Bag #32: Messenger Bag

I wanted to make this bag months ago and bought all the materials, but I found the task too daunting.  Now, with more time on my hands and more experience, I decided I was ready to give it a go.  I adore this bag.  It’s very plain to look at (sometimes a bag needs to be subtle) but has so many uses and I’ve learnt so much from it.  I’m so pleased I finally found time to make it.

It’s a cross body bag large enough to hold a laptop and more besides.  It would also hold 2 A4 ring binders, so it’s perfect for students starting the new academic year. There are 3 different pockets – one on the outside and 2 on the inside.  One of the pockets has a zip for extra security and, as it is so wide, I used 2 sliders – that way you don’t have to open the zip right the way across.  This pocket could easily be made deeper and padded for a tablet.  It has an adjustable strap so would be suitable for a short or tall person, although if you knew what length you wanted it, you could manage without the hardware. It would be suitable for a man or a woman, depending on the fabric used.

This bag took hours to make but it was all worth it in the end.  There were so many parts – it’s the first time I’ve had to label all the different fabric pieces in case I got them mixed up. The denim was tough to sew especially on the straps where I was sewing through 12 layers in some places!

I used a medium weight (14 oz) denim throughout with a 80% cotton/20% polyester quilt batting for a not too structured effect. I used a spray on fabric glue to attach the fleece to the denim.  If I had wanted a stiffer, firmer shape I would have used bag foam instead.  I used a cotton lining and heavy weight iron on interfacing (Vilene F250) to stiffen up the cotton so that it could take the weight of the pockets.

The finished size is 14½” / 37cm wide x 12”/ 30 cm high x 3”/ 7.5 cm deep.

I only needed ½ metre of denim as it was 60” wide, but I used almost 1 m of lining. The batting was 45” (114 cm) wide and I used 30”/just under 80 cm. I used just under 50” (about 125 cm) of the interfacing.

I used my normal stitch length (2.5) when sewing the lining but increased it depending on the thickness of the seam when sewing the denim – anywhere from 3 to 5. The denim was sewn using a jeans needle.  I used ¼”/6mm seams for the outer bag and slighter wider seams for the lining.

Difficulty level: Intermediate – too many steps for a beginner

I have included metric and imperial measurements but they are not exactly interchangeable, so you should stick to either one or the other.

Skills used in this project:

• Using hardware to attach a strap

• Adding a pouch pocket

• Working with denim

• Using quilt batting in bag making

Step 1: Cutting out

Cut out the following:

15” x 11” (38 cm x 28 cm)  Bag front and back (cut 2 denim, 2 batting, 2 lining, 2 interfacing)

3” x 36” (7.5 cm x 91.5 cm)  Bag side panel (cut 1 denim, 1 batting, 1 lining, 1 interfacing)

15” x 14½” (38 cm x 37 cm Bag flap (cut 1 denim, 1 batting, 1 lining, 1 interfacing)

6” x 57” (15 cm x 145 cm) Strap (cut 1 denim)

6” x 4” (15 cm x 10 cm) Strap tabs (cut 2 denim)

15” x 9” (38 cm x 23 cm)  External pocket (cut 1 denim, 1 batting, 1 lining, 1 interfacing)

15” x 5 ½ “ (38 cm x 14 cm) Lower Internal zip pocket (cut 2 lining, 1* interfacing) * I attached interfacing to both bits of lining but I realised afterwards that it wasn’t necessary.

15” x 2” (38 cm x 5 cm) Upper Internal zip pocket (cut 2 lining, 1* interfacing)

11 “ x 7” (28 cm x 18 cm) Internal pleated pocket (cut 1 interfacing)

11“ x 14” (28 cm x 36 cm) Internal pleated pocket (cut 1 lining)

3” x 2” (7.5 cm x 5 cm)  Zip tabs (cut 2 lining, 2 interfacing)

15” (38 cm) Zip with 2 sliders  ( I used an N3 zip from a continuous roll)

2 magnetic clasps

1 x 1 ½” (38-40 mm) slider

2 x 1 ½” (38-40mm) metal rectangles

Small piece of bag foam, heavy interfacing or denim to add extra strength to the back of the clasps

Step 2: Creating the bag’s shape

The bottom corners (either end of one of the 15"/38 cm edges) of the bag need to have a gentle curve.  To create this, draw round something small and round (I used a tape measure) and then trim the bottom corners for all fabrics (denim, batting, interfacing, lining) used in the bag back, bag front, flap and external pocket.

