Home generalSewing felt bag for beginners Instructions and pattern

Sewing felt bag for beginners Instructions and pattern

Bags can hardly have enough, because there is always an opportunity where the color-matching bag is missing. Then why not sew yourself a ">

Most beginners consider sewing a bag to be complicated and difficult, but once they have started, the risk of addiction is high. Start with a simple cut, try it in different colors and gradually add new details or embellishments. Felt is perfect for the first attempts because it does not fray and therefore does not need to be cleaned. Felt is available by the meter or as sheets in numerous colors. Some of them are sure to go well with your wardrobe. In addition, with a little practice, you will quickly have a perfect gift for your best friend, daughter or niece….

content

  • Material and preparation
  • cut
  • Sew the felt bag
  • Different straps

Material and preparation

  • Difficulty level 2/5 (suitable for beginners)
  • Material costs 2/5
    • Felt 4 mm thick, plate 30 x 45 cm approx.2.80 EUR (by the meter 11.50 EUR / m at 60 cm width, only 20 cm = approx.1.50 EUR are needed)
    • Webbing 4 cm wide 3.50 EUR / 3m, enough for 2 felt bags
    • Square rings 3.50 EUR / 4 pieces
    • Ladder buckle 4.95 EUR / 4 pieces
    • Mortise lock 3.95 EUR / 2 pieces
  • Time expenditure 2/5 (approx. 1 hour)

You need:

  • Felt plate 30 x 45 cm, 4 mm thick, in the desired color, alternatively 20 cm by the meter
  • Webbing 30 or 40 mm wide, about 1.20 m to 1.50 m long
  • a square ring to match the webbing, i.e. 30 or 40 mm
  • a ladder buckle as wide as your webbing (if you want an adjustable shoulder strap)
  • a mortise lock

Tip: You can get the material in any good craft store or on the Internet. I ordered it from Butterte, the price information above also refers to it.

Other materials that are usually present in a craft or handicraft household:

  • Brown paper, pencil or ballpoint pen, ruler (to draw the pattern)
  • color-matching sewing thread (I used colored / mottled sewing thread as an accent)
  • Pins or cloth clips (alternatively stable paper clips or fold-back clips)
  • sewing machine
  • possibly a pair of pliers to secure the mortise lock

Tip: thick felt is not easy to put together. Use fabric clips instead of pins. They are available in various sizes in handicraft shops or on the Internet (e.g. at Buttinette), sometimes also in other (cheap) shops with a department for sewing and handicraft accessories. Alternatively, you can also use paper clips or small fold-back clips.

cut

1. First make the paper cut for the felt bag:

The pocket part has the dimensions 20 x 37 cm, on one short side you round off the corners. You can use a plate as a template.

The two side parts have the dimensions 8 x 11 cm, each a short side has rounded corners. Here a glass helps to draw the right curve.

Your paper cut should now look like this:

2. Place the parts of the paper cut on the felt and trace the outlines. Remember that you need 2 side parts for the felt bag.

Tip: Pencil lines are hardly noticeable on the felt. If you use ballpoint pens, then cut the felt within the lines so that you will not see them on your pocket later.

3. Cut the felt to size using sharp, large scissors. The less you have to start again, the cleaner the edges become.

Tip: If "colorful" is your favorite color, you can cut the side parts in a different color than the pocket part or use a contrasting color webbing.

4. Cut off the webbing approx. 9 to 10 cm, shorten the rest to about 1.20 m. Since the belt is adjustable, you can also leave it longer.

If the belt should not be adjustable, cut the belt to the desired length. The finished bag should hang loosely on the hip.

Sew the felt bag

1. First sew the short piece of webbing with a square ring placed in between on the straight edge of a side part ...

... the cut edges are so covered that they cannot fray later.

Tip: The seam guide is basically a rectangle or square with a cross (diagonal seam) in the middle. This means that the shoulder strap is resilient and the ends of the webbing cannot fray.

2. Then sew the long piece of webbing onto the second side part, again the cut edge is covered.

Tip: If you do not want your felt bag to have an adjustable carrying strap, sew the strap on both sides in this way.

3. Now it gets a bit complicated: pull the webbing through the ladder buckle, through the square ring on the other side part and again through the ladder buckle and sew the end of the webbing to the ladder buckle.

4. Push or clip the side parts onto the pocket part as shown. The seams are later on the outside of the bag, so you can see them.

Now you can sew the felt bag.

Tip: If you don't dare to sew the felt bag with the sewing machine, you can also sew the bag together by hand.

5. Slowly sew the first side part onto the bag using color-matched sewing thread or a contrasting color. Start by sewing on the side parts on the straight cut edge of the pocket part, this will make it easier for you to make any necessary corrections when sewing.

Tip: With some sewing machines you can set the sewing speed. I like to use the "snail" or "turtle gear" in my children's sewing courses, but also for complicated work.

3. Once you have sewn on the first part, check that the second part is correctly fastened so that the bag does not go wrong. If not, you can still make good improvements.

4. Sew the second side piece in place.

5. Now only the plug lock is missing. Place it in the middle of the felt bag and the flap. You can find out how to install the key lock in the package insert.

Your felt bag is ready.

Different straps

If you don't dare to sew an adjustable strap on the felt bag, you can also use a simple strap. To do this, sew both ends of the suitably cut webbing with folded ends (folded in) on the side parts, as described for the long piece of webbing.

You can sew the side parts outwards (as shown) or inwards with the webbing, then only the seams can be seen.

If you prefer narrow straps, use a 3 cm wide webbing. Then the square ring and the conductor buckle with a width of 3 cm must also be used.

You get a nice alternative if you sew strips of fabric or colored woven ribbons on your webbing or you choose already patterned webbings to set accents.

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