How to sew a faux fur crossbody bag

I got 3 yards of faux leather or pleather for making 4 in 1 asymmetrical clutch 2 years ago. I had a lot of leftover from the project that I wanted to use it for some other project. I was using an H&M black  crossbody handbag for a long time which was gifted to me by my cousin sister and it was so comfortable.When I wanted a bag similar to that I couldn't find any that suits my need.(It should be  big enough to hold my 500ml water bottle and the bag should not weigh too much). As I couldn't find any weightless bag I settled with a teal handbag from Walmart as a replacement until I find a new handbag that suits my need. My 500 ml water bottle was poking out in that bag and so I thought why not try sewing a handbag.Finally, I came up with the idea of using the pleather for making a crossbody bag combining it with faux fur. I thought this project will be perfect for this time of the year  and  it is so simple that anyone can sew this bag easily. It is just a bigger version of sewing a zipper pouch. Let's see how.

Materials Used:

Pleather or Faux leather -approx 3/4 yard

Faux fur - 1/2 yard 

Solid cotton lining - 1/2 yard

Matching sewing thread

Metallic zipper - 14"

D-ring - 2

Swivel clasps - 2

Buckle - 1

Fabric Scissors

Sewing machine

Magnetic clasps - 2

Vinyl glue

Iron

Measurements:

Pleather or Faux Leather 

Outer panel for front side - 13.5" X 14"

Outer panel for back side - 13.5" X 4.5"

D-ring holder loop 2 pieces - 2.5" X 5"

Shoulder Strap - 2.5" X 55"

Faux Fur

2 pieces - 13.5" X 10.5" (One for front pocket and another for back side)

Solid cotton lining 

2 pieces - 13.5" X 14"(For inside of the bag)

1 piece - 13.5" X 10.5" (Front pocket lining)

Inner pocket - 8" X 5.5"

Step 1: Prepare the front pocket 

Sew one piece of faux fur with one piece of front pocket lining with right sides facing each other on one side with 1/2" seam allowance. Turn the lining to the wrong side of the faux fur. 

Step 2: Attaching the magnetic clasps

Attach one side of the two magnetic clasps to the front pocket and the other side to the Faux leather piece(Outer panel for front side). For detailed step on how to attach this magnetic clasp, you can visit step 3 of How to sew Mini Dora bag for toddlers. Instead of using interfacing,  I used a piece of faux leather as backing for the clasps. 

Step 3: Prepare loops for D-rings

Instead of sewing and turning inside out as we normally do, here we are just going to fold the edges 1/4" inside on each side and sew together to secure. Sew another stitch on the other side. I am not sure if this is the right way to sew pleather or faux leather. As I thought the normal method will be intimidating for this kind of fabric, I decided to go with  this route. 

Step 4: Preparing the back panel 

Sew the faux leather (Outer panel for back side) and one piece of faux fur on one side with right sides facing each other with 1/2" seam allowance. Now the back panel is ready. 

Step 5: Attaching the front and back panel to the zipper. 

Now pin back panel, D-ring loop with D-ring(Approx 3" away from the edge), zipper( the wrong side facing the lining) and the lining together. Use clothespins for pinning as shown below. Sew together. Sew carefully when sewing the loop as it will be bulky if needed use hand wheel and move slowly in that area instead pedaling. 

In the same way, repeat for the front panel, instead of pinning the D-ring loop from the left, this time pin it 3" away from the right edge. 

Finish both the sides with a top stitch. 

Step 6: Sew the inner pocket 

Fold and sew the top side of the pocket. Fold and iron other three sides of the pocket. Sew the bottom side of the pocket in the center of the back side lining(right side) with 1/4" seam allowance and then fold the pocket (wrong sides facing each other) and sew on the sides to secure the pocket. 

Step 7: Sewing the front and back panel together. 

Combine the lining together on one side and the outer panels on one side. Pin all around on the edges.  Open the zipper 3/4 way. Sew all around with 1/2" seam allowance leaving the large portion of the bottom lining without sewing. Use that portion to turn the whole bag inside out. Then fold and iron the bottom part of the lining and topstitch to secure. Now insert the bottom part into the outer panel.

Step 8: Sewing shoulder strap 

I followed the same method I did for D-ring. After cutting a long strip of fabric, (Attach two pieces if you don't have enough length) fold the piece into half and first sew left edge with a topstitch then as discussed in step 3, fold around 1/4" inside on both the edges and secure it with the clothespin. Then sew along to secure. The shoulder strap is now ready. 

Step 9: Attaching the shoulder strap to the buckle and swivel clasps. 

First, thread the shoulder strap into the center part of the buckle and secure it with stitches. My Machine could handle only four layers of faux leather folded so I just folded once and secured it with stitches then I folded the edges and used vinyl glue to secure it. 

Then thread one of the swivel clasp. Then thread the other end of the shoulder strap through the center of the buckle. Thread the other swivel clasp and fold the other end and secure it with stitches. I did the same for the other end. Used glue to fold and secure the edge. That's it. Once the glue dries, attach the shoulder strap to the D-ring and your Faux fur crossbody bag is complete. 

What do you think about this bag? Will you attempt sewing this bag? If you planning for handmade gifts this season, this would be a perfect gift. Tell me what you think in the comments below. As always I will be happy to hear from you. 

Other bag/pouch projects you might like, 

DIY Toddler Backpack

How to sew Mini Minion Messenger Bag

DIY Zipper Pouch

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