Free Sewing Pattern: Cork Shoulder Bag

syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske

Download PDF here

Size

The bag itself: 30x22cm (The 30cm is the measurement for the top of the bag. At the bottom, the bag measures approx. 36cm)

The flap: 30x17.5cm (the 30cm are measured at the top. At its widest piece, the flap is approx. 40cm)

All measurements include 1cm seam allowance.

Materials

Tools

Find and print out pattern here

Instructions

  • Print out the pattern and cut it out. The dotted lines indicate against the fold. You can choose to draw the pattern out on a larger piece of paper (where you mirror the pattern) or you can fold your fabric and place the pattern with the dotted lines against the fold.

syguide til kork skuldertaske

  • Cut out the parts in your fabric. You will need:
  • Pattern part number 1: 2 of the inner fabric and 2 of the outer fabric.
  • Pattern part number 2: 1 of the inner fabric and 1 of the outer fabric.
  • Pattern part number 3: 2 of the inner fabric and 2 of the outer fabric.

Outer and inner fabric are sewn seperately. We start with the outer fabric:

  • Sew the two sides together with one bag piece, right sides together. See Figure 1 below.
  • Fold out the sides and place the second bag piece right side together on the sides, and sew it just as you did on the first part.

syguide til kork skuldertaske

  • Then sew all the way over the bottom. Fold the sides in half and leave the fold inside the bag.

And now to the inner fabric:

  • Sew the bag and sides together in the same way as you did with the outer fabric
  • Sew the bottom, but leave an opening of approx. 6-7cm, as shown in the figure below:

syguide til kork skuldertaske

Now to the flap:

  • Lay the outer and inner fabric right sides together and sew, as shown below:

syguide til kork skuldertaske

  • Cut notches around the edge, as shown in the picture. The notches make the fabric (all fabric by the way, and a habit you can just as well acquire every time you sew something with a rounding), fold around nicely when you turn it. Normally you would iron it, especially after such a seam with rounding, but the cork fabric cannot withstand high heat! If you want to use the iron anyway, then iron it on the back side; that is, on your inner fabric and use lower heat.
  • Sew decorative stitches all the way around the edge.

syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske

Now to the carabiner straps:

  • Cut 6x7cm of the cork fabric, fold both long sides towards the middle and then fold in the middle. Sew along the open edge. The 6cm is the width and the 7cm is the length. See photos below:
syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske

syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske

Snap fastener:

  • Place the flat part of your snap fastener on the interfacing and draw around it. Do it twice and cut it out.

syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske

  • Very carefully iron the vliseline/interfacing on the inside of the cork part on the front part of your bag. The interfacing should be located where you want the snap fastener located on the right side.
  • On the wrong side of the flap of the inner fabric, you also iron on the interfacing. MAKE SURE: that the two parts of the snap fastener are placed correctly so that they fit when you close the bag. When you test to make sure the snap fastener parts fit, remember to calculate/subtract 1cm seam allowance from both the flap and the bag itself.

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  • Then first place one part of your snap fastener on the front of the bag, just above the interfacing and sew the snap fastener on by hand.
  • Do the same with the other part of the snap fastener on the flap.

ALTERNATIVE: If you want to avoid the hassle and the risk that it won't fit, start by sewing one part of the snap fasteners on the flap of your bag and then sew the other part of the snap fastener on when you have finished sewing the bag. You will then be able to see the stitching on the inner fabric - but it's only when you look inside the bag that you will see the stitching :)

 

You now sew the bag together:

  • The outer fabric must be with the right side out and the inner fabric with the wrong side out: Put the outer fabric into the inner fabric; now they lie right sides together.
  • Then put the flap down between the inner and outer fabric along the back side of your bag. Remember to place it the right way; lay the outer fabric inward and the inner fabric outward. Attach it with fabric clips - or with pins, but do it at the very top, so you avoid making unnecessary holes in your cork fabric.
  • Put the carabiner straps down each side with the “legs” facing up to make a loop.

syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske

  • Sew all the way around the edge.
  • Turn the bag out through the hole you made in the inner fabric

syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske

  • Sew the hole in the inner fabric closed, either on a sewing machine or by hand with invisible stitches
  • Sew decorative stitches along the front edge

And lastly the straps:

  •  Take a tape measure and place it around your shoulder as if it were a bag strap. Decide how long/short you want your strap and write down the measurements.
  • Cut out the desired strap length with a width of 6cm.
  • If you do not have fabric in the length you want your strap to be, you can cut two strips in half the size of your desired strap length. Lay the two strips of fabric on top of each other; one horizontally and the other vertically, and sew diagonally:
syguide til kork skuldertaske
  • Next, sew your straps together, in the same way as the carabiner straps
  • Take your carabiners and bring each end of your strap through each carabiner. Fold up each end of the strap approx. 2cm and sew over it
syguide til kork skuldertaske
  • Fasten the straps on the bag - and you're done :-)

The smart thing about the carabiners is that if you want to use the bag as a large clutch without straps, you can easily just remove the straps.

Design by: Rain in May (Maj Leszczynski Suurballe) @rainin_may

syguide til kork skuldertaske syguide til kork skuldertaske

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