Bag Making Resources

In this page, I listed my favorite bag making resources (fabric, hardware, zippers, and learning resources)

Fabric

The fabric of your bag can vary from quilting cotton to leather depending on the bag you are making.  It is important to select a material that your sewing machine can handle. If you have an entry level machine you might want to use lighter fabrics such as quilting cotton and home decor fabrics.

Exterior Fabric

• Quilting Cotton comes in different prints and can be used for accents, however the bag is not going to be as strong as a bag made with thicker materials.  It is a great option for zipper pouches and small handbags. Some of my favorite designers are Alison Glass, Tula Pink, Cotton & Steel, and Michael Miller. I used Alison Glass fabric for my Half Moon, Harriett, and Eve bags. You can find high-quality quilting cotton fabric at Fat Quarter Shop.

• Home Decor Fabric gives body to your bag.  I like to use the waterproof canvas, it is great to give strength for backpacks, laptop bags, or organizers.  I used it as the lining for the NCW Wallet, the body of and for my cork clutch bags.

• Jean Fabric is another of my favorite materials for the exteriors of my bags.  I used jean fabric for my Backgammon and The Window Shopper Tote bags.

• Faux Leather or Vinyl is inexpensive and can be sewn in home sewing machines.  I used faux leather for accents in many of my bags including Brooklyn and Dollie.

• Cork fabric has become my favorite material for bags.  It looks luxurious and comes in many colors and patterns.  I used cork for my Sublime bag and as accents in all of my recent bags including Heidi .

• Leather – most high end brands use leather for their bags. It comes in different thickness and it can be dyed with different techniques.  Working with leather is an art by itself.  If you need inspiration to make a leather bag, take a google the iconic Hermes bags.  They are probably the most expensive bags out there and are completely handmade.
• If you want to try leather, you have to check the Etsy Store Peggy Sue Also – there are many beautiful leather selection at affordable prices.

Lining Fabric

• Satin looks great but it is not easy to work with.
• Quilting Cotton is probably the one that I use the most for linings.
• Premier Prints Slub or Twill are also great options because they don’t need to be interfaced.

Online Fabric Stores:

You can buy fabric in the following online stores:

• Amazon – Amazon is a great place to start because they often have the best prices.  Also if you are subscribes to Amazon Prime, you’ll get many of their selections within 2 days.  You can also buy fabrics from fabric.com through Amazon.
• Joann Fabrics – You’ll probably find a Joann Fabrics store close to you and they offer a wide variety of fabrics you can choose from.  Their prices are higher than in other stores but they always have coupons.
• Etsy – Also a great source to find fabrics you might not find in larger stores.

Interfacing and Stabilizers

There are an overwhelming amount of interfacing and stabilizers out there! for bag making these are the ones that I use:

• Shape Flex 101 – for quilting cotton in linings and exteriors of bags.
• One Sided Fusible Fleece  – Fusible fleece can be use to give the bag more body but not a sturdy or firm look. I use it in backpacks and soft handbags.
• Fusible Vinyl gives a waterproof finish to any regular fabric. It is useful for cosmetics bags or pencil cases.
• Flex Foam Interfacing gives your bag a sturdy and firm look.  The three most common ones are ByAnnie Soft and Stable, Pellon Flex Foam, and Bosal. I’ve used the three of them and they are similar.
• Foam Underlay commonly used for floor installations is a great substitute for the Flex Foam.  It is thinner and doesn’t crease.
• Peltex is used in bag flaps and bottoms.
• I use strips of Home Decor Bond in the top of card slots.
• You can fuse your accent pieces or appliques to your bags using Heat’n Bond.

Hardware & Bling

The Hardware or the bag bling gives your bag a personal touch.  It’s like jewelry for your bag. I buy my bag hardware from these stores:

• You can buy some hardware at My Handmade Space.
• I buy some of my hardware at the Etsy Store 3DAN Supplies.  They also offer high quality at great prices.  They ship worldwide from China and the shipment to the USA takes about 3-4 weeks.
• Many different sores offer bag hardware supplies at Amazon.
• You can add details to your bags such as tassels, plaques, etc.  On Bohemian Findings (on Etsy), you’ll find unusual charms to make unique details for your bags. Also great prices!

Zippers

You’ll need Zippers for your bags! they come in different lengths and sizes.

• • Nylon Coil Zippers – These are the best zippers for bags! they are nylon teeth in metallic colors that looks like metal. (you can sew over them).  Use them with one or two pulls.
  • There is a nice variety of zipper pulls available.  Make sure you are buying the correct zipper pulls size for the zipper tape you want to use.
  • #5 zippers can be used for everything.  #3 zippers are thinner and work best on wallets and interior zipper pockets.

Learning

The best way to learn how to make a bag is by sewing bag patterns.  You can check the FREE bag patterns published on the blog. 

I hope the bag making resources listed here are useful to you.