How to make a traveler’s belt bag

Maybe you’re getting ready for an adventure and you need a safe place to keep your totems and rubies. Or maybe someone you know does. Or you just want to go dancing without feeling your bag dancing its own dance against your body.

No matter your reasons, ta da dam! – I invite you to sew this little belt bag. There’s a step by step tutorial and a free pattern too.

The other side of the traveler’s bag : )

In this post you will learn how to make a belt purse, or what I call a traveler’s belt bag. There are lots of pics and step by step instructions so you shouldn’t have any problems creating your own. There’s also a pattern that I made and it is free to download and print. (Print it on a A4).

Enjoy!

1. Choose your fabric. I suggest using thicker fabric, like canvas so the bag doesn’t curl on your belt. I am using tapestry fabric here.

2. Design your belt bag. Use a belt to understand the proportions, imagine what you’re going to keep inside. Mine is meant to carry: phone, keys, money and lip balm.

3. Create the bag out of paper so you can make a pattern out of it.

4. And that’s the pattern for the traveler’s belt bag. Feel free to use it for sewing your own belt bags, but if you’re going to use it for commercial purposes send me a mail, ok?: )

This includes the backside and the flap (piece A in the pattern), the belt piece (piece C) and the button piece (piece B). You will have to add the frontside, which is the backside without the flap (if the pattern would be of a Russian nested doll , the front piece would be the doll without the head).

5. Sew the button piece (or piece B in the pattern). The purple fabric is the lining. Cut the lining piece in two and sew both pieces right sides kissing each other.

6. Turn inside out. This is what you should have before pressing. You will hand-sew the opening.

7. The right side -before pressing.

8. Do the same thing with the belt piece (or piece C in the pattern): sew right sides kissing, turn inside out. Then press both pieces.

9. Now sew the belt piece to the right side of the back and flap (piece A). This is a good time to check if your belt can go through the loop.

10. Take the front side (part A minus the flap) and sew a hem.

11. Now put the back side and flap and front side right side together.

12. And sandwich the front side between piece A and piece A cut out of lining fabric (here the purple one).

13. Sew and cut notches into the seam allowance so you’ll get nice curves. Leave a 5cm opening – here marked in blue pencil.

14. Turn inside out.

15. Press and sew the opening by hand.

16. This is what you should have at this point.

17. Sew a buttonhole in piece B.

18. And attach it to the flap with a pin.

19. Mark the spot for the button. Sew the button.

20. Are you still with me? : )

21. Sew the second button on the flap. This is a fake button, it’s only for decoration purposes and it also connects the flap with the button piece. Sew it carefully.

22. And you’re done! Congratulations! 🙂

You can use the same pattern to make different belt bags: without the button piece and just one button, or just with a snap. Have fun!