEP 3 – Mark out the length you want for your book bag and use a biro/pencil to draw a line onto the wrong side of the fabric. I wanted a square-ish bag so measured it at around 14.5” (including hem and seam allowances of 0.5”).

STEP 4 – Using a flat surface (hard floor is fine) carefully cut along the line you have just drawn (the length), keeping your free hand firmly in the centre of the fabric to stop it moving around.

STEP 5 – Now cut your (still folded) fabric along the fold line and then turn (keeping right sides together) so the print on both sides runs the right way. You don’t need to do this if your material is plain or a non-directional pattern – your bag will have no hem along the bottom, just a fold.

STEP 6 – Time to turn on your iron! We’re going to press the hemline for the TOP of the bag into place. Do it in two steps – press at 0.5” then fold and press the same again. Do this for both top edges.

STEP 7 – Measure 2 equal lengths of webbing for your bag handles – use a length that suits your needs – I used 2 x 24” strips.  

STEP 8 – At one top edge of your fabric (one of the bits you pressed into a double fold) take one of your strips of webbing and tuck one end of it under the double fold. Leave a distance of about 2” from the outer edge and pin into place. Do the same with the other end and then repeat for the other piece of fabric using your other strip of webbing.

STEP 9 -  Sew straps and top hem into place making sure to backsew over the straps a few times.

STEP 10 – With wrong sides facing, sew the bottom hem, trim to 0.25” and press apart. If your bag is in one piece instead of two (see step 5), you can skip this step and go straight to the next one).

STEP 11 – With wrong sides together, sew up the sides, trim seam allowances to 0.25 inches and press apart. Now turn your bag to the right way, press and you’re done!

Copyright Angeluci Couture 2010 - please don’t reproduce or publish this tutorial – if you would like to make reference to it then please link back to my website www.angeluci.com and try and get permission first. Also, please don’t try and sell it or pass it off as your own. Small independent crafters/schools can make and sell these bags to their hearts content but where possible, please link back to my website. Ta very much xx