Step 3: Attaching the interfacing/batting

Attach the interfacing to the wrong side of the lining and the batting to the wrong side of the denim for all bag pieces.

Step 4: Making the external pocket

Fix the heavy part of the magnetic clasps to the bottom corners of the denim pocket.  These will be on the outside of the bag.  Leave enough room to comfortably sew the seam around them (mine were about 1 ½”/4 cm from the side and bottom edge).  I  also added a small piece of bag foam to the back of the clasp to make it extra firm – a couple of small bits of denim would do the job too.

Place the denim and lining, right sides together and sew along the top straight edge.

Turn right sides out and press.  

Top stitch along the top seam to create a neat finish.

I also sewed all round the sides and bottom to ensure that all layers stayed together although this isn’t absolutely necessary.  I did this to be sure that, when I sewed the pocket to the bag front, I sewed through all layers – denim and lining.

Step 5: Attaching the external pocket to the bag front

Sew the external pocket to the denim bag front, matching the bottom corners.  Sew close to the edge so that the stitches won’t be visible when you attach the side panel.

Step 6: Attaching the side panel

Sew the denim side panel to the denim bag front, right sides together starting at the top of one side, going across the bottom and up the other side.

Do the same for the denim bag back.

Step 7: Making the flap

Attach the thinner part of the magnetic clasps to the lining of the flap so that they match the position on the bag front.  It is even more important to add a strong stabiliser such as a small piece of bag foam to the back of the clasp as the lining will be flimsier than the denim.

With right sides together, sew the denim to the lining along the sides and the curved end.  Leave the other straight end open for turning.

Turn so that the right sides are facing out and press.

Top stitch all round the seam you have just sewn to hold it in place.

Step 8: Making the strap tabs

Fold the tabs in half so that the shorter edges meet.  Press.  Fold the parallel raw edges in towards the fold so that the tabs look like 1 ½”  bias binding.  Fold one end in to hide the raw edges.  Top stitch along one long side, the folded in end and the other long side.

This photo was taken after the bag had been completed so the strap is also attached.

Loop each tab over one of the metal rectangles and sew centrally to the side panel as shown in the photo hiding the raw edge end under the sewn end. The top of the metal rectangle should be roughly level with the top of the bag. Do this by sewing a box or rectangle to hold the strap firmly in place. 

Step 9: Making the strap

As above, fold the strap so that it looks like bias binding and top stitch along both long edges.  It will get in the way if attached now, so put to one side until the lining has been completed.

Step 10: Making the zip tabs

Fold the tabs in half so that the shorter edges meet.  Press.  

Fold the shorter edges under by ¼”/ 6 mm and press.  

Wrap a tab around each end of the zip and sew across the open end of the tab to secure.  

Trim the tabs so that they are the same width as the zip.

Step 11: Making the zip pocket

Sew the upper internal zip pocket pieces to one edge of the zip.  To do this, place the fabric pieces right sides together (the lining with interfacing can go on either side) and insert the zip between them so that the edge of the zip is in line with the raw edges of the fabric. 

Do the same for the lower pocket pieces.

With right sides still together, sew the bottom edges of the lower pocket pieces together.  

Pull through so the right sides are facing out and press.

The upper internal pocket top seam could be sewn in the same way but it is tricky to pull it through.  Instead fold the top edge of each lining piece under by ¼” and press.  Pin to hold. 

Top stitch along both edges of the zip for a neat finish and to prevent the fabric getting caught up in the zip.

Attach the pocket to the right side of one of the bag lining pieces.  Place the pocket on the lining with the zip facing out and sew all round the edges of the pocket, close to the edge.

