How to Sew a Canvas Bag
Canvas bags are useful, fun and fashionable. They're sturdy enough to hold anything from wet swimsuits to picnic condiments to all the reading material you're taking on vacation without falling apart.
As everyone's focus and shopping habits become more "green," canvas bags are also a great, waste-free way to transport your groceries from the store or farmer's market to your home without also bringing home a half-dozen plastic bags that need to be recycled. With a little time in front of the sewing machine, you can make a canvas bag of any size for any need.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Sewing machine
- Canvas
- Thread
- Pins
- Piping trim (optional)
Instructions
-
-
1
Buy some canvas. Nearly every fabric store will have several thicknesses and colors of canvas fabric to choose from. You don't have to stick with the basic white or off-white---pick out some colorful canvas fabrics and mix and match the handle colors for a completely unique look.
-
2
Design your bag. Canvas bags are basically two squares and a thin rectangle long enough to sew to three sides of each square. Add some straps for handles, and that's it. Play around with different sizes for different needs---a large bag for groceries, medium-sized for the bookstore or for the kids' swimming lesson supplies.
-
-
3
Cut and sew your bag. Cut out two squares the same size and two rectangles 3 to 4 inches wide and long enough to sew around three sides of your squares (which will become the two sides and bottom of your bag). Stitch together with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Hem the top opening of the bag.
-
4
Add handles. How long to make your canvas bag handles is completely up to you and depends on the primary function of the bag. Once you decide how long to make your handles, cut out two rectangles slightly longer than you want your handles to be and about three inches wide. Fold in half longways, right sides together, and stitch the long seam. Turn right side out and attach the handles to your bag.
-
5
Decorate your bag. Add designs, names, anything you want to the sides of your canvas bag with fabric paint, buttons, appliques or iron-on designs. If you have kids, enlist their help, especially if the canvas bag is for them.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you want to add decorative piping to your bag, carefully pin it, right side in, when you are attaching the long rectangle side and bottom piece to your squares.
