Everyone loves backpacks for their practicality. They are great for travel, walking, going to the gym and many other occasions when you need to take a few things with you. What do you think about making a simple backpack with your own hands? This is a pretty easy sewing project that even a beginner can handle. We will make a drawstring backpack that is comfortable, spacious and functional enough for you to use it for its intended purpose. In addition, you can choose the colors of fabrics and print designs to your liking, so this backpack will also be a stylish accessory that will successfully complement your look.
To sew a backpack yourself you will need:
- ⅓ meter of cotton fabric
- 4 meters of cord
- sewing machine
- tailor's scissors or rotary knife
- tailor's pins or clips
- iron and ironing board
(you can buy a sewing machine and supplies at Sewstar sewing store)
Before starting work, do not forget to soak and dry the fabric, and then iron the textile well with a steam iron. Decating the fabric like this will prevent the backpack from deforming or shrinking after the first wash.
Step #1.
Start by downloading a free backpack pattern from HelloSewing. Print the downloaded pattern on three A4 sheets, at 100% scale. Then glue the sheets and cut out all the components. As a result, you will get two parts of the pattern. One for the base of the backpack and one for the pull tabs.
Step #2.
Fold the base fabric in half right sides together, place the pattern on the fold and cut the material along the pattern using tailor's scissors. Repeat this procedure again. Also cut out the blank for the tongue. In the end, you will have three pieces of fabric - two large and one small.
Step #3.
Now we need to prepare loops for the cord. To begin, take the previously cut out small piece of fabric and fold it in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. After that, iron the workpiece. Then fold the workpiece lengthwise again and iron well. As a result, you will get a narrow strip of fabric in four layers. Fasten it with clips and sew along the edges on a sewing machine. Sew as close to the edge as possible, preferably with a 1.5mm seam allowance. For this purpose, you can attach the appropriate size sewing foot to the sewing machine. Then cut the blank in half to get two pieces.
Step #4.
Treat the cuts on the main pieces of fabric so that they do not crumble. Overcast them if you have an overlock, or use a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine.
Step #5.
Now you need to mark up where the hole for the laces will be. Measure 8 centimeters from the top on both sides of the workpiece. Mark these points with clips.
Step #6.
Fold the drawstring tabs in half and insert them between the two layers of fabric, about an inch from the bottom of the pack, aligning the raw edges of the pull tabs with the raw edges of the backpack base. Then secure in place with clips.
Step #7.
Sew the parts of the backpack on the sewing machine, starting from one of the clothespins, along the side edge, along the bottom, and on the other side up to the other clothespin. Use a 10 millimeter (⅜ inch) seam allowance when sewing. Bartack at the beginning and end of the seam.
Step #8
Trim the bottom corners so they stay sharp when you turn the bag inside out.
Step #9.
From the front and back, fold the top of the backpack 1 centimeter to the wrong side. Iron the collar with an iron. Smooth out the seam allowances on both sides and secure them with clips as well. Then sew the side holes with a zigzag stitch.
After that, fold the top of the backpack back in front and back so that the hem lines up with the bottom of the side opening. Iron the collar with an iron and secure with clips. Then sew a straight stitch on the sewing machine, running the seam along the bottom edge of the collar.
Step #10.
Cut the cord in half, into two pieces. Each piece should be about 1.8 meters long. Attach a safety pin to the end of one of the cords and thread it through the cord pull tab, then through the hole in the folded edge on the front of the backpack, and back through the same flap on the back of the backpack. Repeat the same with the other cord, only in the opposite direction. Tie the ends of the cords into a knot.
Well, that's it, the project is finished! Now you also know how to sew a backpack with your own hands and you can make yourself a similar one from the fabric you like.