Step 12: Making the phone/pen pocket

After attaching the interfacing to the wrong side of one half of the pocket, fold the other half over so that the right sides are together.  Sew around the open edges leaving a gap for turning.  Turn through and press. The opening, which will go at the bottom, can either be sewn up now or when attaching the pocket to the lining. Top stitch along the top edge to ensure a crisp top to the pocket.

The pockets are created by inserting pleats or folds in the pocket fabric.  Decide how wide you want the different compartments and pin the pleats in place.  I made the mobile phone pocket 3 ½” wide with a ½” pleat either side.  I then made a couple of small pleats at the other end of the bottom of the pocket for the pen slots.

Pin the pocket in place on the right side of the other bag lining piece.  Sew along sides and bottom to attach.  This will also close up the gap where you turned the pocket through.

Sew from the bottom of the pocket about 1/3 of the way up the phone pleats to hold them in place. Sew a line of stitches either side of the pen pleats, all the way up, to create a separate slot for each pen.

Step 13: Assembling the bag lining

Sew the lining side panel to one of the bag body lining pieces as you did with the denim.

Do the same for the other bag body lining piece.

Step 14: Attaching the flap

Place the flap facing downwards with the right (denim) side against the right side of the back of the bag and the raw edge of the flap matching the raw edge at the top of the bag.  

Check that the magnetic clasps will match up when the flap is sewn on and make any necessary adjustments.

Sew along the raw edge to attach the flap to the bag.

Step 15: Inserting the lining

When joining the lining to the bag, the zip pocket should be at the back of the bag and the phone pocket at the front.

With the denim bag right side out and the lining bag wrong side out, place the lining over the denim so that right sides are together.  Make sure that the flap is folded down between the denim bag and the lining.  Sew around the top edge of the bag leaving a gap of about 6” for turning at the back of the bag. Turn through. (Sorry - forgot to take a photo of this stage)

Top stitch all round the seam you have just sewn, closing the gap as you sew.

Step 16: Attaching the strap

Thread one end of the strap through the centre bar of the slider and fold the end back, sewing it to the strap.  I sewed this by hand because there were 12 layers of denim and my sewing machine struggled with this!

With this turned over end facing outwards, pass the strap downwards through one of the metal rectangles. 

Thread the other end of the strap through the slider as shown in the photo.

Pass the other end of the strap through the metal rectangle on the other side of the bag, making sure that the strap is not twisted. The end needs to be on the inside.  Sew to secure.

At last, your bag is complete.  Everything you will need for the day will fit in there, so take a day off and try your bag for size.  It was worth the effort, wasn’t it?

In this project I learnt:

• I used metal rectangles and a slider to attach the strap and make it adjustable.  They look good and were fairly easy to use.  The only problem I encountered was the thickness of the denim.  My sewing machine struggled to sew through 12 layers when sewing the ends of the strap and I ended up finishing them by hand.  I would like to try some more different handle styles as they make a bag look ‘bought’.  The problem with bag hardware is that it isn’t always easy to obtain and having to buy it online means being very organised!

• I have never tried this type of zip pocket but I really like it.  It is so versatile and could go on either the outside or inside of a bag.  I found it really easy to make although I got confused about which parts I needed to sew together after inserting the zip and had to unpick my first attempt. I found it easier than the pockets you post through a slot in the lining but it doesn’t look as professional. 

• I prepared for the denim by buying a special sewing machine needle and it was effective although my machine struggled with really bulking seams such as when top stitching around the top of the bag or attaching the strap to the hardware. I made sure that when I was sewing a bulky seam I went slowly and increased the stitch length. This will make me confident to try other fairly heavy fabrics in future.

• I wanted to try quilt batting to put behind the denim.  I thought this would give the bag some softness and stability without too much rigidity or thickness.  I cut some from a pack of crib batting and still had lots left.  Now that I have spray adhesive I’m not restricted to a fusible wadding which gives me more options.  This was a joy to work with and the bag feels really soft.  When I don’t want a structured bag I think this will be my preferred backing.