Final dimensions on this messenger bag will be about 16 inches wide by 14 inches high. You can easily adjust it to be other sizes if needed though.
CUTTING GUIDE:Start out by cutting out your pieces. The front of my bag is 17″ wide by 15″ high with rounded corners on the bottom: (yes, I should iron before cutting). Cut this out of your main fabric, your coordinating fabric, and your lining. (Please note that these images show a lightweight interfacing. I really recommend fusible fleece instead.)
The back of the bag is the same width but is 26″ tall. Again, cut it out of both fabrics and your interfacing.
Cut 2 pieces that are 4 inches by 45 inches as well out of all of your fabrics. One of these pieces will be your strap and one will be the sides of the bag.
SEWING INSTRUCTIONS:*Note that there is a video below this section that will likely be useful to you in sewing this bag as well. If you want any inner pockets now is a good time to do that. I did a large pocket on the back inner part of my bag. You’ll want to cut out fabric about 24 inches wide by 8 inches tall. Then fold it in half with right sides together and sew all the way around it, leaving a small opening to turn it.Turn it right side out, press flat and sew the opening shut.Then sew it onto the back inner part of your bag around the sides and bottom leaving the top open.
I made some compartments in my pocket for things like my cell phone and a pen simply by sewing straight lines down the pocket:
OK, next let’s do the strap. Put 1 of the 45-inch strips from each of your two main fabrics together with right sides facing and the interfacing on the outside. Sew down each side:
Turn it, press it and then top stitch it:
Now let’s put the bag together. Starting with your inner fabric and your interfacing, put the other 45-inch strip along the edges of your front piece with the interfacing on the outside. Pin it in place all the way around the bag trimming any excess length off as needed.
Sew around the part you just pinned. Do the same thing with the back piece, matching it to the remaining side of your long 45-inch strip.It should look like this when you are done:
Here’s a close-up of the corners:
Do this to both the outer and the inner fabric.Now let’s put it all together. Turn the OUTER fabric right side out:
and the INNER fabric inside out.Slide the OUTER fabric down inside the inner fabric matching up all the seams from the two pieces. So you’ve got the two pieces of the bag with one inside the other and right sides are together.Tuck your straps down inside the bag on the side panels so that the ends stick out like this. The straps should be between the 2 layers of the bag:
Starting at the top center of the flap and working from the back of the bag, sew around the bag-down the flap, across the middle, back up the other side of the top. Leave several inches open at the top of the flap. (See the video below this instruction card to have more help on this process.) I go over the strap part several times to make sure they are very secure.
Now, using your opening on the top, turn everything right side out and push the inner part down inside the outer part.Press it nice and flat and smooth (that’s always my favorite part because it starts to really look like a bag.)Top stitch all the way around the flap. This will close your opening and keep your flap laying nice and smooth: