The Mod Satchel Free Bag Sewing Pattern

This crafty little bag, my Mod Satchel, is perfect for grabbing your phone and wallet and looking chic! I sewed mine with faux leather (vinyl), but you could also use genuine leather, cork fabric, or any other textile that does not require a lining.

This blog post has been converted to an optional PDF that’s optimized for printing. Find it here. The free Scrappy HST Quilt Pattern is included in the blog post below and is totally free to read, print, and sew! Just hit CTRL +P on your computer to print. The PDF download is inexpensive and optional. Did you know you can get ALL the Optimized for Printing PDF files organized in a library for you to access anytime you want? Check it out.

And of course, there’s a trick to the Mod Satchel. It’s made with faux leather (vinyl) and has two drawstrings that run through the grommets. There are two Dritz ‘Glamour Rings,’ one attached to each drawstring and to the handle. So when you pull up on the handle, the bag cinches shut.

That’s my favorite feature, I’m so proud of it. 🙂

The dimensions of the bag part are 10 1/2” tall x 8” wide (open).

To make this bag, you’ll need:

1/3 yd vinyl
1/3 yd lining fabric
a package of 2 Glamour Rings from Dritz (or other handbag ring hardware)
8 medium size (3/8”) grommets with the installation tool

Cutting:

From the vinyl, cut:

• 1 rectangle 20 1/4 x 11”
• 1 circle from the circle pattern template (above)
• 1 rectangle 20” x 4”

From the lining fabric, cut:

• 1 rectangle 20 1/4 x 11”
• 1 circle from the circle pattern template (above)
• 2 strips 22” x 2”

Sewing:

Use a 1/2” seam allowance.

Tips: don’t use pins on the vinyl. The holes won’t go away. Dritz Getta Grip clips work great. Make sure you use a heavy duty or leather needle for sewing the vinyl. It makes this project easy.

1. Sew the shorter ends of the large vinyl rectangle together to form a tube. You can’t press the seam open with your iron, so use your fingernail or a seam creaser like I did to press it open.

2. Make 3/8” cuts around the bottom of the tube to help it fit the bottom circle. Use lots of clips to clip the circle to the bottom.

In the picture above, I did not push my clips in the full 1/2” (seam allowance) so the tube did not fit the circle bottom. I re-clipped all the way around, pushing the clips toward the center 1/2” and it fit perfectly.

Fuss with this part a bit now, and then it will sew together easily.

3. Sew the tube to the circle bottom with a 1/2” seam allowance.

4. Cut notches around the bottom of the bag. This will help it turn.

5. Press the top of the lining rectangle down 1/2” twice.

6. Open up the fold (temporarily) and repeat steps 1-4 using the lining rectangle and the lining circle bottom. Then re-press the fold at the top.

7. Place the lining inside the vinyl exterior, letting the fold make a cuff over the top raw edge of the vinyl. Stitch the lining to the exterior close to the folded edge (like a binding).

Grommets and Drawstring:

1. Use an awl to make 8 holes around the bag 3” from the top and approximately 2 1/8” apart. Don’t refer to my measurements in the picture. I messed up and my grommets are not equally spaced. For some silly reason I thought it would work with 7 grommets. Guess what? It doesn’t.

2. Using small scissors, enlarge each hole in the bag and lining so that it is the right size for a grommet. Install the grommets using the grommet tools and a hammer. I showed that in more detail in my Rope Handled Bag tutorial.

3. Fold the long edges of each 2”x22” strip to the center and press. Fold in half and press again (like double fold bias trim). Stitch the long edge of the drawstring starting 4” from one end, and stopping 4” from the other end. Repeat for the other drawstring.

Make the Handle:

1. Draw a line down the center of the vinyl 4”x20” rectangle (on the wrong side). Clip the long edges to the inside along the line (first picture).

2. Fold the vinyl strip in half and re-clip (second picture).

3. Stitch along both long edges, using your presser foot edge as a guide (third picture).

note: make sure you are using a leather needle for this step. They sell them at WAWAK Sewing and Joann’s too if you are in a hurry.

4. Wrap one end of the strap through a Glamour Ring stitch down about 1 inch from the ring. My vinyl was not nearly pliable to turn the raw edge under, plus that probably would have broken my needle so I didn’t bother. I just colored the raw edges with a sharpie and I bet you never noticed them in the pictures, right?

Repeat with the other Glamour Ring on the other end of the handle.

5. Weave one drawstring in and out of the grommets, threading one of the Glamour Rings through the drawstring at the side of the bag. This is the first picture. See how I have the drawstring ends clipped together?

6. Stitch the drawstring short ends together (middle picture). Finger press the seam open.

7. Re-fold the  drawstring and finish sewing the long edge (third picture).

8. Repeat this process with the second drawstring. Thread it through the grommets in the exact same way, and through the other Glamour Ring on the other side of the bag. Stitch the ends together and finish sewing the long edge.

And that’s it! Pull the handle up to cinch the bag.

Pull the bag open, and the handle gets shorter. Have fun with it!

Happy Sewing!