Sewing: Over the Shoulder Bucket Bag

Over the shoulder bucket bag tutorial – so awesome. This bag will leave your hands free while you shop, walk your dog, or hold your kiddo’s hand. It’s functional and trendy. My favourite is the pop of yellow. Okay, let us get sewing!

What You Need

8 pieces of fabric 8 inches x 8 inches
2 pieces of fabric 5 inches x 16 inches
2 pieces of fabric 21 inches x 16 inches
1 14 inch zipper
extra fabric for pocket and for zipper ends
100 inches of cotton webbing
matching thread
machine
pins
iron

Okay – first, gather all of your supplies. The piece of fabric that is 5×16 will be for the bottom edge of the bag and as you can see, I’ve selected black. Oh, and this pretty chevron fabric for the inside (21×6).

Next, lay out your squares. 4 will make up the front side and 4 will make up the back side. Be sure to place them carefully. I’m mixing up the pattern and giving the bag a more funky look – if you wanted, you don’t even have to use squares, you could just use one full piece of fabric – your call.

Stitch all 4 squares together. Serge the 5×16 piece to the bottom of your squares. Do this on both sides. Top stitch the seam lines.

Time for the zipper. We want the ends of the zipper to look nice and polished. So, cut an extra piece of fabric about 4 inches long by 3 inches wide. Fold it over onto the edge of the zipper. This technique will work for shortening a zipper (you’d just cut out the excess before stitching the second side of the end on) or for lengthening a zipper.

If you want a more in depth tutorial on the zipper end, check out the make-up bag tutorial. It will help with this technique if it’s new to you.

So, once you have the piece of fabric folded over, untuck the bottom part and top stitch the top of the fabric to the zipper. Do this to both ends.

Pocket Time

Want a pocket?

Take an extra piece of fabric and serge all 4 sides. Tuck all 4 sides in 1/2 and inch and top stitch. Now, top stitch 3 sides to the right side of the lining fabric. As you can see, this is where I also attached my label.

Zipper Time

Time to attach the zipper.

Lay down the inside lining fabric right side up and match the zipper to the top edge, right side up as well. Now, match the top of the outside of the bag (made of the squares) to the top of the zipper, right side down. Thus, you’ve sandwiched the zipper between the two right sides of the fabric.

Stitch using your zipper foot – be sure to stitch through the zipper ends you’ve added.

Turn the fabric right side out and press.

Then repeat on the other side.

Both sides are done. Now, open the zipper and place right sides of the outside of the bag together and place right sides of the lining together. Serge all around, leaving a few inches open at the bottom of the lining to turn the bag right side out.

Boxed Bottom Time

Once it’s all serged (and you’ve serged right through the zipper ends) you can box off the bottom of the bag, if you like. I did and it looks great.

Check out the boxy bag if you haven’t boxed the bottom of a bag before. On this one, box the corners on the wrong side of the fabric before you turn the bag right side out, that way the corners will look nice and clean.

Turn the bag right side out and ladder stitch the opening closed. Attach the cotton webbing straps just like in the 20 minute cotton bag tutorial. Mine straps are each 45 inches long – you might want them longer…play around with it before you stitch the cotton webbing into place. Also, be sure to serge the edge and then tuck the strap under 1 inch to make it polished looking.