Hello
This weekend I have had more time than usual for sewing due to the lockdown and the cold and rainy weather.
I have made a cross body bag in waxed canvas, that will be my oldest daughter’s. I made her one almost a year ago in normal quilting cotton. The fabric has become very thin and even worn through to the interfacing after using it almost daily since she got it. It makes me very happy that she likes to use the things I make. Also nice to make something in a new material.
Waxed canvas is water repellant and durable, which makes it very suitable for bags. It was easy to sew with, easier than vinyl and faux leather I think.
I used a 90/40 size universal sewing needle and normal sewing thread on most seams. For visible top stitching I used a thicker machine embroidery thread, which looked very nice.
I also used clips instead of pins, as the pins would leave a mark.
It is also not a good idea to wash or iron waxed canvas as it will melt the wax. Fortunately t is easy to finger press the seams open. Waxed canvas is also a lot thicker than quilting cotton so there is no need to use interfacing or bag foam. Personally I really like the rugged look of the waxed canvas that comes from handling it.
I did not use a pattern. It is a basic zipper pouch with both the bottom and top corners boxed. I added a short strap with a D-ring when boxing the top corners. The cross body strap is bought from Wish and is made of faux leather.
I added a pocket to one side of the bag. The other side is three pieces of waxed canvas stitched together. The seams are top stitched with variegated embroidery thread for extra detail. The lining is made of printed quilting cotton and I added a simple pocket to one side.
A great weekend project and fun to try something new.
Until next time, take care and happy sewing 🙂
Annika