swoon

S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

SHOULDER BAG

When printing, do not select Fit to Printable Area or enlarge/shrink in any way.
Always print at Actual Size.
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If you have any questions, feel free to email me at: aliciavr6@gmail.com
Copyright 2013 Swoon
Feel free to sell your bags made with this pattern.

Instructions & Pattern

swoon

Materials Needed:
1/2 yard exterior fabric
3/4 yard interior fabric
1/2 yard fusible extra-firm stabilizer (i.e. Peltex 71F)
1/2 yard fusible fleece (Pellon)
1 yard fusible interfacing (light to mid-weight)
14 zipper

S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

Where to stitch

1) PREPPING
Cut out all of the pieces of the pattern and tape them together at the matching letters. Trace out all your
pieces on the wrong side of the fabric and cut out except the fusible interfacing, I have a shortcut. Lay all of
your interior fabric pieces right side down, and then place the fusible interfacing overtop of them, adhesive
side down. Fuse per instructions provided with your interfacing (usually just warm iron). Then you can simply
cut out your interior fabric pieces and skip having to trace onto your interfacing which saves a bit of time.
Fuse the fleece to the wrong sides of the two Exterior Main Panel pieces. Cut two 1x22 stabilizer handles
(not included as a pattern piece). You should have two Bottom pieces of fusible stabilizer. Place one on top
of the other, BOTH should be adhesive side down (you will also be fusing them to the lining later). Fuse those
together. They fuse best with steam.
2) THE POCKETS
Sew the two Large Pocket pieces, right sides together, with your seam allowance of 1/2. Leave an opening
of 4 on one of the long sides. Clip corners to reduce bulk and turn pocket right side out. Tuck edges inside
of opening in and then press. Edgestitch all around the pocket. Repeat this step with Small Pocket pieces.

1
3) THE HANDLES
Fold one Handle piece in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and
press. Unfold and fold in each long side to the crease you just made
down the middle and press (Image 1). Fold in half again and press.
Your handle should now be 1 wide with no raw edges showing
(except at the two ends). Unfold to tuck a Handle Stabilizer piece
inside one of the flaps and refold and press. Pin the handle every few
inches and then edgestitch down both long sides, backstitch at ends.
Repeat with second handle, then set aside.

fold long edges

of handle
panel to center

Right
side

4) THE LINING
a. Place one Interior Top piece right side up on a flat surface with the straight edge at the top. Place your zipper, face
down and closed, along the top edge of your Interior Top piece (Image 2). Pin the zipper to the fabric, and move the
zipper pull down a few inches. Using your zipper foot (if your zipper is not bulky, a regular foot should be fine), sew
down the top edge of the zipper, about 1/4 away from the actual zipper line. Backstitch at ends. When you get to
the zipper pull, stop sewing (backstitch), and then move the zipper to where youve already sewn, then finish the
seam. Place this piece how you had it before you sewed, with the straight raw edge at top (farthest away from you)
and the Interior Top piece under the zipper.
b. Line an Interior Bottom piece right side down over the zipper, matching the top and side raw edges with the
zipper and Interior Top. The zipper will be sandwiched in between the Interior Bottom and Interior Top. Pin together
and flip over. You will now sew down the same seam you just made. Stay as close to it as possible.
c. Repeat to add the other Interior pieces to the other side of the zipper. It may take you a little while to visually make
sense of it all. If you did it correctly, all lining pieces will be facing each other, in the middle and all raw edges aligned
with each other.
d. Now you need to attach the pockets. Pin both Pocket panels (that you made in Step 2) to the right side of one
interior panel, with the top edge of the pocket 2 down from the zipper. Center them and pin. Edgestitch around
both sides and the bottom, leaving the top open (Image 3).
e. Make sure your zipper is closed and pin both lining panels together, matching all raw edges. Sew with the 1/2
seam allowance down the right side, across the bottom, and up the left side. You may have to do some fanagling
around the zipper ends.
f. We need to shape the lining so that it has a flat bottom. First, trim all your seam allowances without clipping your
stitching. Pull the lining panels away from each other near a bottom corner so that it forms a triangle with the side
seam going down the middle of it. Match up the side seam and bottom seam. Make a crease across by pressing
that is 3 wide. This creates the bottom edge of the triangle with the side seam going down the middle. The bottom
seam should be directly under it. Mark the crease, and sew across the 3 (Image 4). Make sure your side/bottom
seams match. Clip the excess. Repeat to the other bottom corner.
g. Lay your Stabilizer Bottom piece adhesive side up. Hold your lining up as if it were standing up, wrong side out.
Center the stabilizer piece under the bottom. Press your iron INSIDE the lining to the bottom, fusing the stabilizer to
the outside bottom of the lining. We want this to be hidden between the lining and exterior when finished. An
alternate method is to stitch it by hand through the bottom seam of the lining. Once the Stabilizer Bottom is secured
any which way to the lining, youre done with the lining! Hooray!

zipper
face down

sew along
raw edge

wrong
side

4
3 across

right side

5) THE EXTERIOR
Pin Exterior Main Panels right sides together. Sew down one side, across the bottom, and back up the other
side. Trim your seam allowances. Repeat step 4f above to shape the exterior bottom.
6) FINISH THE BAG
a. On the right side of an Exterior Main Panel, measure 2 in from the left side seam along the top raw edge
and mark. Measure 2 in from the right side seam and mark. Place your Handle ends inside these marks, raw
edges matching up with the raw edges at the top of the exterior. Pin in place making sure your Handle isnt
twisted and stitch handle ends to Exterior at 1/8 seam allowance then remove pins (Image 5). Repeat with other
side of Exterior and Handle.
b. With your Exterior right side out and your Lining wrong side out, place your Exterior inside your Lining,
sandwiching your handles down between the two layers. Line up the top raw edges and side seams and pin.
Sew around the top edge with 1/4 seam allowance, backstitching over each handle to reinforce it. Leave an
opening of 6 between two of the handles on one side of the bag. Pull bag through that opening. Tuck, press and
pin the opening edge and press the rest of the top edge. Edgestitch around the entire top edge (will close the
opening) and you are done!

raw edges
matching

Right
side

swoon

This is a test square to ensure the

pattern printed at the correct size.

S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

1/2 seam allowance included

SHOULDER BAG

Cut 2 - Exterior
Cut 2 - Fusible Fleece

Fold

Exterior Main Panels

SHOULDER BAG

Lining - Top Panel

Fold

Cut 2 - Interior
Cut 2 - Interfacing

Cut 2 - Interior
Cut 2 - Interfacing

SHOULDER BAG

Fold

Lining - Bottom Panel

SHOULDER BAG

Fold

Fold

SHOULDER BAG

Big Pocket

Small Pocket

Cut 2 - Interior
Cut 2 - Interfacing

Cut 2 - Interior
Cut 2 - Interfacing

(Trace piece or measure 4x6)

SHOULDER BAG

SHOULDER BAG

(Trace piece or measure 2x6)

Fold
(Trace piece or measure 3x11)

Cut 2 - Stabilizer

Bottom

(Trace piece or measure 4x11)

Cut 2 - Exterior Fabric

Handles

f
h